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Mar 31
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Class: Shaker Tray

By decommission

Shaker Tray

With Megan Fitzpatrick

October 14 & 15, 2023

$525

Shaker Tray

Make a classic Shaker silverware tray in this introduction to hand-cut dovetails and gentle curves. Continued below…

Class Description:

Make a classic Shaker silverware tray in this introduction to hand-cut dovetails and gentle curves.

In this two-day class, you’ll learn:

  • Dovetail layout with dividers
  • How to cut the joints, aiming to “fit off the saw”
  • How to wield a coping or fret saw
  • How to pare and chop to a line with a chisel
  • Strategies for transferring the tails to the pin board
  • Techniques for fitting the joint
  • How to lay out then cut and fair the handles (both the hand holds and the curved top edge)
  • How to smooth-plane your surfaces
  • How to use cut nails (to secure the bottom board…if you wish – but there’s an argument for leaving it loose)
  • And of course, how to put it all together (and why I recommend liquid hide glue).

Tool List:

  • Cutting/Marking Gauge (FWIW, I prefer a wheel marking gauge, such as the Tite-Mark)
  • Dividers (two pair if you have ‘em)
  • Marking knife (Ideally, one that has one flat side, but any will do)
  • Dovetail template/marking gauge or bevel gauge
  • Dovetail saw
  • Coping saw or fretsaw
  • Bevel-edge chisels (ideally 1/4”, 3/8” – but bring whatever you have)
  • Chisel Mallet
  • Rasp (11 or 13-grain)
  • Files and/or sandpaper (#80 through #180-grit)
  • Spokeshave (optional)
  • Block plane
  • Smooth plane
  • Double square (a.k.a. diemaker’s square or machinist’s square) or 6” square
    0.5mm mechanical pencil (yes, really – a 0.5!)

Lunches provided.

(…..and bring that 0.5mm pencil)

Register
Dec 08
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Class: The Anarchist’s Tool Chest

By decommission

Class Date(s): Monday, June 13 through Friday, June 17. 9am until 5pm.

Class Instructor: Megan Fitzpatrick

Title: Anarchist’s Tool Chest

Cost: $1450

Class Description: Aside from a workbench, a sturdy tool chest is one of the most important things to have in your shop. It organizes and protects your tools from damage, rust and loss. While many woodworkers have attempted to improve upon the traditional chest design that emerged 300 years ago, the old form has remained the absolute best way to keep the most tools in the smallest space. And if you need an even slightly smaller footprint for your chest, you’re in luck. In this class, you can choose between making a full-size chest (25-3/4” tall, 24” front to back, 40-1/4” long) or a traveling version that will fit into the back of a car or truck (14-1/2” high, 19-1/2” front to back, 39-1/2” long). The full-size chest will hold a complete set of the hand tools typically used for furniture work; the travel size chest will hold most of them.

In this five-day class you will build the shell of your own traditional tool chest using hand tools and techniques. This is an excellent first project for a new hand-tool woodworker. Skills you will learn in this class include:

• Truing up panels using bench planes

• Traditional through-dovetail joinery

• Cutting basic mouldings by hand

By the end of class you will have all the skills you need to complete the interior of the chest at your workshop at home, whether you want to make just a few sliding tills or even a full-blown interior cabinet with dovetailled drawers.

If you’d like to learn or improve your dovetails this is absolutely the class for you – you’ll get plenty of instruction and practice as you make a handsome and (almost) bomb-proof tool chest.

Wood is included. Hardware is not included; Megan will send a list of suggestions at various price points.

Lunches provided.

Tool List: ATC Tool List (the ones you need to build it – not all the stuff you’d want to put in it…)

Smoothing plane

Jack plane

Block plane

Marking or cutting gauge

Marking knife.05 or .03 mechanical pencil

Dividers (2 pair if you’ve got ‘em)

12” combo square

Dovetail marking gauge or sliding bevel

Dovetail saw

Chisels ½” and 3/8”

Mallet

Rabbeting plane, moving fillister or a large shoulder plane

Hammer

Coping saw with extra blades (I recommend Pegas blades)

3/16” Beading plane

Flush-cut saw

Drill and bits

And any other tools you just can’t bear to be without. For me, that includes my waterstones and honing guide, a 6” adjustable square, a double square (a.k.a. diemaker’s square or machinist’s square) and multiple pencils.

Oh – and if you’re driving and have long cabinet clamps (39” or longer) and don’t mind bringing a few, we can always use more clamps in this class!

And don’t worry if you don’t have/can’t get all the tools listed above; we have some to share.

Nov 29
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2022 Classes

By decommission

Update: Registration is open! 

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

Oct 11
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October Session: Class Openings

By decommission

We’re in the middle of our Fall 2021 session and have a few open spots in our upcoming classes:

  • Megan Fitzpatrick’s Dutch Tool Chest: 10/15 – 10/17……one spot available (due to recent cancellation)
  • Andy Glenn’s Greenwood Stool: 10/18 – 10/20……two openings
  • Andy Glenn’s Wooden Carrier Class: 10/23 & 10/24……one spot

Please reach out if you’re interested.  Next session happens April 2022.  We’d love to see you in Berea.

 

-Andy Glenn

Apr 23
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October Classes

By decommission

Our spring classes, originally set for April and May, are all rescheduled for October.  We’re thankful the new dates work for Aspen Golann and Megan Fitzpatrick to join us in Berea.  The four autumn classes are open for registration:

  • Introduction to Carving: Traditional Techniques and Contemporary Applications.  October 8-10 with Aspen Golann
  • Dutch Tool Chest.  October 15-17 with Megan Fitzpatrick
  • Greenwood Stool. October 18-20 with Andy Glenn
  • Wooden Carrier. October 23 and 24 with Andy Glenn

As always, please send any questions or thoughts my way:  glenna@berea.edu

warmly, andy glenn

 

 

Nov 30
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Dutch Tool Chest

By decommission

October 15-17, 2021

This handsome and portable tool chest is a great three-day introduction to several bedrock hand-tool joinery techniques: dovetails, dados, rabbets and shiplaps. Plus you’ll learn rules for carcase construction (and when to break them), how to cut a fingernail moulding, raise a panel, use cut-nails and install either butt hinges or strap hinges (your choice!). By the end of Day 3, you’ll be able to pop all your tools in your new chest (which fits in the back of almost any car) for your drive home. Better yet, you’ll have learned the joinery skills to build many future projects!

Beginners are welcome.

Participants need to bring a small kit of tools for the class (list provided and we’ll have extras of tools if your kit isn’t complete).  Materials wise, the wood and fasteners are included in the class.  Students select and bring their own hardware.

Dutch Tool Chest Class Tool List

  • Cutting/Marking Gauge (I prefer a wheel marking gauge, such as the Tite-Mark, but any will do)
  • Dividers (two pair if you have ‘em)
  • Marking knife (Ideally, one that has one flat side, but any will do)
  • Dovetail template/marking gauge or bevel gauge**
  • Dovetail saw
  • Coping saw
  • Bevel-edge chisels (ideally 1/2” and 3/4” – but bring whatever you have)
  • Mallet
  • Crosscut-filed sash saw (or other large-ish crosscut backsaw) or panel saw
  • Large router plane
  • Hammer
  • 3/32” drill bit
  • Countersink
  • Screwdriver (slotted)
  • Block plane
  • Smooth plane
  • Ear plugs/ear protection
  • Double square (a.k.a. diemaker’s square or machinist’s square) – but only if you already have one. I’m happy to share.
  • And any other tools you just can’t bear to be without. For me, that includes my waterstones and honing guide, a 6” adjustable square, and multiple .5mm mechanical pencils.

 

Strap hinges or Butt Hinges
The 9-1/2” x 3-1/2” spear point unequal strap hinges here
http://www.leevalley.com/US/hardware/page.aspx?p=41912&cat=3,41241,41262

These are, in my opinion, the best butt hinges for the price. You can buy cheaper, but…
https://www.horton-brasses.com/PB-409.asp

Lifts
http://www.leevalley.com/US/Hardware/page.aspx?p=40222&cat=3,70806,43566,43570

Full hardware kit
By the time this class takes place, Horton Brasses (https://www.horton-brasses.com/) should have a blacksmith-forged hardware kit available for this tool chest, as I’m working on it with them for a book. It will include strap hinges, lifts and a hasp (the hinges and hasp are visible on the unpainted chest shown above)

Megan Fitzpatrick

Dutch Tool Chest

October 15-17, 2021

$875

To Register: Call Aaron Beale at 859-985-3224 or email at bealeaa@berea.edu

Feb 07
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Instructors in the News

By decommission

It’s been a week of major honors for a couple of Pine Croft’s visiting instructors.  Nancy Hiller graces the cover of the upcoming Fine Woodworking Magazine issue #281 with an article about building an Arts and Crafts chest originally designed by Ernest Gimson.  Along with Nancy, Megan Fitzpatrick is also featured in Fine Woodworking with a piece about handwork and sawbench making.  Congratulations to Nancy, Megan and Fine Woodworking Magazine for getting together to make the articles happen.  I’m hoping a shop cat or two made it into the magazine as well.

Peter Galbert was just announced as the keynote speaker at the Lie Nielsen Open House this upcoming July 10-11, 2020.  The folks at Lie Nielsen always put on a great event for their open house, inviting all woodworkers and interested parties to their main showroom in Warren, Maine to celebrate making, tools and community.  The Maine midcoast in mid-July is a wonderful place to be.  I went at every opportunity when our family lived a few miles down the road.  I highly recommend it if you have the opportunity to attend.

Peter Galbert vists Pine Croft to teach a week-long Windsor chair class May 10-16.

Megan Fitzpatrick comes to Berea June 1-5 for a class on the Anarchist’s Tool Chest.

Nancy Hiller’s Voysey Two-Heart Chair class is slated for June 15-19.

–Andy Glenn

Sep 30
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Instructor: Megan Fitzpatrick

By decommission

Megan Fitzpatrick

Megan Fitzpatrick is the publisher at Rude Mechanicals Press and a peripatetic woodworking instructor and freelance writer/editor; she is a former editor of Popular Woodworking Magazine, and now writes a monthly blog for Fine Woodworking. She lives in Cincinnati where she’s renovating a 1905 house, but can usually be found in the Lost Art Press shop in Covington, Ky.

Sep 16
Love2

Community Maker Talks

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Our visiting instructors will be giving a focused talk on their work during the week they are in town.  So even if you cannot make the class you’ll be able to come to the free event for the community.  Each talk will start at 6pm.

  • April 21, 2020 – Kelly Mehler

  • May 12, 2020 – Pete Galbert

  • June 2, 2020 – Megan Fitzpatrick

  • June 16, 2020 – Nancy Hiller

  • July 14, 2020 – Michael Puryear