2008 Class Schedule

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planesPlane Making: Wooden molding planes with Larry Williams & Don McConnell
Cost $735 - includes all materials
February 25-29 FULL
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 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're highly evolved 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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SidetablePrecision Sawing with Christopher Schwarz
Cost $300 includes materials
March 1-2   FULL  wait list full
Skill Level - All

In a traditional shop, sawing was reserved for the most skilled cabinetmakers on the floor. Most anyone could use a plane or chisel, but it was the sawyers who transformed the timber into furniture with rips, crosscuts and joinery.

And though we now have accurate power equipment in our workshops, sawing by hand is still a tremendous skill that – when done properly -- can save time and effort. That’s because handsawing can be done without jigs or guides and without regard to the angle of the cut or its bevel. In short, if you can see the line, you can cut the line with a handsaw.

Honing this simple skill allows you to easily cut compound angles, angled joinery and cuts that might take hours of jig-building and test-cutting on a table saw. And, as a bonus, learning basic sawing prepares your hand, eye and mind to cut any sort of dovetail joint you can imagine.

In this class, you’ll learn to use handsaws and backsaws to cut joints as precisely as any power tool. With a series of special exercises, you will learn to make the three different classes of sawcuts: rough cutting for dimensioning stock, standard cutting for final sizing of casework pieces and fine cutting for precision joinery.

You’ll learn the proper stance, grip and body motions for accurate sawcuts and receive the instant feedback and corrections that will make you develop your skills quickly. You will also build a basic sawbench – the most important workshop appliance for handsaws – and a bench hook – the most important appliance for wielding a backsaw. By the end of the weekend, you will be able to crosscut and rip accurately with handsaws and backsaws and be ready for dovetail joinery.

About the instructor:
Christopher Schwarz is the editor of Popular Woodworking and Woodworking Magazine, where he has worked since 1996. He began woodworking at age 8 when his parents completed their training at the Shelter Institute outside Bath, Maine. The family members built their first home on their farm outside Hackett, Ark., using hand tools because there was no electricity. Chris built his first workbench a year later and after college took a class in hand work with Lyn Sweet at the University of Kentucky and began building furniture at night while he was a newspaper reporter by day. Despite his early experiences with hand tools on the farm, Chris has remained an avid student and advocate of traditional hand techniques. In addition to his duties at the magazine, Chris is a contributing editor to The Fine Tool Journal and has two DVD's with Lie-Nielsen Toolworks on traditional techniques.

 

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Sidetable


Side Table with Kelly Mehler
Cost $750
March 17-22 FULL
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Skill Level - Open to all

The side table class has proven to be popular for new and for experienced woodworking enthusiasts. The side table project uses foundational skills and techniques such as wood matching and joinery that are valuable for most other woodworking projects. The piece that you create is adaptable to a variety of uses and fits into many kinds of home or office decors.

The highlights of this class are:

Hand-outs and daily demos will give you step-by-step instruction and tips for successfully completing your side table.

As in all classes you will work at your own pace and you will receive lots of individual attention.

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Drop Leaf Table with Kelly Mehler
Cost $750
March 31- April 5
Skill Level - Intermediate

The drop leaf table is popular because it occupies a rather small space when not in use, but seats a number of people when friends and family gather. The expanse of flat surfaces makes this a good project for showing off the beauty of your chosen wood.

In this 6 day hands-on class you will build a drop leaf table of your own dimensions. You will learn such techniques as:

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SidetableFelder Machinery : Building an End Table with Kelly Mehler
Cost $175 plus $85 Materials
April 11-12
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:

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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Sidetable


Greenwood Chair Making with Brian Boggs
Cost $1350 Materials $250
April 14-24  Full  email to waitlist
Skill Level - Intermediate

 

Greenwood chairmaking offers a very enjoyable entry into steam bending techniques, turning, and hand tool mastery. In this class Brian will teach students how to design for comfort and create the support tooling to build fine chairs with precision.

Chairmaking is often thought of as one of the more challenging arenas of furniture making.  While the demands of the craft are undeniable, this class can do a lot to teach you how to approach chairmaking using a process that is broken down into very manageable steps.  From steam bending, hand shaping and turning, to seat weaving and finishing, there is a whole lot of fun to be had in this two-week class. With the amount of time available in this class we will be able to build splayed leg chair.

            Photo by Lance Patterson

One thing that Brian likes to emphasize in all his classes is that it is what you learn in class rather than the product you take home, that has the greatest value. Therefore, as a part of this class you will create a chairmaking manual that will guide your future chair projects at home.   Such a manual has been essential to managing quality control and efficiency in Brian's shop and I think you will find it a highly valuable tool for any woodworking project you hope to repeat. Even if you change the design considerably the next time, the basic framework of how you went through the process last time will help you hold on to the lessons you learned in earlier efforts.  Keeping a record of how you work will greatly help you develop your processes and skills as a woodworker.


You will go home with an assembled chair, the outline of a process manual, and very likely a few new friends as well.  So come join us in creating this enduring and comfortable chair.

 

About the instructor:

Brian Boggs has been making chairs in Berea, Ky for 22 years. His work has been featured in numerous museums and galleries nationwide as well as over a dozen books. He has written several technical articles for Fine Woodworking and Woodwork Magazine and has been teaching workshops around the country since 1988. While many of his chairs adorn the homes of the well-to-do, a large portion of his work is purchased by other woodworkers. Sam Maloof, Christian Becksvoort, Garrett Hack, Tom Lie-Nielsen, Kelly Mehler and many others have recognized Brian's work not only as fine work and good design, but a good value as well. Brian brings to his classes a unique mix of technical problem-solving as well a as a good sense of efficiency. Visit his website at www.brianboggschairs.com.

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European Relief Carving with Nora Hall
Cost $450  2 spaces available
May 2-4
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. As 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.carved cradle


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, USWest, 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 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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Basic Finishing with Teri Masaschi
Cost $735 includes materials
May 12- 16 FULL
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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 chemical stains, 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 daily handouts, hands-on practice, a lot of discoveries, and lots of fun!

masaschi book

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 36 years of knowledge through teaching.

Teri is the author of a newly-released book, Foolproof Wood Finishing, published by Sterling Press.

 

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Choosing and Using Hand Planes and Hand Tools with Deneb Puchalski
Cost $700 includes materials
May 26-30  FULL
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Skill Level - All Levels

This is a an engaging 5-day hands on class for learning hand tool use and tune up. Enjoy learning to use and sharpen hand planes, chisels, and hand saws. Additional focus on creating useful shop jigs will help you get the best results from your hand tools. By making a breadboard-end cutting board you will practice with many of the tools and techniques that we cover in this class which are also applicable to other woodworking projects that you may do.

We will have a daily schedule of a morning lecture followed by hands-on application of the topics covered that morning. The day will end with a group discussion of the problems and solutions that students encountered during that day.

Here is what we will cover:

About the instructor:

Deneb Puchalski has been working with wood for 25 years as a carpenter and a furniture maker. He received formal training in furniture making and design at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine, first as a student, then an assistant instructor, and finally as the artist in residence. Deneb has been working for the past three years as representative and demonstrator for Lie-Nielsen Toolworks. You will find him at The Woodworking Shows around the country.

 

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Continuous Arm Windsor Chair with David Wright
Cost $750 Chair materials $180
June 2-7  2 spaces available
Skill Level - Intermediate

 

Using green wood straight from the log, you will learn to build a Continuous Arm Windsor armchair. Armed with basic chair making hand tools such as drawknives, spoke shaves and scorps you will carve seats, shape spindles, steam bend arms, and turn legs and stretchers. Windsor chair

This workshop covers basic chair making with demonstrations in each of the component areas. This is a very useful class to round out your repertoire of woodworking skills. The classic chair that you create offers comfort and timeless style and design to any setting.

*Note:  Materials for the chair are supplied for $180.

About the instructor:

David Wright has been working with wood professionally since 1987. He is known as a Windsor Chair Maker, producing hundreds of Windsor chairs and lecturing and teaching throughout the U.S. David has taught for woodworking schools, guilds and museums, and has demonstrated his craft for "The Woodworking Shows." Presently he is heading up the furniture design program for the Kentucky School of Craft. David's work has been shown in several noteworthy exhibits and is included in several private and public collections.

 

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Turning for Furniture Making with Nick Cook
Cost $760 includes all materials
June 9-13
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 four 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:

Students will use the following tools: Spindle roughing gouge, spindle gouge, skew, parting tools, scrapers and bowl gouge (supplied for you at the school)....

Each student will have his/her own lathe 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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Building Furniture with Handplanes with Christopher Schwarz
Cost $300 - includes all materials
June 14-15   FULL  wait list full
Skill Level - All

Many woodworkers own handplanes, but few know what task each tool is designed to do, and even fewer know how to actually use planes for the many furniture-building tasks they were designed for.

In Chris's work, almost every surface gets touched by a plane during construction. Most of the work involves the bench planes – which flatten and smooth the work – though the joinery planes, such as the router plane, shoulder plane, moving fillister and plow, handle many joinery tasks.

While many woodworkers avoid these hand tools because they assume years of training are required to wield them, that’s not the case. Cutting joints and flattening stock are all simple tasks when you understand the tool, have it sharpened correctly and know just a few tricks.silvertray

In this weekend class, you will learn to sharpen and use bench planes and planes for cutting joinery. And, using these planes, you will build a Shaker serving tray that features rabbets, grooves and dados all cut with hand tools.

About the instructor:
Christopher Schwarz is the editor of Popular Woodworking and Woodworking Magazine, where he has worked since 1996. He began woodworking at age 8 when his parents completed their training at the Shelter Institute outside Bath, Maine. The family members built their first home on their farm outside Hackett, Ark., using hand tools because there was no electricity. Chris built his first workbench a year later and after college took a class in hand work with Lyn Sweet at the University of Kentucky and began building furniture at night while he was a newspaper reporter by day. Despite his early experiences with hand tools on the farm, Chris has remained an avid student and advocate of traditional hand techniques. In addition to his duties at the magazine, Chris is a contributing editor to The Fine Tool Journal and has two DVD's with Lie-Nielsen Toolworks on traditional techniques.

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Handmade Shop Knives with Yeung Chan
Cost $275 includes materials
June 21-22
Skill Level - All Levels

 

In this two day hands-on seminar, you will learn how to make  a beautiful and useful workshop knife. Shop knives are an essential hand tool for furniture making and can be used for marking, trimming, paring, carving and as a general cutting tool.

 

Yeung Chan will provide information on finding the tool steel for blades and share his grinding techniques for shaping blades. After you shape your blade you will learn how to design a comfortable and beautiful wooden handle and how to install the blade.

This course will provide you with a great foundation for future tool making. After you make this first knife you will know how to make other useful knives of various designs.uCome be a part of this unique opportunity to work with an accomplished toolmaker.

About the instructor:

Yeung Chan is a leading furniture designer, craftsman, and teacher. He studied under James Krenov at The College of the Redwoods in Fort Bragg, California, and has created many award-winning furniture designs, including winning American Woodworker magazine’s “Excellence in Craftsmanship” award – twice. Chan owns a furniture shop in the San Francisco Bay area, where he designs and makes one-of-a-kind furniture pieces, builds prototypes for the furniture industry, and writes about woodworking and toolmaking. He’s an avid instructor, and travels the country teaching and demonstrating at woodworking schools and symposiums. He is the author of the book “Classic Joints with Power Tools” published by Lark Books.  You can visit Yeung Chan's website at  www.yeungchan.com

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Classic Joints with Power Tools
 Cost $725 includes all materials
June 23-27  1 space available
Skill Level - All levels

When it comes to joinery Yeung Chan is an undisputed master. In this 5-day highly practical seminar, you will learn how to make all of the classic furniture joints using the table saw, bandsaw, mortising machine, drill press and router. In addition, you will make a graceful Chinese-style flower stand using the “three way miter joint”, mortise and tenon joint, and the tongue and groove joint. There will be lots of information on inventive shop-made jigs and fixtures with demonstrations on the use of each one. You will leave this class with the knowledge to make accurate furniture joints that will most certainly benefit your future furniture making skills.

chan stand

 

 

About the instructor:

Yeung Chan is a leading furniture designer, craftsman, and teacher. He studied under James Krenov at The College of the Redwoods in Fort Bragg, California, and has created many award-winning furniture designs, including winning American Woodworker magazine’s “Excellence in Craftsmanship” award – twice. Chan owns a furniture shop in the San Francisco Bay area, where he designs and makes on-of-a-kind furniture pieces, builds prototypes for the furniture industry, and writes about woodworking and toolmaking. He’s an avid instructor, and travels the country teaching and demonstrating at woodworking schools and symposiums. He is the author of the book “Classic Joints with Power Tools” published by Lark Books. You can visit Yeung Chan's website at www.yeungchan.com

 

 

 

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Hand-Cutting Dovetails with Kelly Mehler
Cost $275 - includes materials
July 4-5
Skill Level - 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 weekend hands-on class. You will learn methods that may be difficult to understand by reading about them, but which become very do-able with hands-on instruction.

Here's what we'll do:

By the end of the weekend you will have a good foundation for successfully adding hand-cut dovetails to your woodworking repertoire.

This is a good preparatory class for any other furniture classes that incorporate dovetails.

 

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Cabinet Making with Nancy Hiller
Cost $800 includes all materials
July 7-12
Skill Level - All

This course will give an overview of some basic design and construction techniques applicable to cabinets that can be freestanding or built-in for kitchen, library, living room, office, or bedroom.  You will practice the techniques learned by making a versatile freestanding cabinet suitable for use as a small kitchen island or room divider.  
Basic construction will be plywood with face-frame, end, and back panels of solid wood, using traditional frame-and-panel techniques.  The sample cabinet will exemplify the use of hardware currently available (both internal—e.g., full-extension drawer slides—and external, including decorative hinges and pulls).

The course will cover techniques of drawer and door construction and fitting, examples of finish techniques, and a discussion of materials available for use as counters.  Students will take home a partially-completed cabinet that can receive a finish at home for personal use or sale.

About the instructor:

Nancy trained in traditional furniture making in England at the Isle of Ely College, near Wisbech. (City & Guilds of London Certificate.) She then worked for Roy Griffiths, a Slade-trained designer, at Crosskeys Joinery and for Millside Cabinetmakers near Royston, Hertfordshire, and briefly in the carpentry shop of the Imperial War Museum.

In the late 1980s, having worked for two furniture businesses in America, she returned to school to pursue intellectual interests at Indiana University, Bloomington, earning bachelor's degrees in Religious Studies and Peace Studies, followed by a master's in Religious Studies specializing in ethics. Having decided not to go on and pursue a doctorate, she found her way back into her original field of work, cabinetmaking. Nancy has operated NR Hiller Design since 1995. Her work has appeared in Old-House Interiors, Style: 1900, British House and Garden, Victorian Homes, Indianapolis at Home, American Bungalow and Fine Woodworking magazines. Visit her website at www.nrhillerdesign.com.

 

 

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Introduction to Relief Carving with Mike McCarthy
 Cost $265
August 8-9
Skill Level - All levels

 

If you are looking for that extra "something" that makes your work stand out, consider learning to carve. Learn the basic techniques of relief carving by adding carved elements to a picture frame. Once you have finished this class, you will be able to add these elements and other decorative motifs to picture frames, mirror frames, furniture and more.

In this class you will learn:

Join Mike and others for a pleasant weekend of learning and practice.

About the instructor:
Mike McCarthy started carving with his grandfather at the age of 8. Mike graduated with a degree in Fine Art from Bellarmine College with an emphasis on wood carving 1989. Mike has taught sculpture, relief carving, architectural carving, chip carving and other classes for the Louisville Visual Art Association and Woodcraft. Mike also carves for other furniture makers to help their pieces stand out from the crowd.

Mike's work is in both private and public collections.

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Hand Tool Fundamentals: Saws, Chisels, Handplanes and Scrapers with Mario Rodriguez
Cost $695 includes all materials
August 11-15  2 spaces available
Skill Level - All Levels

     No one argues that hand tools are essential for successful woodworking. They allow the woodworker to invest his/her work with unusual and personal details. Hand tools take up where machines leave off. And the practice of using handtools can be very satisfying; no noise, less mess.              
     This workshop will explore the traditional range of handtools available today and examine how they can be used to extend a woodworker’s range.  The class will spend a generous amount of time on sharpening; the most critical aspect of tool preparation.  If a tool ism’t sharp, its performance can’t be properly evaluated. 
      Then time will be spent conditioning and fine-tuning a range of hand tools; from saws to planes, and chisels to scrapers.  The class will also examine tool design and modification. 
    Finally, students will perform a series of exercises and small projects to test tool effectiveness and develop hand tool skills.
Replace any misgivings you may have about hand tools with new ideas and exciting possibilities.

About the instructor:Mario

Mario Rodriguez comes to Kelly Mehler’s School of Woodworking with over 30 years in woodworking; as a builder/maker, teacher, and writer.

After receiving a BA in Art and Applied Design from H H Lehman College, he began a 4 year apprenticeship with the Carpenters & Cabinetmakers Union in NYC and received his NY State certification in 1978.

After graduation and working in the field, Mario established his own shop in Brooklyn, NY serving the areas leading architects, designers, and collectors. His shop handled projects that included: new construction, renovation, millwork, furniture restoration and refinishing, architectural woodwork and fixtures, and furniture reproductions.  His work has been featured in: Architectural Digest, Country Living, House Beautiful, Metropolitan Home, Hudson Valley, McCalls, Fine Woodworking, and the NY Times. 
     
Mario has taught in the Restoration Department at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC for almost 18 years, as well as the leading woodworking schools in the country. 
     
From 1992 to 1997, Mario directed the Warwick Country Workshops from a small barn behind his Federal period farmhouse. These specialized classes were devoted to traditional hand tool topics, such as: hand cut dovetails, carving a ball-&-claw, hot glue veneering, and planemaking.  Today, he still speaks at regional woodworking organizations and clubs.

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Build a Writing Desk with Kelly Mehler
Cost $750
August 25-30
Skill Level - Intermediate

 

Build a beautiful two-drawer writing desk or hall / sofa table in this 6-day hands-on class.  This class incorporates a wide variety of foundational woodworking skills and tips that you will use over and over in future projects.

 

Mini seminars taught daily cover important aspects of your project.  Demonstrations, and hands-on assistance will make this a week that is chock full of learning.

Here are some of the topical areas that we cover:

This classically proportioned desk fits into most home or office environments. You can adapt and dimension this piece to serve as a sofa or hall table, a computer desk, a gaming or side table, or a small kitchen table. This piece is perfect for showing off book matched and figured wood to advantage.

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Build the Holtzapffel 1875 Cabinetmaker's Workbench with Christopher Schwarz
Cost $750 plus $75 milling and 100' of 8/4 maple lumber @ cost
September 8-13  Full  wait list full
Skill Level - All

Build a bench designed for a lifetime of cabinetmaking in this six-day class with Christopher Schwarz, the editor of Popular Woodworking magazine and the author of the new book: "Workbenches: From Design & Theory to Construction & Use."

In this class, you'll build a modified version of the 19th century-Holtzapffel workbench, a simple and stout bench that can hand more varied tasks than most modern benches. The Holtzapffel, which was featured on the cover of the Fall 2007 issue of Woodworking Magazine, features a twin-screw face vise that can handle a 24"-wide case side and an end vise for clamping individual boards and panels up to 24" x 60".

The original design has been modified for this class so that the bench can be disassembled for easy transport back to your shop or for standard shipping. But rest assured the modified design is as simple, stout and useful as the 132-year-old original.

The class will use a combination of both hand and power tools to build the bench – power tools to handle the rough work and hand tools for the fine details and critical joints. No particular expertise in hand tools is required. This bench is simple enough to be a good first project for an aspiring woodworker.

The school will handle all of the wood selection and rough milling of the bench stock so that you'll be focusing on the joinery and assembly during the six days.

In addition to assisting students in building their benches, Chris will be sharing the years of research he's done into forgotten and historic workbench designs. Plus, he'll be covering (in detail) the most important and oft-forgotten part: How to use a workbench properly to make all workholding tasks easier, including the use of bench appliances and jigs.

About the instructor:

Christopher Schwarz is the editor of Popular Woodworking and Woodworking Magazine, where he's worked since 1996. He began woodworking at age 8 when his parents completed their training at the Shelter Institute outside Bath, Maine. The family members built their first home on their farm outside Hackett, Ark., using hand tools because there was no electricity. Chris built his first workbench a year later and after college took a class in hand work with Lyn Sweet at the University of Kentucky and began building furniture at night while he was a newspaper reporter by day. Despite his early experiences with hand tools on the farm, Chris has remained an avid student and advocate of traditional hand techniques. In addition to his duties at the magazines, Chris is a contributing editor to The Fine Tool Journal and has two DVD's with Lie-Nielsen Toolworks on traditional techniques.

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Hand-Cutting Dovetails with Kelly Mehler
Cost $150 includes all materials
September 20  3 spaces available
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 do-able with hands-on instruction.

 

Here's what we'll do:

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 and the Chest of Drawers class.

All wood for dovetailing is provided in this class.

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Hand-Cut Dovetailed Blanket Chest with Kelly Mehler
Cost $750
September 22-27 FULL
email to waitlist
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 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:

Enjoy the small class size and lots of personal attention while making a beautiful project of enduring quality.

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Veneering with Darryl Keil
Cost $725 including materials
October 6-10
Skill Level - All

Veneer is increasingly popular for the wide selection of wood species and figures it offers the furniture maker, and for the design freedom it brings by diminishing the constraints of wood movement. In this course, students acquire the skill to transform veneer from its raw state into beautiful, finished panels. Darryl teaches basic book matching, four-way and radial matching, and short-grain borders in straight and circular patterns. He also covers curved shaped parts using a vacuum press.  In addition Darryl presents the tools and techniques involved in creating different types of inlay. Participants learn by building one or more small, veneered and inlaid panels, doors, and table tops.


About the instructor:

DARRYL KEIL is a leading expert on veneer work. He is a respected author of two excellent videotapes on the subject, “Working With Veneer” and “Working in a Vacuum,” and he writes for regularly for Fine Woodworking magazine. Darryl began making furniture in 1976 and was a pioneer in the application of vacuum pressing technology to woodworking. His company, Vacuum Pressing Systems, operates out of Brunswick, Maine.

 

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Build a Solid Wood Chest of Drawers with Kelly Mehler
Cost $1350
October 20-30 Monday-Saturday, & Monday-Thursday
Skill Level - Intermediate to Advanced

This ten day hands-on workshop provides a wealth of learning experiences for the serious woodworker. Each student will build a large seven or eight drawer chest using traditional solid-wood case construction. The simply styled chest is a beautiful piece of furniture that will make a statement in your home setting. The case construction techniques covered in this hands-on workshop can be applied to many solid wood case pieces.

 

Our time together will be filled with great learning opportunities! Some of the highlights in this class you will learn:

There are demonstrations on matching and re-sawing parts, joinery options, drawer framing including wood drawer glides, stops and dust panels. Further demonstration will show you how to successfully fit drawers. You can choose the amount of personal assistance you receive throughout the two weeks.

 

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Building a Bed with Kelly Mehler
Cost $750
November 10-15
Skill Level - Intermediate

Building a Bed has been a highly requested class each season. In this class we will build a simple bed of your choosing. (For the 2007 season, half of the class chose to build the classic Pencil Post bed pictured.) We will collaborate on a design that can be constructed in the time available at the skil level you wish to work.

 

During this six day class you will learn traditional bed construction strategies that include:

Photo & bed by student Jerry Burroughs-2007 -

 


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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

 

© 2004 designed by Flying High Design.