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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

Class: Box Making with Erik Curtis

By decommission

Erik Curtis

Box Making

August 7 – 11, 2023

$1,575

Course description:  Everything is a box. Really. Look around. Kitchen cabinets? Simple boxes. Built-in library? Boxes with an open side. Chest of drawers? Small boxes in a big box. Everything is a box. And still the box has not yet been fully explored.

 In this class we will cover the basics of box design, from proportioning a simple lidded box to the tactile experience of the end user, as well as a variety of techniques used to create boxes of all shapes and sizes. Techniques may include dovetails, pinned rabbets, carving, steam bending, laminating, hand tool sharpening, hardware installation, and more. Students will be introduced to a variety of forms for inspiration, experience a guided design process, and be tasked with building a box of their own design using a combination of machine and hand tool techniques. Where you take your box is entirely up to you! Whether you are new to box making or a seasoned woodworker, this class will help you to break free of simple cubical forms–to think outside the box, as it were.

Suggest Tool List:

  • A good set of chisels
  • mallet
  • hand plane
  • block plane
  • handful of carving gouges (if desired)
  • combo square
  • marking knife
  • marking/slicing gauge

Lunches provided.

Register

Class: Foundations of Furniture Making

By decommission

Foundations of Furniture Making

With Rob Spiece

March 25 - March 30, 2024

$1,475

Foundations of Furniture Making

In this course, we’ll dive deeply into the techniques and fundamentals of solid wood furniture making.  We’ll use all the tooling available in the modern home shop and the hand tools that have been used in woodworking forever.  I don’t ascribe much to the concept of being a “hand tool woodworker” or a “power tool woodworker”.  I’ll use the best option at hand to produce the finished results I’m looking for.  The reality is those decisions are often made by what tooling is available to you – or sometimes the mood that strikes you.  You’ll be working in a well-equipped shop, but we won’t rely on high priced equipment exclusively.  There are many ways to cut a mortise – we’ll take you through the process of laying out and chopping by hand, using a plunge router, a mortiser, a drill press, and a domino.  It’s my goal that when you leave this course, you can adapt what you’ve learned to your own shop.  We’ll spend a lot of time on the table saw, with routers, jointers & planers, an array of hand-held power tools and then we’ll fine tune joinery at the bench with hand tools. Continued below…

Foundations in Furniture Making

In this course, we’ll dive deeply into the techniques and fundamentals of solid wood furniture making.  We’ll use all the tooling available in the modern home shop and the hand tools that have been used in woodworking forever.  I don’t ascribe much to the concept of being a “hand tool woodworker” or a “power tool woodworker”.  I’ll use the best option at hand to produce the finished results I’m looking for.  The reality is those decisions are often made by what tooling is available to you – or sometimes the mood that strikes you.  You’ll be working in a well-equipped shop, but we won’t rely on high priced equipment exclusively.  There are many ways to cut a mortise – we’ll take you through the process of laying out and chopping by hand, using a plunge router, a mortiser, a drill press, and a domino.  It’s my goal that when you leave this course, you can adapt what you’ve learned to your own shop.  We’ll spend a lot of time on the table saw, with routers, jointers & planers, an array of hand-held power tools and then we’ll fine tune joinery at the bench with hand tools.

From Scratch

No parts will be prepped for you in this course.  We’ll begin with rough sawn material and finish with a completed piece of furniture.  Learning the craft of woodworking is far more than fancy tools and techniques.  A deep knowledge of the material is at the core of this class.  Hundreds of decisions are made throughout the initial phases of material selection and milling that have a direct impact on the finished quality of the work and you won’t miss out on any of it.  You’ll start the week with a pile of rough sawn boards and end it with a piece ready for finish. 

Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

Whether you are an absolute beginner or even an advanced woodworker, you’ll leave this course with a renewed sense of ability and inspiration.  For those just starting, you can learn how to safely and efficiently operate woodworking machinery and design furniture built upon traditional joinery techniques.  For advanced woodworkers, a week spent with a professional furniture maker will boost your efficiency, productivity, and bag of tricks – allowing you to make a greater impact in the limited time you may have in your home shops.  There will be plenty of one-on-one time in this course, and we’re happy to tailor the experience to you.

The Project

The project pictured is a Shaker-inspired riff on the hall table.  While we’ll all be working on a hall table, the design is up to you.  We’ll give you several options, but I’ll also encourage you to bring some of yourself to the table.  We’ll discuss what makes a successful design and why, then help you to realize your own ideas.  This project is an ideal piece for a thorough grounding in furniture making techniques.

Required:

  • Safety glasses
  • Hearing protection
  • Tape measure
  • Sharpie
  • Pencils

Optional:

  • Shoulder/rabbet plane
  • Block plane
  • 3/8, ½ chisels
  • Random orbit sander

All Lunches Provided at Pine Croft

Register for March

Class: Tambour Tea Cabinet

By decommission

Tambour Tea Cabinet

With Larissa Huff

Dates Pending

$1,675

Tambour Tea Cabinet

In this weeklong class, we will dive into cabinetmaking and demystifying tambour doors.
Students will learn the specific techniques necessary for designing a cabinet with tambour
doors. Continued below…

Class Description:

In this weeklong class, we will dive into cabinetmaking and demystifying tambour doors.
Students will learn the specific techniques necessary for designing a cabinet with tambour
doors. We will tackle carcase joinery, create the track, assemble solid wood tambours, make
jigs, install interior walls to allow for storage, and learn tactics necessary make it all come
together. Each student will craft their own wall-hanging cabinet ready to store tea (or anything
else)! This class will be jam packed with strategies and tricks so you can include these
satisfying sliding doors into your future projects.

All lunches are provided at Pine Croft.

Register

Class: Windsor Chair

By decommission

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.

Woodworking Class In Session

Course Descriptions

By decommission

Foundations of Furniture Making with Rob Spiece

November 18-23, 2025

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Intro to Bowl Turning with Matt Monaco

March 3-8, 2025
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Artful Joinery with Rob Spiece

March 24-29, 2025

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Woodworking FUNdamental with Katie Bister

April 12-13, 2025

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The Handled Broom with Amanda lee Lazorchack

April 18-20, 2025

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Foundations of Furniture Making with Rob Spiece

April 21-26, 2025

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Three Legged Stool with Rob Spiece and Katie Bister

May 9-11, 2025

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Tambour Doors and Tiny Drawers with Larissa Huff

May 19-24, 2025

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Hickory Bark Harvest with Andy Glenn

May 31, 2025

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Greenwood Lounge Chair with Andy Glenn

June 2-7, 2025

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Next Steps: Sculptural Containers with Beth Ireland

June 16-20, 2025

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TURNT! with Beth Ireland

June 23-27, 2025

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People Collection Rocker with Rob Spiece & Katie Bister

July 7-12, 2025

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Foundations of Furniture Making with Rob Spiece

July 21-26, 2025

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2021 Spring Update

By decommission

Quick Update:

We’re putting together an abbreviated spring schedule, which we’ll announce in the next month or so.  April and May are gorgeous around here and we hope to welcome everyone back to Berea in spring 2021.

As to precautions, we expect testing and masks will be required.  Our plan is to run with smaller class sizes and have a flexible and open-ended withdrawal policy so our students can feel confident when registering for classes.

There will be more to share as it comes together in the upcoming weeks.

Small teaser – look for the wooden basket class on the forthcoming schedule.

-andy glenn

Pine Croft Update and Opportunities

By decommission

Hope that you all are well.  We’d be nearing the midway point of our season, with an eye towards fall classes, if things didn’t abruptly change for us all a few months back.  As of now, our school is closed for the season.  We’re actively making plans for next season and look forward to getting together in craft once that can safely happen.  We’ll share the news with everyone as those plans come together.

The town of Berea (and Kentucky as a whole) is cautiously beginning to reopen.  Businesses are opening with reduced hours.  Restaurants are planning for in-house dining.  We’re optimistic that, while very different than a few months ago, we’ll find a safe way to gather together again.

While we are quiet and in-person classes are tough right now, there are interesting opportunities out there.  Digital classes around carving and small hand-work skills seem are cropping up.  I’ve listed a few here, by no means is this an exhaustive list.

Opportunities and new digital content:

  • The Austin School of Furniture have added a couple of virtual classes, including a couple digital carving evenings with Aspen Golann.
  • North Bennet Street School is adding digital content.
  • Daniel Clay of Saturday Box Co. has wonderful chip-carving designs and kits available. Check out his work on instagram.
  • Mary May is live-streaming her carvings each day on her twitch.tv channel (along with a heap of digital content on her website).
  • Peter Follansbee made a video series on making a joint stool from riven wood and it looks like he’ll be documenting his basket making next.  Follow his blog or find his youtube channel.
  • One more for those of you looking to learn spoons.  Barn the Spoon of the U.K. offers an online “Spoon Club” video tutorial, with design and technique instruction along with new weekly videos.

Send a message if you’re looking to learn something specific and I’ll try to point you towards a correct resource and maker.

andy glenn (glenna@berea.edu)