Chandler Macocha has done it again!
The Oxford Middle School eighth-grader and budding boy genius created yet another invention which has earned him more fame and fortune.
It’s called ‘The Roofer’s Dream? and the innovative shingle remover recently earned Macocha a regional second place finish in the sixth-through-eighth-grade category of the 2004 Sears Craftsman/National Science Teachers Association Young Inventors Awards Program.
Nearly 9,000 second-through-eighth-grade students from across the United States entered this year’s competition, which annually invites students to invent a new tool or re-think an existing one.
In last year’s competition, Macocha was one of two national winners of a $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond for his invention the ‘Wheelchair Backpack Holder,? which enables a wheelchair’s backpack to conveniently swivel forward via a hand-operated lever.
It’s interesting to note that last month Macocha’s ‘Wheelchair Backpack Holder? earned him a spot in the Young Inventors Gallery at the formal induction ceremony for the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio.
When asked his thoughts on another of his inventions placing in same contest for the second consecutive year, Macocha replied, ‘I think it’s great. I didn’t really think I could do it again.?
‘Two years in a row out of 9,000 people is just unbelievable, but coming from him it’s not surprising,? said Kristin Breil, teacher and adviser to the OMS Science Club, of which Macocha is a member. ‘I’m very proud of him.?
Mary Stein, an OMS parent and Oakland University professor who helped found the science club, described Macocha as ‘bright? and ‘intelligent.?
‘He goes beyond what he has to do, what’s expected of him at school,? she said. ?(The Roofer’s Dream) represents a lot fo extra work.?
Macocha’s latest invention is an adjustable single-remover that combines four tools into one.
He explained that normally a roofer would have to carry with him four shingle removers of different lengths to deal with the various roof angles or pitches he may encounter ranging from shallow or flat to steep.
Macocha said he saw these four different-sized tools lined up together on the Internet and thought to himself, ‘I can probably make that one tool.?
‘I was looking for another idea for the competition,? he said.
Using extendable aluminum tubing, Macocha created a shingle remover that at its longest is 54 inches (for handling almost level roofs) and can be reduced all the way down to 22 inches to handle the ‘steepest roof angles or pitches.?
The remover’s two in-between lengths are 47 inches and 39 inches.
Wheels were added to the ‘fulcrum point? of Macocha’s shingle remover to ‘reduce friction and increase leverage.?
Normally, the hard metal on shingle removers currently in use rubs against the shingles creating a lot of friction and making the job ‘a lot harder,? he explained.
But on The Roofer’s Dream,’the wheels make it go smoother and give you more power.?
Besides shingles, it can also remove carpet and tile, Macocha said.
In honor of his regional second place finish, a special presentation was made at the middle school Friday to recognize and reward Macocha. Jim Powell, of the Sears at Summit Place Mall in Waterford, was on hand to personally honor Macocha.
In addition to winning a $500 U.S. Saving Bond and $500 Craftsman gift card, Macocha received a Craftsman hat, Young Inventors t-shirt, signed letter from Bob Vila (Craftsman spokesman and well-known home improvement television personality), a certificate, 100 craftsman ink pens and bumperstickers (for himself and the other members of the OMS Science Club he belongs to).
Because he’ll be starting the ninth grade in the fall, Macocha will no longer be eligible to enter the Craftsman/NSTA Young Inventors competition, but he vows to find another contest in which to participate.
You can’t keep a good inventor down.