Bent lamination represents a dramatic departure from most traditional fine woodworking. Rather than working within rectilinear geometry, you will lean into the materiality of the wood and explore its natural strengths through curvature. Reference face is often non-existent, so cutting joinery requires some creative thinking and novel use of machinery and hand tools. We will explore a variety of methods including cold lamination, mold making, vacuum forming, and freeform bending. Students will design and prototype a project that showcases bent lamination aesthetically and structurally.

Class fee: $850

Materials fee: $100

Class size limited to 12

Laura Kishimoto is a designer and maker based in Denver, Colorado and a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, where she earned a BFA in Furniture Design in 2013. Her work falls somewhere between sculpture and furniture, distinguished by its spatial complexity and visually striking curves. Central to her practice is a technique known as freeform bent lamination, which allows her to push the wood to its material limits and create curiously organic and emotionally evocative forms. Her pieces can be found in the permanent collections of the Denver Art Museum in Colorado and the Mint Museum in North Carolina.

Over the course of four full days, participants will explore the techniques and aesthetics that define Japanese-style kitchen blades. Students will use Blue #2 zenko (mono steel) stock to forge a chef’s knife by hand. The class will focus on the basics of forging, heat treating, grinding, and sharpening our blades. In addition to forging and finishing the blade, the class will emphasize traditional Wa handle making and fitting, demonstrating how to achieve the clean, functional designs characteristic of Japanese knives. Whether you are new to bladesmithing or looking to expand your skills, this workshop offers a comprehensive introduction to Japanese forging techniques while encouraging experimentation and personal expression in your work. Each student will leave with a fully finished blade, ready for use.

Class fee: $500

Materials fee: $50

Class size limited to 6

Kiran Chapman (he/they) is a blacksmith based in Maine. They became fascinated by blacksmithing after moving to Maine from NYC and meeting a local knife maker. They went on to work for Wick’s Forge, a third-generation blacksmith shop, for two years. In addition to their own studio where they teach blacksmithing classes, they run the sharpening department at Strata Portland, which offers endless learning and practice on a wide range of blades. Their experience working at Strata and visiting makers in Japan has had a big impact on the type of blades they make and their understanding of metallurgy and blade geometry.

In this 4-day class Andrew covers everything you need to know about Japanese hand planes. What seems like a simple tool, a blade and a block of wood, the Japanese plane (Kanna) is actually complex instrument with many subtle qualities. The first challenge most woodworkers face when learning to use a Kanna is that they don’t come ready to use out of the box. You are only supplied with great ingredients, and it is up to the user to get the fit between the blade and the block just right.

In the past, Andrew has separated teaching Japanese planes into two distinct classes. Class 1 involves setting up a plane with a single cutting blade and Class 2 covers setting up the chip breaker. Andrew is now teaching the complete setup and use of Japanese planes in a single 4-day class. Each student will receive a new plane (or bring your own if you have one already). If this is your first Japanese plane, Andrew recommends starting with this 45mm Yamamoto plane. If you have already taken Andrew’s plane Class 1 or if you have experience setting up a new plane, he recommends this 65mm Yamamoto plane

Andrew will work with each student to get their new plane into working order. He will cover sharpening and shaping the blade, fitting the blade to the block, fitting and adjusting the chip breaker and profiling the sole for optimal performance. Of course, you will also spend time using your new plane, learning to work with your whole body, not just your arms. By the conclusion of this class, each student will take home a fully operational Japanese hand plane and have the know how to keep it working correctly.

Students will pay Andrew directly for their new plane. The current cost of the 45mm plane is $200 and the 65mm plane is $350. The cost of the plane is not included in this course cost.

Class fee: $650

Class size limited to 10

Andrew is a custom furniture maker working and living in New York’s Hudson Valley. Best known for his use of traditional Japanese hand tools, Andrew demonstrates and teaches across the country. As a self-taught woodworker, he offers a unique perspective to other Americans exploring Eastern woodworking. His workshops demonstrate that by understanding the fundamental principles behind other cultures’ tools and techniques, all woodworkers can benefit. A frequent contributor to Fine Woodworking magazine, he is eager to share what he has learned in his 25-plus years of making furniture. https://www.instagram.com/andrewhunter_furniture/

In this class, students will create a small kitchen utility knife. Starting with a section of flat 1080 steel bar, the class will cover forging, grinding, heat treatment, handle fitment and finishing techniques. Students will leave with a finished, full-tang blade, ready to prep a meal. There will be opportunities for additional forging as time allows. Beginner blacksmithing experience is strongly recommended but not required.

Must bring:

1. Work boots/shoes. No sneakers
2. Long pants, no shorts
3. Clothing must be cotton/denim/wool, no synthetics
4. Comfortable safety glasses
5. Notepad
6. Water bottle

Class size is limited to 6

Materials fee: $25

Zach is a welder by trade with experience in a wide range of industries. Based in rural NY, he is an ABS bladesmith who creates custom, heirloom-quality, hand forged kitchen cutlery and edged tools. He strives to blend traditional and modern techniques and materials to create quality tools to be used for decades in the kitchen. After teaching welding for Monroe Community College and at the Arc + Flame Center for seven years, Zach now runs his own company where, in addition to blades, he manufactures tooling and machines for blacksmiths and metalworkers. He is passionate about collaborating with other local artisans, makers, and tradespeople. In his classes, Zach seeks to inspire students by sharing the functional artistry of modern bladesmithing. https://tarbellindustries.com/

This one-day class is for everyone who has been confused, frustrated, and otherwise unsure about how to choose from the vast array of finishing products, and how to apply them. The goal is to carefully explain the building blocks of all wood colorants and finishes so that students can confidently make informed choices by knowing “what’s in the can”. The class format is a mixture of lecture, demonstration and hands on activities with an emphasis on the science, craft and art of wood finishing.

The morning is devoted to color, with an exploration of dye and pigments and how these two very different materials can be used separately and together to achieve effects including color matching, enhancing or “popping” the grain, and harmonizing the colors within a board or on an entire project. To focus on the optics of color, students will complete a classic color wheel to see the relationships of the various colors and how they interact, and how the color “temperature” of the light affects the way we actually see color. Students will also gain experience in using the four different methods of applying color: dyeing, staining, glazing and toning, which provide a nearly endless set of possible colors and decorative effects with both oil based and waterborne colorants. There will also be discussion and demonstration of using asphaltum (tar) as a glazing and ageing agent, and the many chemical or “reactive” treatments that can be used to alter the natural color of various woods.

The afternoon is all about the huge number of different finishing products available on the market, and the goal is to understand that they are all composed of the same basic components, and that they fall into groups or “families” that have similar working properties, but do not always work well with products from other families. Students will practice several ways to apply shellac, and employ the proper applicators and techniques for oil based, and waterborne varnishes, as well as the very popular hard wax-oil formulations. Using prepared panels, students will practice various techniques for rubbing out a cured finish, both to lower the sheen or to enhance the gloss.

MIKE MASCELLI has been a student and practitioner of the upholstery trade for nearly 50 years and divides his time between the worlds of classic cars and classic furniture. He has provided upholstery for national champion cars and furniture that is on display at the US House of Representatives and numerous historic homes and private collections. He is also the longtime Director of the Professional Refinisher’s Group an organization of professionals in the conservation and restoration trades, from whom he has learned much of the science, art and craft of wood finishing. Mike actively lectures and teaches, and has instructed hundreds of students in basic and advanced upholstery techniques as well as the fundamentals of wood finishing at the Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking, the Marc Adams School of Woodworking, and numerous other schools and organizations both in person and on line in both America and England. He contributed an essay on 18th century upholstery techniques for Roubo on Furniture by Don Williams (Lost Art Press). Mike has also published a number of articles on various aspects of historic upholstery in the Journal of the Society of American Period Furniture Makers (SAPFM) and on modern upholstery for Fine Woodworking. He has also completed several instructional videos on upholstery and finishing for Popular Woodworking, and Fine Woodworking, and was a presenter at the “Working Wood in the 18th c”. conference at Williamsburg. In the summer of 2024 Fine Woodworking will release an online course: Foundations of Furniture Finishing” presented by Mike. In addition to driving some classic cars, Mike and his wife are the very proud grandparents of two small boys who are the main focus of semi-retirement.

Creating shapes or joints in wood that are not flat and straight may seem daunting and beyond what you are comfortable with. There’s a surprisingly simple solution: build a custom support, often called a jig, that puts the piece in a “square” reference so your machine or hand tool can accommodate the irregular form. The next step may be clamping and assembling the shapes and joints. We’ll show you how to identify what’s needed to apply perfect pressure and how to fabricate clamping cauls, both specialized and cauls used repeatedly. This class will open new design and construction vistas.

Topics covered:

1. Learn how to choose the correct hand tool or machine for the task at hand
2. Tools and materials for making jigs, both shop made and purchased
3. How to secure parts in jigs for one-off or repetitive operations
4. Build a collection of reusable clamping cauls that will simplify assembling irregular shapes
5. How to analyze the direction for perfect clamping pressure
6. How to upgrade quick jigs so they last and last

This class will be limited to 12 students and will largely be demonstrations; however, feel free to bring a project idea and Michael can help you problem solve the fabrication.

Canadian designer/maker, teacher and mentor Michael C. Fortune has become acclaimed for his innovative, but resolved, designs for one-of-a-kind objects in wood, commissioned residential furnishings, and items in limited editions. He is acknowledged for both his technical and design expertise, giving lectures and workshops across Canada, United States, New Zealand, Australia, and Brazil. Michael's work has appeared in numerous exhibitions worldwide and he has taught at many schools and craft centers including; Sheridan College School of Crafts and Design, Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, the Rochester Institute of Technology NY, Worcester Center for Crafts in Massachusetts, Anderson Arts Center, Colorado, Savannah College of Art and Design, Australian National University School of Art, and the Marc Adams School in Indiana where the fellowship program for advanced students has been named in his honor. Michael is the senior mentor for the Artist in Residence program (2018, 2020) at the Centre for Fine Woodworking in New Zealand. Fortune’s international career includes consulting for Trinidad and Tobago's Commonwealth Fund for Technical Assistance, working for sustainable source timber in Mexico aimed at supplying the expanding hotel industry within the country, and volunteering for Woodlinks, a joint Canadian/U.S. not-for-profit organization dedicated to revitalizing vocational training in secondary schools throughout North America. Michael is also assisting a new school in Puerto Rico that promotes use of timber salvaged after destructive hurricanes. In 1993, Michael was the first woodworker to receive the prestigious Prix Saidye Bronfman, Canada’s highest award in the crafts, and in 2007 he was the first Canadian to receive the Award of Distinction from the Furniture Society. He received the Mather Award in 2019 for his contribution to craft in Ontario. Michael Fortune has a clear vision of how fine craft can positively effect the culture and economy of Canada and the world beyond. http://www.michaelfortune.com/

The bandsaw can be one of the most versatile, accurate and safe machines in your workshop—providing it is set up and used properly. A new or even a well used bandsaw with a ½ HP motor can be tuned to cut precision joints or resaw flawlessly without purchasing aftermarket accessories or expensive blades. Installing new tires, selecting and setting blade tension, tracking, cutting curves and resawing will be covered. A variety of useful jigs designed to be used with the bandsaw will be demonstrated. Illustrations will be provided so you can make your own. Michael operates one of the most diversely equipped workshops in North America. It includes three industrial table saws but he can’t remember the last time he ripped a piece of wood on a table saw. Instead, he prefers to use a vintage 15” General Mfg. bandsaw. He bought this bandsaw in 1974, tracked the blade once with only modest tension, installed a factory fence parallel to the miter slot and has not had to adjust it in 50 years. That is one of nine bandsaws in his workshop. Let the bandsaw master show you how to make this simple machine the most versatile in your workshop. This class will be limited to 12 students; while mostly demonstration, the class size will allow for some student hands on.

Canadian designer/maker, teacher and mentor Michael C. Fortune has become acclaimed for his innovative, but resolved, designs for one-of-a-kind objects in wood, commissioned residential furnishings, and items in limited editions. He is acknowledged for both his technical and design expertise, giving lectures and workshops across Canada, United States, New Zealand, Australia, and Brazil. Michael's work has appeared in numerous exhibitions worldwide and he has taught at many schools and craft centers including; Sheridan College School of Crafts and Design, Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, the Rochester Institute of Technology NY, Worcester Center for Crafts in Massachusetts, Anderson Arts Center, Colorado, Savannah College of Art and Design, Australian National University School of Art, and the Marc Adams School in Indiana where the fellowship program for advanced students has been named in his honor. Michael is the senior mentor for the Artist in Residence program (2018, 2020) at the Centre for Fine Woodworking in New Zealand. Fortune’s international career includes consulting for Trinidad and Tobago's Commonwealth Fund for Technical Assistance, working for sustainable source timber in Mexico aimed at supplying the expanding hotel industry within the country, and volunteering for Woodlinks, a joint Canadian/U.S. not-for-profit organization dedicated to revitalizing vocational training in secondary schools throughout North America. Michael is also assisting a new school in Puerto Rico that promotes use of timber salvaged after destructive hurricanes. In 1993, Michael was the first woodworker to receive the prestigious Prix Saidye Bronfman, Canada’s highest award in the crafts, and in 2007 he was the first Canadian to receive the Award of Distinction from the Furniture Society. He received the Mather Award in 2019 for his contribution to craft in Ontario. Michael Fortune has a clear vision of how fine craft can positively effect the culture and economy of Canada and the world beyond. http://www.michaelfortune.com/

Learn veneering secrets with master craftsman, veneer artist, and former Wendell Castle studio director Scott Grove. During this hands-on class, students will learn the fundamentals of working with veneer, including selecting, cutting, seaming, matching, pressing, inlay, and more. Scott will share all the tips and tricks that 45+ years of veneering can reveal. Each student will create a stunning highly-figured chessboard with a mother of pearl inlay with a water fall edge and a creative Wendell twist. No special tools are required and this course is great for beginners and more advanced woodworkers looking to expand their veneering knowledge. Scott is a highly creative, enthusiastic, energetic, and experienced instructor that understands that imparting information in an entertaining way makes learning easier and more fun.

Class fee: $385

Materials fee: $50

Scott Grove is an international award-winning artist, master craftsman, sculptor, teacher, author, and tool designer who demonstrates, lectures, and judges at international and national woodworking and woodturning conferences. He has an unconventional approach to all he does, and constantly pushes boundaries to develop new and unique methods of creating functional and decorative art and art furniture. He understands that imparting information in an entertaining way makes learning easier and more fun; he is a featured instructor at the Marc Adam’s School of Woodworking and leads the veneering program at the Chippendale International School of Furniture in Scotland. He also worked for Wendell Castle as studio director. Scott has won numerous awards including the Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge Award four times, an unprecedented achievement, and has been featured on the broadcast series Woodworking in Action, HGTV’s The Furniture Show, and PBS’ The American Woodworker with Scott Phillips. An author of four books, Scott also writes for Popular Woodworking, Woodworking Network, and Woodshop News, American Woodturner, among others. Scott maintains a studio in the Finger Lakes region of Western New York where he produces commission work and speculative art as well as limited edition pieces. He is also the founder of Easy Inlay, a company that provides exotic inlay materials to crafters. http://www.scottgrove.com

Take a deeper dive into Japanese hand planes!  Many of you have taken Andrew's Japanese Hand Planes class in which we each took a new Japanese smoothing plane (Kana), tuned it up, fitted and sharpened the iron, and went from nothing to making beautiful shavings. Well, this is the next course to take your plane to a new level! You don't have to have taken Andrew's previous classes to take this one, but you do need to have a Japanese hand plane of your own that has already been taken through the original steps of setup.  (If you have any doubt then please contact Andrew directly at Andrew@andrewhunterart.com.)

 In this two-day class Andrew will first work with students individually to assess their planes and offer suggestions on how to get them working better.  He will then guide students through the process of setting up the chip breaker.  Getting a chip breaker to work properly can be a bit tricky, but when it's working just right it makes all the difference!  Students will learn to effectively put their planes to use by pulling shavings with the whole body and not just with their arms. We will each spend some time learning to dimension lumber entirely by hand. Remember: the Japanese Kana, like a Western hand plane, is not just limited to surfacing but also excels at precisely fitting parts; two thousandth of an inch at a time!

Andrew is a custom furniture maker working and living in New York’s Hudson Valley. Best known for his use of traditional Japanese hand tools, Andrew demonstrates and teaches across the country. As a self-taught woodworker, he offers a unique perspective to other Americans exploring Eastern woodworking. His workshops demonstrate that by understanding the fundamental principles behind other cultures’ tools and techniques, all woodworkers can benefit. A frequent contributor to Fine Woodworking magazine, he is eager to share what he has learned in his 25-plus years of making furniture. https://www.instagram.com/andrewhunter_furniture/

In this course, you will learn the important concepts of building rockers and how to build quality furniture safely and efficiently. You will also learn how to use a wide variety of power tools, perform complicated joinery, and build a piece of furniture successfully.

We will dive into this class learning techniques to design and build furniture that is curved and has compound angles. Students will learn and be comfortable using a horizontal mortiser. They will also be introduced to the business aspects of building furniture.

Learning objectives:

1. Joinery at complex angles
2. Techniques of chair building
3. The angles and designs that make chairs comfortable

Class price: $1100

Materials fee: $200

Class size limited to 10

Alexis grew up in a family of builders and artists. While designing and building her own house and working alongside her dad, a long-time woodworker, she embarked on a career of building fine furniture. She apprenticed with many talented and successful woodworkers before starting her business in Bozeman in 2019. Alexis builds custom fine furniture and teaches classes out of her own shop and at various woodworking schools in the US. Alexis is a founding member and the president of the Bozeman Woodworking Guild created to help develop the localwoodworking community and encourage and support local craftsmen focusing on novice woodworkers. https://www.dolesewoodworks.com/