More to come with the late summer and fall classes in the next few days, as more details come in and the full picture takes place, yet the full schedule is beginning to take shape. We have new guest instructors, and you will see some of your favorite returning instructors to Pine Croft (including Kelly Mehler!)
You can find our full list for 2023 on our “Course Descriptions” page.
Dates: February 27 – March 3, 2023. Five class days.
Instructor: Aspen Golann
Class Description: Popular in 1600 and 2022, this ancient chair style is still a darling of the contemporary furniture field. Starting from a green log students will learn to split, soak, and shape their way to a finished piece of furniture. In this class we will cover the essential techniques required to build a classic Windsor side chair – we will also cover a variety of approaches to furniture design including maquettes, drafting and creating original patterns. The instructor will share plans and techniques for building a small kiln, steam box, bending forms, and a shavehorse so that students return home empowered to design and build their own chairs. Whether you are new to woodworking or an experienced maker, Windsor chair making will deepen your appreciation for the strength and versatility of wood and the power of hand tools.
Materials and lunches covered within the cost of the class.
Aspen and Pine Croft will provide the necessary tools for this class. No tools required.
Where to start when getting into woodworking?
That’s a tricky question because there is no correct answer. There’s also no wrong answer. That ambiguity is incredibly freeing, because it means you can start exactly where you are right now.
I frequently respond to the “where do I start” question by giving a list of great options. Some may be a viable option for you, others not.
With regards to classes at Pine Croft, it’s my intention to offer a range of classes (both project and skills based) that both challenge and support our students. I intend to continue scheduling renowned instructors and upcoming younger makers, in hopes of adding variety and interest.
These classes can seem intimidating, especially for beginners. While it may seem scary to sign up to make your first chair or cut your first dovetail, our classes are designed to support your initial efforts. The classes are designed to challenge a seasoned maker as well as a beginner, while providing everyone the space and support needed to acquire new skills.
Please consider any class we offer. If it requires advanced skills, I will note it in the class description. Start with a class that looks interesting to you and expand your skills from there.
I have added a “place to start” class into our offerings for those of you who want a broad woodworking education as your foundation. It’s our “Introduction to Woodworking” class and I plan on running it again this October. It’s a six day class, roughly broken into daily topics: hand tools (day 1), common power tools and machinery (day 2), sharpening (day 3), wood turning (day 4), and we finish the week making a dovetailed keepsake box.
Again, my advice is to start with something that interests you. Maybe I’ll see you in October at Pine Croft if the “Intro” class sounds interesting.
As always, please send me thoughts and questions about our classes. I am excited to talk woodworking. My email: glenna@berea.edu
Warmly, Andy Glenn
I’m excited to welcome Dawson Moore to Berea next spring over April 25-29 for his modern ladder back chair class. I’ve followed his work for the past few years (you can follow his craft on Instagram @michigansloyd). I jumped at the chance to work with him at Pine Croft.
His chairs are a combination of modern lines and traditional handwork. They’re a perfect bend. The chairs show the makers hand (which is something I look for when enjoying handmade chairs). But it’s the detailing that keeps me coming back to it. Each detail is considered. The lower rungs are lifted, which gives the chair a lighter appearance while providing the necessary strength. The upper slats are wide enough to provide support without any unnecessary bulkiness and they catch the sitter is just the right spot. He finishes the chair with the envelope pattern danish paper cord seat. Perfect choice: clean, uniform, and complimentary to the handmade chair.
The way Dawson utilizes the straight grain may not be apparent to a new maker, but is vital for both the durability and appearance. I love how the grain runs across the slats. It’s a minor part of the the chair, but one that gives it a feeling of balance and harmony. Simply put: It is right (actually, that’s how I feel about the entire chair).
I also like that Dawson’s using traditional skills and techniques with an eye towards modern design. This isn’t a purely green woodworking, or a machine-centric build, but a blend of the two approaches. A considered approach that uses the precision and repeatability of the machines when their strengths are appropriate and the uniqueness and personality of hand work when it adds to the character of the design.
All chair makers have their tricks and surprises that sets their work apart. Some are free flowing. Others are engineers, working towards precision. I’m looking forward to seeing Dawson’s approach to chair making. There’s consideration for each detail. It’s a gorgeous chair, that much is apparent. It’ll fit perfectly into a week-long course.
I’m thankful he’s sharing it with us in Berea.
–Andy Glenn
(please reach out with questions about Dawson’s class or any other we offer in early 2022: glenna@berea.edu)
Class Date(s): Monday, April 25 through Friday, April 29. 9am – 5pm.
Class Title: Modern Ladder Back Chair
Cost: $1400
Instructor: Dawson Moore
Class Description: This chair blends inspiration in both construction process and design from the likes of the more traditional Jennie Alexander and Brian Boggs, to the more modern Danish designers Hans Wegner and Borge Mogensen. The chair’s joinery relies on the foundational concepts outlined in Alexander’s well known book “Make a Chair from a Tree” while also exploring modern efficiencies by using a lathe, drill press and router. The idea is to gain some increases in joint accuracy and to skip over some of the mundane aspects of a purely hand tool build, while still embracing the fun of splitting parts from a log and shaping with hand tools like spokeshaves and drawknives.
In this class we will:
● Watch and get to practice splitting a few parts from a log.
● Shape provided front and steam bent back leg blanks with a drawknife and spokeshaves.
● Add a spokeshaved surface to provided rung turnings.
● Watch a demo of turning parts and sizing tenons on a lathe.
● Watch an alternative method of milling some parts from dried lumber.
● Learn some of the concepts behind the chair’s design and its jigs to be able to apply to other designs.
● Layout and bore rung and back slat mortises using simple and adaptable jigs.
● Shape and fit provided steam bent back slats using spokeshaves, a sloyd knife and block plane.
● Learn about proper grain orientation that ensures longevity of chair joints.
● Learn how to use a shop made kiln to take advantage of the shrinking and expanding properties of wood.
● Watch a steam bending demo and get to perform a couple practice bends.
● Assemble the chair.
● Apply an interesting new Japanese ceramic wood finish.
● Weave a “rush” pattern (also called envelope pattern) danish paper cord seat.
Tool List: Participants should bring a small kit of tools for the class. We’ll have extras of the recommended tools if your kit isn’t complete, but you’ll definitely need to bring the required tools.
Lunch provided.
Required:
● Gloves for Seat Weaving (I like something like these gloves that are form fitting for good dexterity, leather soled for protection, and fabric backed for more comfort and breathability. I would recommend trying on in store to ensure a close fit.)
Recommended:
● Pencil
● 6” Ruler
● Tape Measure
● Folding Ruler
● Sloyd Knife (Mora 106)
● Spokeshaves (flat and/or round bottom)
● Drawknife
● Card Scraper
● Block Plane
● Ear & Eye Protection
● Side Cutters (for trimming Danish cord)
Registration for 2022 spring and summer classes will open Friday, December 17th, at 10am. You can receive updates here or by signing up for our email list. It’s found at the bottom of each webpage. We send out a couple messages a year, giving updates on classes and any happenings at the school.
We’ll welcome three guest instructors next spring: Michael Puryear (spoon carving), Dawson Moore (chairmaking), and Megan Fitzpatrick (English Tool Chest).
I’ll teach a handful of classes as well, beginning with an introduction to woodworking class for anyone interested in getting started with machine and benchwork. That will be followed up with classes on sharpening, a Shaker-style table and a greenwood chair (along with another class or two).
We hope you can join us. Send me a message at glenna@berea.edu with any questions along the way.
–Andy Glenn
With Pine Croft quiet this season, most of our making energy is in the Woodcraft shop. The students left campus in March and we had a few stay to work with us until early April. Now there’s just a couple of us in here, working wood and keeping our distance.
We’re putting the last touches on a set of 18 Hepplewhite-style chairs. These will stay on campus to replace another set of dining chairs (also built in Woodcraft, sometime around the 1930’s). Our student crew was deeply involved in the construction of the cherry chairs, at least until covid changed our shop plans. The plan is for our crew to help make the table that will complete the set. The table is a trestle design, with extensions, that can grow from comfortably sitting 8 to a full 18 with the leaves in place.
While the oil dries on the chairs we’re getting ready for a few smaller upcoming projects – awards for around campus, production items (like our skittles games and baskets) that we are starting to run low on, and now planning for a full return from our students. Berea College announced that it is inviting all students back to campus in the fall. Exciting – yes. But there’s plenty to prepare before we welcome our crew back in August.
We’ll need Justin Skeens to shoot the set once they’re finished. While I’m able to build them, getting a good photo of the group within our cavernous shop has proved elusive. He’s worked with Student Craft before, making beautiful videos of each area. Take a look at some of his work, including the craft videos, if you have a moment.
– andy glenn
Peter Galbert was originally scheduled to teach here in Berea this week – a seven-day class on the fan back or hoop back Windsor chair. We wish we could safely get together to split the log and carve the pine seats, all in the hustle to leave on Saturday afternoon with a shapely chair. Hopefully next season.
While we are quiet, Peter has put together a video series on milk paint, the finish he uses on his Windsors. If you’ve ever used the paint before, you know that it can be temperamental and unforgiving. It’s not until the end of the finishing process, until after the oil is added to add depth and make the colors “pop” that the success (or failure) of the paint job becomes apparent. I enjoy a little risk and magic during the making process, but prefer to have absolute confidence the finish is going to work once it get to that point in the project.
Peter’s videos take that mystery out of the equation. His finishes achieve a richness and depth that enhance the beauty of his chairs. He goes through the entire process of finishing, starting at the equipment and supplies he uses, continuing with how he mixes and applies the paint, and he completes the video with an explanation of the oil varnish he uses at a top coat. The two videos come with the purchase – the first one showcasing the classic black over red process. The second video, available soon, will discuss more challenging colors and combinations.
Milk paint is far different than oil and latex varieties. There is a learning curve with it. It is not overly difficult to use, but use incorrect steps or a paint of poor consistency and you won’t reach the level of finish you are striving for. Peter shares his knowledge and experiences here in an entertaining format that will help you get the best results from milk paint.
The cost is $39.99 for the two videos.
-andy glenn
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