Starting with a design for a trestle bench, each student will mill and cut their parts, and hand cut through mortises with wedges. Then using the band saw, spokeshaves, draw knives, rasps, carving tools and other means, participants will carve and shape their benches -- learning how to move out of linear form to create flowing curves and shapes. Students will come away with a beautiful bench and the ability to shape and sculpt wood.

  • Competency Level: Intermediate

Course Outline

Sunday evening

  • YM Welcome and Orientation
  • Welcome dinner
  • Introduction to project and wood shop

Monday AM

  • Safety reminder, and hand tool basics. Look at bench design and the joinery required. As a group we will mill the rough lumber to size and set each student up with the lumber for their bench.
  • Lay out the tenons on the legs and use hand tools to cut and work them

Monday PM

  • Using completed tenons as guides, lay out matching mortises on bench top
  • Rough out mortises on drill press.
  • Using chisels, clean up mortises and match fit to tenons.

Tuesday AM

  • Cut open slot in leg top for stretcher board.
  • Cut and fit notched stretcher board. Cut saw kerf in tenons to accept wedge
  • Cut wedge
  • Cut and fit tapered peg and tapered hole in stretcher board

Tuesday PM

  • Dry assemble blocked out pieces and fine tune joinery
  • Lay out patterns established from original bench or students may develop their own shapes and curves.
  • Use band saw to rough out shapes

Wednesday AM

  • Demonstration of use of drawknife, spokeshave, rasps, and carving tools. Demonstration of specialized sanders and grinders in wood shaping
  • Begin the process of shaping and sculpting the bench parts

Wednesday PM

  • Continue shaping, sculpting and smoothing the bench parts

Thursday AM

  • Move into final smoothing and sanding.
  • Final smoothing

Thursday PM

  • Dry assemble bench and check and adjust fairness of shapes
  • Final assembly with wedges and pegs glued in place

Friday AM

  • Trim tenons flush to top and sand smooth
  • Final overall sanding
  • Apply first coat of finish

Friday PM

  • Apply second coat of finish
  • Discussion, Q&A
  • YM evaluations

 

Start Date: April 11, 2010
Closed