Beginning Furnituremaking

Course Description: This entry-level course is intended for the beginning woodworker. Students will be introduced to the hows and whys of woodworking, the use of hand tools and the safe operation of shop equipment. Demonstrations and discussion will supplement hands-on learning as students each build their own one-drawer end table. Learn to lay out joints, cut tapered legs, join rails to legs with mortise and tenon joinery, make breadboards, edge join and glue boards, and fit, join and make a drawer. Tools and materials will be provided and students are encouraged to bring their favorite hand tools.

Course Goals:

Through building a one-drawer, shaker-style end table we will learn.

• Safe, proper, and accurate use of stationary and hand tools
• Control of processes leading to an excellent product
• About wood as a material
• Accurate layout
• Wood joinery- gluing, mortise and tenons, drawer joinery
• Sanding, planning, scraping and finishing
• Setting up shop
• Woodworking topics of your choosing

Schedule

We will start class at 8:30 each morning, take an hour for lunch when folks are ready, and work until 5:00pm. Optional evening sessions will run from 7pm to ???. These sessions give us time to work on our tables or to cover a specific technique or topic. The following schedule of topics for each day is quite flexible and we will adjust as we go.

Sunday Welcome and orientation to Yestermorrow

Welcome dinner

Project and woodshop introduction

Monday Introduction and Control of Processes

Wood as a material, wood selection and cut list

Table saw and chop saw demonstration

Jointer and planer demonstration

Glues and Gluing

Tuesday Wood joinery

Mortise and tenons demonstration

Router and router table

Wednesday Cutting tapered legs demonstration

Sanding, planning and scraping

Thursday Drawer construction and fitting

Drawer joinery demonstration

Friday Wood finishing

Class dinner and graduation