My journey in woodworking began in earnest over a single week in the countryside of Montgomery County, PA, outside Philly. It was there in July 2006, that I spent five days learning about the craft with seven other people of various backgrounds and skill levels, under a man named Jeff Lohr. Jeff had started teaching these classes a few years prior and in the successive years shared his skills and knowledge with hundreds of hungry minds and unsure hands, until he retired in 2021.
The approach to woodworking which I learned in that class has defined how I work and how I learn from that point forward until now. And I have always wanted the opportunity to help others in the same way.
Now’s the right time. We have the space. We have the equipment. We have the time. We just need the people.
The course will approach instruction in three key modes:
o Instruction and Discussion on wood as a material for fabrication – How it goes, how it is sawn into lumber, how the conditions of that lumber impact how it is used and our choices in woodworking. We’ll discuss some of the multitude of furniture making joints and where they are appropriate, how to address wood movement (it’s real!), and what it takes to produce a piece of furniture with a fine finish.
o Exploration of methods for working in a woodshop: This course will focus on machine based furniture making, which occasional utilization of handtools where appropriate. Each operation will be explored from a variety of angles, utilizing a variety of methods. For example we’ll look at gluing up a panel with (1) the most inexpensive accessible methods possible, (2) utilizing high-end homeshop equipment, and (3) industrial methods, we can use that aren’t accesible to even the most well-equipped home shop.
o Guided experience building a piece of your very own: The practical nature of this course can not be overstated. If you arrive on the first day with no experience using woodworking equipment, it will be my goal for you to leave on final day with the knowledge skills needed to operate a table saw safely and efficiently with no fear, except that which engenders respect for the tool. everyone will take rough-sawn lumber, cut it down, mill it flat and square, cut their joinery, sand and assemble their components, and leave with an unfinished, but ready to finish hall table of the rough dimensions: 30″ tall, 15″ deep, and 44″ long. Minor changes in dimension and style will be up to the participant within the scope of the project.
The cost of this course will be $1650, but the first couple sessions will be offered at a discount, if you’d like to leave your feedback as we determine our course schedule for 2024, or are interested in enrolling, please fill out the google form via this link:
