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Continuous Arm Windsor Chair with Peter Galbert New! March 1- 6
Cost $875 - FULL - please email to be waitlisted
Materials Fee $165
Skill Level - Intermediate
In this class, students will create one of the iconic Windsor chair forms, the continuous arm. Starting with a white oak log, the students will split, shave, bend, carve, join and assemble their chairs while discovering the speed, joy and freedom of using well-tuned hand tools. The turnings will be pre-turned out of hard maple and the seats will be eastern white pine. Students can expect to work hard and learn about a variety of topics, from sharpening and wood technology to chair design and finishing techniques, along the way to creating a beautiful heirloom chair.
About the instructor:
Peter Galbert is a full time chair maker living in Bethel, New York.
His work has been exhibited and collected internationally. He has taught chairmaking at craft schools across the country as well as at his timberframe workshop. He is also the creator of the Galbert Caliper direct reading caliper for spindle turning. To learn more about Pete, chairmaking and the life of a chairmaker, visit his blog at Chairnotes.blogspot.com or his website at petergalbertchairmaker.com. This is Peter’s first year teaching here at Kelly Mehler’s School of Woodworking. We are very excited to have him.
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Hand-Cutting Dovetails - Weekend with Kelly MehlerMarch 27-28 - 2 spaces available
Cost $345 - includes materials
Skill Level - Open to all
Find out that this preeminent joint is well within your grasp! This most beautiful, useful, and long lasting joint will be our focus for this two-day hands-on class. You will learn methods that may be difficult to read about, but which become very doable with hands-on instruction.
Here's what we'll do:
- Learn how to sharpen chisels.
- Lay out through dovetails and half blind dovetails.
- Learn methods for hand sawing and chiseling dovetails.
- Cut and fit through dovetails, half blind and mitered dovetails.
- View demonstrations and 1-on-1 instruction.
By the end of the weekend, you will have a good foundation for successfully adding several types of hand-cut dovetails to your woodworking repertoire. Your facility with tool sharpening will augment your ability to create clean and beautiful dovetails and other joints needed for your projects.
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Build a Classic Side Table with Kelly Mehler
April 12-16 - 2 spaces available * date changed
Cost $865 - Includes all materials
Skill Level - Open to all
In this foundational class you will build a small cherry or walnut side table. The side table has proven to be a popular project for both new and experienced woodworking enthusiasts. The side table class focuses on foundational skills including basic joinery, drawers, gluing, machine and hand tools use - all valuable skills used in nearly all woodworking projects. The piece that you create is adaptable to a variety of uses and can fit into many kinds of home or office decors.
The highlights of this class are:
- Tuning, sharpening and using hand tools
- Matching wood for a pleasing unified appearance
- Efficient machine tool milling
- Safe use of power and hand tools
- Mortise and tenon joinery
- Hand cutting dovetails
- Making and fitting a dovetailed drawer
- Gluing and assembly
Handouts and daily demos will give you step-by-step instruction and tips for successfully completing your side table.
As in all our small classes, you will work at your own pace and will receive lots of individual attention.
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Build a Serpentine Table with Garrett Hack New!
Cost $925 - plus materials (participant information)
April 19-24
- FULL - email to be wait listed
Skill Level - Open to all
The serpentine curve of the front apron, the outward flaring sides, and the finely tapered and inlaid legs give this table poise and elegance. It's an excellent project for exploring design, non-square joinery, a variety of decorative techniques such as string inlay, and lamination to create light and very strong curved parts. Hand tools figure prominently in how we will work to size, smooth, and fit parts. The finished table could find a home in a hall, behind a sofa, or as a small writing desk.
We'll start out the week developing a full scale drawing of the table, from which we can "lift" all of the curves, the dimensions of the various parts, and the exact size and location of the joinery. The curved aprons are multiple layers laminated and glued over a form. To cut the legs and joinery we will use a combination of machines and hand tools — machines for the bulk of the work, hand tools for the final finishing and precise fitting. The top and legs allow the most individual creativity: in the amount of overhang, the depth of the under-bevel, chamfers, and decorative details.
I liken building this table to the proverb of learning how to fish, adding to your design vocabulary and learning a whole host of sophisticated hand tool techniques useful for whatever you build.
About the instructor:
Garrett Hack is a furniture maker, author, and woodworking teacher from Thetford Center, VT, where he also runs a small homestead farm. He originally trained at Boston University’s program in artistry and holds a degree in architecture from Princeton University. Internationally known, his work and Federal-inspired brick shop have been featured in numerous magazines and books, including “Architectural Digest,” “The New York Times,” and “Preservation” magazine. He is a contributing editor at “Fine Woodworking” and has written two books, The Handplane Book and Classic Hand Tools. Garrett spends about a quarter of his time teaching throughout the U.S., England, and Canada, and is former chairman of the Furniture Masters of New Hampshire. We are eager to host Garrett for the first time this year.
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European Relief Carving with Nora Hall Cost $475- includes all materials
April 30 - May 2 - FULL - please email to be wait listed
Skill Level - All levels
Old-style ornaments such as leaves, scrolls, shells, flowers, grapes, etc. will be utilized as a means of explaining classic European carving styles. The main area covered will be relief carving. Carving in-the-round, chip carving, and letter carving will also be included.
Initially, each student will become familiar with the seven basic tools by carving a simple design. Nora will work individually to perhaps suggest a second project and a third and so on. If time permits, high relief carving will be introduced.
Throughout the course, much one-on-one guidance will be given to ensure that correct technique is followed. Demonstrations and discussions will occur frequently, perhaps to stress a particular concept or to address students' questions.
This workshop is open to experienced and to novice carvers, with the outcome being that, at the end, each participant will have learned to achieve both quality and higher levels of productivity and proficiency through the techniques learned.
Students are welcome to bring their own tools; or, tools can be supplied by the instructor.
We invite you to join us for this very special opportunity to work with Nora.
About the instructor:
It was Nora Hall’s life dream to become a wood sculptress when she was growing up in Amsterdam, Holland during the difficult years of World War II. Nora’s father, master woodcarver Johannes Leereveld, encouraged his daughter to attend the art academy in Amsterdam, which she did for one year. This brief study laid the foundation for an apprenticeship with her dad that continued for many years.
In the 1950’s, Nora left her native country and raised her family in the United States. In the 1970’s Nora began teaching classical-style carving methods to U.S. students of all ages.
Over the years, Nora has had the pleasure of having her work commissioned by the BMH Synagogue in Denver, US West, Hugh Hefner, Gibson Guitar, and numerous private collectors. She has also had her work and life featured in such magazines as Fine Woodworking, Woodshop News, Colorado Homes and Lifestyles, and Woodworker’s Journal.
Nora is still teaching and carving today, moved by her love of the craft she wants to share it with as many people as possible. We are thrilled to have her teach at the school! Visit her website at www.norahall.com
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May 10-14
Cost $865
includes all materials
Skill Level - open to all
In this 5-day class you will learn a large variety of finishing processes as practiced in the non-industrial furniture shop. By the end of the course you will know how to fill grain, apply dyes & pigments, and put on hand-rubbed varnish, shellac, and oil finishes. Work on each of these techniques is done on your own sample panels (provided for you), and you may bring special pieces of your own wood to experiment on if you wish.
Through lecture and demonstrations, Teri explains everything from wood preparation to final rubbing out processes. This includes selection of proper abrasives, sanders, and fillers; layering of colorants; bleaching, glazing, and brushing; French polishing; and techniques for rubbing the final finish to perfection. You will leave with a better understanding of the range of choices for finishing your furniture projects from now on.
The week is loaded with hands-on practice, lots of discoveries, and loads of fun!
About the instructor:
Teri Masaschi started as an apprentice with a Fine Arts dealer in New Hampshire at the age of 14. Since that time she has spent a lifetime restoring, conserving, building/rebuilding and finishing antiques. Teri also finishes for woodworkers who use her expertise to finish their work. Other than a period of 7 years working at Woodworker's Supply as manager and specialist for the finishing products, Teri's career has been a straight line of creating fine finishes, writing about finishing and passing on some of her 41 years of knowledge through teaching.
Teri is the author of Foolproof Wood Finishing, published by Sterling Press. Visit Teri on the Web at www.terimasaschi.com.
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Felder Machinery : Building an End Table with Kelly Mehler
Cost $175 plus $120 materials
May 21-22 - FULL - please email to be wait listed
Skill Level - All
If you are the owner of a Felder/Hammer machine or you are interested in learning more about European woodworking machinery, this hands-on class is for you. You will make a simple end table with all of the pieces cut from one board! The table construction incorporates the use of several different Felder machines so that you can discover the accuracy, efficiency, and safety features of these tools.
The goal of the class is for you to observe and then experiment with the capabilities of the different machines. As such, the table is the vehicle for your learning and there is no pressure to complete the project. The pace is entirely up to you and you will be supported in your learning by careful demonstration and teaching by Kelly, a long-time user of Felder machinery, followed by your hands-on practice of each technique. Important maintenance and tune-up information will be shared through demonstration and question/answer sessions.
Here are some of the things you can expect to learn:
- Rough milling and final milling on the jointer/planer and table saw.
- Re-sawing on the band saw.
- Mortising on the combination machine mortiser and stand-alone mortiser.
- Tenon making on the shaper and by dado cutting on the table saw.
- Edge treatments on the shaper.
- Tapering on the jointer.
- Gluing, clamping, fitting joints, and assembly techniques.
- Safety considerations for each tool.
You will enjoy an action-packed two days with good learning, excellent information, and a convivial atmosphere! For more information, or to register for this class, go to: Felder USA or call toll free at 866-792-5288
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Plane Making: Wooden Molding Planes with Larry Williams & Don McConnellMay 31- June 4 - FULL - please email to be wait listed
Cost $875 - includes all materials
Skill Level - Intermediate
For many woodworkers, there are few more gratifying experiences than producing their own tools. With hand tools and traditional techniques, we'll each make a pair of #8 hollow and round planes that share the features and function of those made by the best plane makers of the past.
We'll explore the history of molding planes and their evolution. While molding planes appear simple, they are highly evolved tools with often subtle features that make a difference in their use. Our planes will incorporate important details that enable greater utility and agility.
There are many easily learned skills involved which also transfer to other aspects of woodworking. We'll learn dependable and repeatable sharpening techniques that apply to profiled tools like those used in carving and to more common straight edged tools like bench chisels and bench planes. Each participant will also learn to easily and accurately heat treat tool steel for the planes produced in this project and for future needs.
You'll gain experience with tools you may not have used before. Floats will enable you to work deep into places you can barely see into and to do it accurately. Gimlet bits will allow you to "steer" hand-bored holes exactly where you want and need them.
We'll end by surveying some basic techniques of using hollow & round planes to produce classic molding profiles. You'll be able to experiment with creating a few traditional moldings with your new planes and to try out a few dedicated molding planes as well.
You'll leave the workshop enabled by new skills, fresh knowledge, confidence and a pair of hollow and round planes you'll be able to use to enhance your future work.
About the instructors:
In 2006, Larry Williams was honored with the "Living Treasure" award from the Arkansas Department of Cultural Heritage for his efforts in reviving the traditional craft of making wooden planes. Lie-Nielsen recently released Larry's DVD on plane making. Larry worked in architectural woodworking for 25 years and began experimenting with plane making in the late 1970's. His work and articles have been featured in a number of woodworking books and magazines. Larry is a partner in Clark & Williams, who produce traditional Western-style wooden planes.
Don McConnell made his first wooden planes in the late-1970's while building furniture in the cabinet shop of the Ohio Village. He continued his plane making activities over the following years while building custom furniture in traditional styles and undertaking one-of-a-kind architectural woodwork including carved elements of geometric handrails. His work has been featured in several magazines and exhibits. A former contributing editor for Popular Woodworking magazine, Don is also co-author of Hand-Saw Makers of Britain.
More than 300 Clark & Williams planes are currently in use in the Conservation and Historic Trades Departments at Colonial Williamsburg.
Visit their website at www.planemaker.com
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Using Wooden Molding Planes with Williams & McConnellJune 5-6 - 2 spaces available
Cost $385 - includes all materials
Skill Level - open to all
Learn how you can enrich your furniture projects, with complete freedom, through the use of hollows & rounds, and a few associated hand planes. Begin by gaining a familiarity with the "vocabulary" of classical moldings, their characteristics, uses, and designs. Learn to design your own classical moldings which are informed by proportions and principles found in the classical orders, also with an eye toward the tools used to create them. This will be re-enforced by hands-on experience designing, laying out, and executing several classical moldings. Along the way, we'll discuss the selection, tuning, sharpening and use of a variety of molding planes. Skills and knowledge which you can take home to your own shop.
Finally, we will explore ways in which these classical techniques and tools can be used to enhance more contemporary furniture projects to personal taste. The emphasis will be on learning to add visual and tactile interest, while manipulating the visual weight and relationships of various elements of your projects. Enabled by this skill and knowledge, the "profiles" of your projects need be limited only by your imagination.
About the instructors:
In 2006, Larry Williams was honored with the "Living Treasure" award from the Arkansas Department of Cultural Heritage for his efforts in reviving the traditional craft of making wooden planes. Lie-Nielsen recently released Larry's DVD on plane making. Larry worked in architectural woodworking for 25 years and began experimenting with plane making in the late 1970's. His work and articles have been featured in a number of woodworking books and magazines. Larry is a partner in Clark & Williams, who produce traditional Western-style wooden planes. More than 300 Clark & Williams planes are currently in use in the Conservation and Historic Trades Departments at Colonial Williamsburg.
Don McConnell made his first wooden planes in the late-1970's while building furniture in the cabinet shop of the Ohio Village. He continued his plane making activities over the following years while building custom furniture in traditional styles and undertaking one-of-a-kind architectural woodwork including carved elements of geometric handrails. His work has been featured in several magazines and exhibits. A former contributing editor for Popular Woodworking magazine, Don is also co-author of Hand-Saw Makers of Britain.
visit their website at www.planemaker.com
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Turning for Furniture Making with Nick Cook
June 14-18
Cost $795 - FULL - email to be wait listed
Materials $85
Skill Level - Open to all
This class is designed for woodworkers interested in adding turned parts to their furniture projects. Students can expect to learn, practice and execute the techniques for making most of the turned parts that may be found in a piece of furniture.
The projects you create will include matched table legs, bun feet, finials, drawer pulls, a table lamp, a small 3-legged stool and a larger 4- legged stool.
We will start with an introduction to the lathe, safety, turning tools and sharpening techniques. Students will learn to sharpen their turning tools, and will practice proper cutting techniques.
You will practice a variety of cuts and learn to make the basic shapes required for spindle turning. Some faceplate work will also be included. We will also discuss stock preparation, layout techniques and how to create duplicate parts.
Nick will discuss and demonstrate:
- Both spindle and faceplate turning techniques.
- A variety of chucking methods.
- Sanding and finishing possibilities (supplied for you at the school.)
Students will have their own lathes for the week. Don't miss this special class with an amazing amount of skill practice and lots of enjoyment!
About the instructor:
Nick Cook is a full time production turner producing a wide variety of gift items, one of a kind bowls & vessels as well as work for furniture makers and millwork contractors. He spends much of his time teaching both individuals and groups throughout the country. He has done workshops for woodturning groups in Australia, New Zealand and England. He has also participated in the national woodturning symposiums in England, New Zealand and the US. He is a founding member of the American Association of Woodturners and has served as vice president and conference coordinator. Nick was named the 12 th honorary lifetime member of the AAW. He has written numerous articles for various woodturning publications including Woodworkers Journal and American Woodworker. He is a contributing editor for American Woodturner. Visit his website at www.nickcookwoodturner.com
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Federal Card Table with Glen Huey
June 28 - July 3 - 1 space available
Cost $925 includes some materials
Student provides wood using the provided cut list
Skill Level - Intermediate
The most popular pieces of furniture built during the Federal period were card tables. Many shapes and designs were built, but the half-round form was the design of choice.
This table is based on a fine example of Southern, Federal craftsmanship built in Baltimore circa 1795 – 1810. The original table is part of the Colonial Williamsburg Collection. In this class you’ll construct a modified table with many of the same characteristics used on the original. This piece has many practical uses in your home and is destined to become a piece of furniture to be treasured for generations to come.
The focus of the class will be on the bricking of the front apron; simple veneering, inlay of string, banding and patera, multiple joinery techniques and period construction details.
You can expect to learn:
- How to cut half-blind dovetails and bridle joints.
- Steps for making a knuckle joint used to swing both rear legs on your table.
- Methods for tapering legs, including my preferred method using a jointer. (Don’t think multiple cuts; cut these tapers in only two passes).
- Stringing with “old-school” techniques as well as using a router.
- How to make banding and sand-shaded inlay to be used on your project, if you choose.
- Veneering techniques with the pros and cons of each method discussed.
- Much more!
Join us for a fun-filled, informative, woodworking-packed week building the quintessential Federal period masterpiece. There is a lot to learn and many of the techniques can be adapted to your other projects.
About the instructor:
Glen Huey is an Ohio native who built his first piece of reproduction furniture - a Sheraton Bed - at age 14, with his father's help. Glen is a Senior Editor with Popular Woodworking and Woodworking magazines and has authored three furniture books including Glen D. Huey’s Illustrated Guide to Building Period Furniture. He currently builds furniture out of his shop in West Chester, Ohio as well as teaching woodworking classes and conducting seminars for woodworking groups around the country. Glen’s focus is primarily 18th & early 19th century furniture.
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Viking Tool Chest & Hand Wrought Hardware with Don Weber New!
Cost $895 includes all materials
July 12- 16 - 1 space available
Skill Level - All
A workshop in making a replica of an ancient Viking tool chest with hand wrought hardware. The tool chest measures approximatly 34" long by 10" tall and 10" deep.
This is a course in recreating an ancient Viking tool chest made in Gotland dated to 1100 AD. This chest, unearthed in 1936, was full of tools and implements used by a woodworker/blacksmith. The chest had a keyed lock as well as several ingenious padlocks inside—a great window on the tools of an ancient craftsman.
With simple hand tools/ hand plane, bow saw, brace, bits and adz, the student will make this chest from dimensioned lumber. Each student will forge the hinges and the rose headed clinch nails that fasten the hardware to the box. Finishes will also be covered in the course.
About the instructor:
Don Weber has been a woodworker (joiner) for over 40 years and a metalsmith for more than 20. Apprenticed in a joinery shop at 16, Weber has endeavored to keep alive the focus of traditional hand woodworking in a small shop as opposed to industrialization and mechanization. He hand forges tools and hardware for customers and himself.
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Woodworking Machinery and Hand Tool Fundamentals with Kelly Mehler
July 26 - 30
Cost $875
Includes all Materials
Skill Level - all
The goal of this basics hands-on course is to help provide a solid woodworking foundation to the beginning woodwork
er. In this class you will learn essential hand tool and machine tool skills. These are the foundational skills that all woodworkers should have but often miss.
Hand tools and hand tool skills are a necessary and rewarding part of woodworking. The woodworker's basic hand tools are chisels, hand planes, scrapers and handsaws. In this class we will cover the choosing, sharpening, tuning and use of each tool. You will learn to use sharpening techniques and options for setting up a sharpening station in your shop. Once your hand tools are sharp, you will learn to use your hand tools correctly, safely and efficiently. There is plenty of time for practice and experimentation.
The jointer, planer, tablesaw, mortiser, drill press and router are the primary power tools in the woodshop. You will learn how to use each of these machine tools safely and properly and how to tune and maintain them. Important information such as choosing the right blades, adjusting guides, setting knives, and eliminating snipe are just a few of the things that you will learn during the week.
Finally, you will put all of your new skills together while building a small end table. This is an important class for any woodworker and it will provide a solid foundation on which to build.
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Hand-Cutting Dovetails with Kelly Mehler
August 7
Cost $225 - includes all materials
Skill Level - Open to all
Find out that this preeminent joint is well within your grasp! This most beautiful, useful, and long lasting joint will be our focus for this daylong hands-on class. You will learn methods that may be difficult to read about but which become very doable with hands-on instruction.
Here's what we'll do:
- Learn how to sharpen chisels.
- Layout through dovetails.
- Learn methods for hand sawing and chiseling dovetails.
- Cut and fit through dovetails.
- Demonstrations and 1-on-1 instruction.
By the end of the day, you will have a good foundation for successfully adding hand-cut dovetails to your woodworking repertoire.
This is a good preparatory class for the Blanket Chest class.
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Hand-Cut Dovetailed Blanket Chest with
Kelly Mehler
August 9-14 - 2 spaces available
Cost $895
Skill Level - All levels
It is a Blanket Chest! It is a Tool Chest! It is what you want it to be as this project represents one of the most enduring pieces of heirloom furniture. These chests are often passed down in families for many generations. The best historical examples are made with hand cut dovetails since this is, without a doubt, the best joint for preserving the integrity of the chest over time. Your own hand cut dovetailed chest will become an instant heirloom of which you are be the proud creator!
In this 6 day class you will build a beautiful Blanket Chest of a dimension that suits your needs. The chest is made of solid wood panels for the case, top, and base. If time allows, an interior structure and small interior drawer can be added.
The main emphasis of the week will be case construction using hand cut through-dovetails. You don't need prior dovetail experience for taking this class, but my Dovetail Class will give you a head start and can-do confidence. You will learn the techniques needed to build this chest successfully through one-on-one instruction and demonstrations during the week. At the same time, you will acquire skills that are broadly applicable to other pieces that you may wish to make in the future.
You can expect to learn:
- Choosing, matching and milling rough lumber.
- Safe and correct machinery practices.
- How to work with and glue up matched solid panels.
- Dovetailing and more dovetailing!
- How to hinge and attach a top.
- How to make and install a solid wood bottom and base.
- Finishing touches that make a difference.
Enjoy the small class size and lots of personal attention while making a beautiful project of enduring quality.
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Felder Machinery : Building an End Table with Kelly Mehler
Cost $175 plus $120 Materials
August 20-21
Skill Level - All
If you are the owner of a Felder/Hammer machine or you are interested in learning more about European woodworking machinery, this hands-on class is for you. You will make a simple end table with all of the pieces cut from one board! The table construction incorporates the use of several different Felder machines so that you can discover the accuracy, efficiency, and safety features of these tools.
The goal of the class is for you to observe and then experiment with the capabilities of the different machines. As such, the table is the vehicle for your learning and there is no pressure to complete the project. The pace is entirely up to you and you will be supported in your learning by careful demonstration and teaching by Kelly, a long-time user of Felder machinery, followed by your hands-on practice of each technique. Important maintenance and tune-up information will be shared through demonstration and question/answer sessions.
Here are some of the things you can expect to learn:
- Rough milling and final milling on the jointer/planer and table saw.
- Re-sawing on the band saw.
- Mortising on the combination machine mortiser and stand-alone mortiser.
- Tenon making on the shaper and by dado cutting on the table saw.
- Edge treatments on the shaper.
- Tapering on the jointer.
- Gluing, clamping, fitting joints, and assembly techniques.
- Safety considerations for each tool.
You will enjoy an action-packed two days with good learning, excellent information, and a convivial atmosphere! For more information or to register for this class go to: Felder USA or call toll free at 866-792-5288
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Arts & Crafts Table with Stewart Crick
August 23-28 - 2 spaces available
Cost $895 - materials are listed in the participant information link below
New!
Skill Level - intermediate
In this intermediate level course, students will build an Arts and Crafts inspired bedside table from solid wood. The table, designed by award-winning contemporary Arts and Crafts furniture designer Stu Crick, includes style elements from some of the movement's leading designers; including Greene & Greene; Frank Lloyd Wright, and Gustav Stickley. Students will learn how to build and use jigs and processes to reproduce classical Arts and Crafts style elements. From bread-board table tops to legs with the unique ray-fleck pattern of quarter-sawn white oak on all four sides; to the spindles of Frank Lloyd Wright and the alluring ebony accents of Greene and Greene, this course will give you the confidence to create your own unique Arts and Crafts furniture designs, and to build them to last for years and years.
Students will learn:
- How to build solidly constructed Arts and Crafts furniture
- How to design Arts & Crafts furniture that features style elements of the movement
- How to build a traditional dovetailed drawer
- How to construct bread-board table tops
- How to hand fit joints using traditional tools and techniques
About the instructor:
Stu has been working with wood most of his life and focusing on Arts and Crafts inspired furniture for the past 10 years. His construction techniques use a blend of modern power tools and traditional hand tools to achieve an efficient balance between art and craftsmanship. Stu’s furniture has been featured in several magazines, including American Bungalow, Cottages and Bungalows, Arts & Crafts Homes, Style1900, American Woodworker, Woodcraft, and Fine Woodworking. He has appeared on ABC's Good Morning America as a furniture consultant to Consumer reporter Elisabeth Leamy. His unique designs have placed in several juried shows including the Philadelphia Invitational Furniture Show, and Fine Furnishing’s Providence Show. Recently he was awarded the Best in Show Award for a Traditional Body of Work at the 2008 Providence Fine Furniture Show. His furniture resides in the permanent collection of the Grove Park Inn, and his design’s were recently featured in Bruce Johnson’s book Arts & Crafts Furniture of the Grove Park Inn.
Stu also serves as President of the Washington Woodworkers Guild—a local 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to enhancing and sharing woodworking knowledge. Visit Stu on the Web at www.stuswoodworks.com
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21st Century Workbench with Robert Lang New!
October 11-16
Cost $975 - FULL - email to be wait listed
Materials- $1125 which includes select and better hard maple, both vises all hardware and machining
Skill Level - Intermediate
The 21st Century Workbench began as a reproduction of a Nicholson bench, a traditional English form used in the 18th and 19th centuries in Britain and the United States. After designing a Nicholson, second thoughts about its shortcomings took hold and this design began to take shape. The ability to clamp work to the front of the bench remained, and methods of holding work were borrowed from several forms of benches, notably the split top bench of David Charlesworth.
With removable, reversible tool trays in the center of the bench, the two top sections are manageable in size, and the base is designed to be knocked down in minutes, thanks to joinery found on an early illustration of a Nicholson bench. Following tradition, the original 21st Century Workbench was made of a strong, sturdy, locally available hardwood, Ash. Building the bench uses basic skills of hand and machine woodworking, and the result is a bench that will hold anything you throw at it for the rest of your life.
About the instructor:
Robert W. Lang has been a professional woodworker since the early 1970s. Bob’s early career included repairing wooden boats on Lake Erie and an apprenticeship in a large commercial cabinet shop in Cleveland. It progressed though designing, building and selling custom furniture at art shows around the country to a stint in design school and project management for large architectural millwork firms. In the late 1990s he began free-lance writing for Fine Woodworking and Woodshop News. In 2001, his first book Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture was published. Fine Woodworking would later name the book as “One of 27 Books Every Woodworker Should Read”. Bob has authored four other books of measured drawings of furniture and interiors of the Arts and Crafts period as well as The Complete Kitchen Cabinetmaker and Drafting and Design for Woodworkers.
In 2004, Bob joined the staff at Popular Woodworking and Woodworking magazines as senior editor and in addition to designing, building and photographing projects for the magazines also does most of the illustrations that appear in the magazines. The 21st Century Workbench is a good example of Bob’s approach to working with wood; a blend of historic forms adapted to contemporary use, suited to a blend of both hand and power tool use.
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Handtools Bootcamp with Christopher Schwarz
New!
October 23-24 - FULL -email to be wait listed
Cost $475 Materials included
Skill Level - All
Many power-tool woodworkers are interested in hand tools, but they are bewildered by where to begin, worried about a steep learning curve or put off by the high prices of quality hand tools. In reality, you need only a few hand tools to get started, they are fairly easy to master (with a little instruction) and you can get very high-quality tools for little money (if you know what to buy).
Christopher Schwarz, the editor of Popular Woodworking and Woodworking Magazine, has designed a weekend crash course in handwork that will give you all the basic skills you need to get started – without spending a bundle on planes, saws, chisels or sharpening equipment.
During this two-day class you'll learn to sharpen and set up your chisels and a handplane, plus you'll learn how to saw with enormous precision – the first step to becoming a world-class dovetailer. As you explore these tools, you'll build a reproduction of an 1830 Shaker wall cupboard from the Hancock community using both power and hand tools.
By the end of the weekend, you'll see how a small complement of hand tools can make you a better power-tool woodworker by reducing the amount of sanding you do, allowing you to adjust your workpieces in astonishing .001" increments and eliminating many unsafe power-tool operations (especially with small parts).
This class is ideal for beginning and intermediate power-tool woodworkers, or any beginning woodworker who wishes to explore woodworking with hand tools alone.
About the instructor:
Born in St. Louis, Mo., and raised in Northwest Arkansas, Chris began woodworking as a boy in his dad’s home shop. His father prohibited him from using the powered machinery, so he built his projects – including his first workbench – with a small set of hand tools. Chris became further enmeshed in the world of hand work when his family bought an 84-acre farm in Hackett, Ark., and began building two houses without the benefit of electricity.
After writing his first book, “Workbenches: From Design & Theory to Construction & Use” (Popular Woodworking Books), Chris and a partner established Lost Art Press LLC, a side business that publishes historical woodworking texts; their first project was to revive Joseph Moxon’s “The Art of Joinery” in 2008. He also is the author of "Handplane Essentials" and the forthcoming book "The Joiner and Cabinet Maker."
Chris remains an avid woodworker, building projects for the magazines, his family and occasionally for sale. When he’s not woodworking, he’s cooking or working on his 1969 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. He lives in Fort Mitchell, Ky., with his wife, Lucy, who is also a journalist, and his two children, Maddy and Katy.
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Contact Kelly Mehler P.O. Box 786, Berea, KY 40403 phone (859) 986-5540 fax (859) 986-1233
email: kelly@kellymehler.com
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