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