The Kelly Mehler School of Woodworking

Registration is open & we hope to see you in 2013! Classes are filling fast- come join us! Welcome to our new website and to the new 2013 Class Schedule! It seems like every year since we opened in 2004 that I am thrilled and proud of the year’s schedule. 2012 was a great success and we have made even more new and meaningful Friends. This coming year we are experimenting with a smaller number of classes – “small but [...]

“First Things First Box” with Allan Breed - New! April 1-6 Cost $825 Skill Level: All Participant Information   Learn a variety of ways to use basic hand tools in this 6 day class class. Your learning centers around a dovetailed box that you will create that features straight and carved molding, a veneered sliding lid, a blocked end panel and a simple carved scallop shell. Made completely with hand tools, this is an ideal project for you to experiment with the [...]

Basic Relief Carving with Mary May April 18-20  - Full   Please Waitlist Cost $475 Materials included Skill Level – all Participant Information  Woodcarving Basics This 3 day class will cover the basics of woodcarving using traditional techniques that have been used for centuries. We will start with the process of getting the gouges razor sharp, then go over the basics of working with the grain, how to safely hold the gouges, and techniques of clamping down wood. The projects will start with a [...]

    Intermediate Carving Techniques with Mary May - New! April 22-24 - Full   Please Waitlist Cost $475 Materials included Skill Level: Some Carving Experience Participant Information    Intermediate Carving Techniques: Mary May In this 3 day class, you will go step by step to some interesting  and more advanced carving techniques. You will start with a grape leaf and grape cluster design in relief, and then go on to carve a more advanced acanthus leaf. Finally, if time permits, we will [...]

      “Classy Table – Snappy Drawer” with Garrett Hack - New! April 29- May 3  Full   Please Waitlist Cost $825 Materials: See Participant Information Skill Level – Intermediate Participant Information                            Build a Classy Table with Garrett Hack Combine a classy side table with a fun drawer that opens in a tricky way. (But I’m not giving away any surprises yet!)  You have lots of opportunities to explore design, [...]

“Decorative Details” with Garrett Hack - New! May 4-5  Full   Please Waitlist Cost $375 Materials: Included Skill Level – All Participant Information   Decorative Details with Garrett Hack Over three millennia ago Egyptian craftsmen were decorating their work with inlays of small intricate patterns of ebony, ivory, and other exotic materials. We will learn the same technique, after first making some of the necessary tools — micro chisels and scratch stocks.  This class will cover delicate string or line inlays, larger surface inlays such [...]

      “Peter Galbert’s Shavehorse &” with Peter Galbert - New! May 20-25 Cost $1020 Materials: Included Skill Level – All Participant Information Horsing Around with Peter Galbert The shavehorse is a central fixture in chairmaking for it’s ease and versatility. Once you’ve worked on a good horse, you’ll constantly find new uses for it. This 6 day class will center around building an adjustable head shavehorse designed by Peter Galbert and Greg Pennington at Kelly Mehler’s School in 2012. This [...]

      Build a Roorkhee Chair with Chris Schwarz - New! June 3-7   FULL  (waitlist is open) Cost $1095 Materials: Included Skill Level – All Participant Information Build a Roorkhee Chair – The British Army’s Lounge Chair Roorkhee Chairs are one of the missing links between Old World furniture styles and modern chair design – they also happen to be one of the most portable and comfortable chairs ever built. Designed for the British army in the 19th century, Roorkhee chairs were a staple of English officers around the [...]

Build a Pennsylvania Spice Chest with Steve Latta - New! June 17-23  FULL  (waitlist is open) Cost $1050 Materials: See Participant Information Skill Level – Intermediate Participant Information     Spice Chests have a rich history in Chester County, Pennsylvania, the place I call home.  The spice chests were a symbol of wealth, often displayed in a parlor or other public room.  The elegant, compass inlay is unique to Chester County and in many instances the chest designs also feature initials or important dates [...]

     Build 3 Wooden Layout Tools with Chris Schwarz - New! July 20-21 (Full, please waitlist) Cost $395 Materials: included Skill Level – All Participant Information Build Your Own Precision Layout Tools There are three wooden layout tools at the heart of every shop that incorporates handwork – the straightedge, winding sticks and the wooden try square. These seemingly simple tools are accurate, highly refined, lightweight and easy to keep true. In this class, you’ll learn to build these three tools. [...]