Hello All:
I have been in construction, (remodeling), for a few years. I have recently been interested in making some furniture, shaker style, for my own use and enjoyment.
When you first started out did you take a furniture making course or are you self-taught? Are there any books that you would recommend?
I look forward to your replies!
-Mark
Replies
This is a topic that could take years.
Mostly self taught....some short courses. Sold a number of Shaker pieces I have made over the years.
You have a choice of MANY books about shaker furniture. Recommend to start with (then go crazy trying to figure out where to go next) "The Book of Shaker Furniture" by John Kassay and books by Thomas Mosher (Shop Drawings etc).
This is a Big topic and many people will have other ideas. However, Kassay presents a good history of the Shakers along with very good measured drawings of simple to complex pieces.
Good Luck Dick Cummings
I checked at the library and they have the book by John Kasay. I'll pick that one up!
I couldn't find anything by Thomas Mosher. I looked for his books on Amazon too but came up empty.
Thanks for the reply.
-Mark
ORIGINAL POST:
"You have a choice of MANY books about shaker furniture. Recommend to start with (then go crazy trying to figure out where to go next) "The Book of Shaker Furniture" by John Kassay and books by Thomas Mosher (Shop Drawings etc)."
Mr. Cummings had the name close. Here is a link to their website.
http://www.thomasmoser.com
hope this helps and good luck!
Dave
Edited 11/19/2004 12:00 pm ET by Dave
Two messages down...Dave has the proper spelling for T Moser. Thanks Dave and for giving the hyperlink to his web site.
A very good "new" school is given by Kelly Mehler in Berea, Kentucky.He is the author of a very good book on Table Saws and an exceptional tape about making a Shaker Table. These can be found on this Taunton Web Site.
Kelly's web site is http://www.kellymehler.com.
Kelly is an outstanding and patient instructor/teacher.
Good Luck Dick Cummings
It's Thomas MOSER. I found his book (I think the title is How to Build Shaker Furniture) on ebay, but you should be able to get it on Amazon as well. It's available in soft and hard cover. The hard cover edition is smaller. The soft cover is an easier read.
Joe
Cabinetmaking and Millwork, John L. Feirer. The original bible for woodworking. Learn safety!
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
There are many places to take introductory courses in fine woodworking. Which one depends on where you live. I took a course called "Introduction to Fine Woodworking" at the North Bennett Street School in Boston as my first course. It was two evenings a week for 10 weeks. It got me off to a very good start. The focus was on preparing tools and using traditional techniques for preparing wood and joinery.
A book that is a little more machine oriented is called "Woodworking Basics" by Peter Korn who is founder and Executive Director of the Center for Furntiure Craftsmanship in Rockport, ME.
I have also found Tolpin's "Measure Twice, Cut once" to be a useful read and reference.
Stephen J. Gaal
Stephan,
How was that intor woodworking course at NBSS. I am thinking about that course you took. The commute into Boston is a concern I have.
I'd be willing to take it if it is a great course, not if it was just ok. I have been dabbling for 1 year now and still am learning and would liek to improve.
Is it woth the $ 900.00? What about Phil Lowes school?
Spitfire:
I thought the NBSS Intro o Fine Woodworking was excellent. Phil Lowe used to run the cabinet and Furniture making program at NBSS. I have seen Phil at the Williamsburgh seminar that is given each year on period furniture and he is excellent. Depending on where you live, either would likely be very good. You probably get more scheduling options at NBSS but if you live north of Boston, Phil Lowe's might be more convenient.
What I got out of the two week course was an appreciation of a properly sharpened tool and how to do it, an understanding and ability to do mortise and tenon and doevtails joints to a high dgree of precision, the general startegy for building fine furntiture, an understanding of the level of accuracy and fit and finih that can be acheived with hand tools. It was a wonderful foundation for me.Stephen J. Gaal
Peter Korn's book on Basic Woodworking is quite good and teaches all the steps necessary in preparing wood to be flat and square before beginning any project. The book shows how to build a Shaker stool so you get practice in cutting dovetails, through mortises, etc.
Peter Korn's Center for Furniture Craftsmanship just came out with its list of courses for next year. you can reach them at woodschool.org or 207-594-5611.
The woodworking section at large bookstores like "Barnes& Nobel have a wide range of books, mostly introductory but also a good range of more advanced books.
Good luck.
I think that Ian Kirby's book "The Complete Dovetail", Cambium Press
is a good book to go along with Peter Korn's book. There is good information on first tools to get and how to control for accuracy. If Cambium is still in business, they converted from a press to a store for woodworking and construction books, you could see the many choices of books and videos that are available. You can save a lot of money if the ones you are interested in are in the library. Have fun.
Rod
Hi All:
Thank you for the book recommendations so far!
I've been looking through a few books from the library...the price is right!
I also found an adult night course outside of Boston that is offering a couple of beginner woodworking courses. I've emailed them to ask if I would be better off taking the very basic or if my skills, as a remodeling carpenter, would allow me to go to the 2nd level of courses.
Again, thanks for your advise!
-Mark
There are some here who won't like this answer, but the New Yankee Workshop television show is an excellent way to learn woodworking. You won't see the very finest work, but Norm covers the basics quite broadly. He gets a lot into each show by not dumbing down his work to the airhead level of a decorating or craft show. He's especially good at explaining what he's doing and why, which is a talent almost no one else on TV has. Most of the DIY Network shows have hosts that know almost nothing. The exception would be David Marks. He's great for advanced techniques, but you won't get much of the basics, and he's kind of scripted and unnatural in his narration.
At some point early in your progress, I recommend reading Understanding Wood by Hoadley. If you are going to get serious with woodworking as a hobby you have to have a thorough knowledge how wood works. After you have a few projects under you belt, this would be a worthwhile read.
Well, I think there are basically three different ways you can approach this. Which is best for you depends on your personal learning style. First, take a course. You are in the Boston area, the North Bennett school is the most famous, but there most be a ton of other offerings. Second, learn from books. Spend some time in bookstores perusing what seems most useful to you, and then buy them or use the library.Third, informally apprentice yourself to someone who knows what they're doing. Independent cabinetmaking is a lonely endeavor, and some would welcome a convivial person to help them out (free) here and there in exchange for time spent teaching you some of the basics. I have served this function with about a half dozen people over the years, and one of these fellows just built a set of kitchen cabinets for his newly purchased old house. Like you, he is a remodeler. He is not a book learner, so my role was mainly to convince him he could do it, teach him the basics of cabinetmaking (e.g. European hinges), and let him use my shop for some of the more complicated operations requiring machinery he did not have. I would put watching Norm Abrams' NYW in this category. He has inspired thousands in getting their start in cabinetmaking. You are way ahead of most, given your remodeling experience. You already know a lot about tools and basic techniques. Finally, many folks want to start with stuff that is more complicated (like chairs), but I always urge them to start simple -- shelves, bookcases, and the like. You probably already own the tools to get started with the easy stuff. A router and a simple table saw is about all you need to progress beyond these simple items. There are a lot of helpful people around here, and I hope you won't hesitate to pose issues and questions as you move along in your journey.Good luck.
Thanks for the great advice. I am also just starting this journey into woodworking. I have inherited my father's complete shop. I need to jump in somewhere. I have taken one course through Woodcraft, a woodworker's supply store. I plan on taking many more.
I know of some people in my town that do woodworking. I didn't feel comfortable just asking them to help me, although they have generously offered. The idea of apprenticing sounds great.
Thanks!
Edited 11/21/2004 9:10 pm ET by handymom
Most of these people have spent years (and years) learning the craft, and many of them welcome the opportunity to share some of their knowledge -- particularly if they are compensated with some free labor for grunt work. One person shops are probably always on the lookout for someone to help with installation, cleanup, do some sanding etc. Because of liability issues, they may be hesitant to let you run machinery. but once they get to know and trust you, and understand you won't sue them to smithereens if you cut your finger, they will probably loosen up.If this notion has some appeal to you, I urge you to pursue it. Heck, they may even have some remodeling work you can trade for teaching time in their shop.
handymom,
are you located in the northeast, possibly new hampshire? if so, i can recommend a woodworking school that I attend...Regards,
Buzzsaw
Thanks for offering. I'm actually in the Chicago suburbs. I would love to learn of other class options. Does anyone know much about Woodcraft classes? They are a little pricey, but they cover what I am looking for.
Thanks!
Too bad you aren't in the Northeast but I have taken one class at Woodcraft (in Boston area) and the instructor I had knew his stuff. I agree with it being a bit pricey but there aren't a whole lot of options. Check night schools in your area. Some have shop classes and they have a lot of good equipment. The class I take is at a woodworking school and they have planers, jointers, and bandsaws, all of which I don't have yet in my shop. Good luck..Regards,
Buzzsaw
Check out Mark Adams School Of Wood working. Advertises in FW. Just about 15 miles south of Indianapolis. Not far from Chicago.
Dick
Thanks to Jerry and Dick for recommending Marc Adams Workshops. I checked out his websight. Even my Woodcraft instructor had mentioned his classes. I think I'm still too much of a novice to get as much out of his classes as someone with a bit more experience. I think I'll continue with the Woodcraft classes that are available to me here, as well as asking some local woodworkers if I could apprentice with them. I would love the chance to cleanup, sand, or do odd jobs in exchange for just observing the process and how to use the tools.
Thanks to all!
Jeff Miller in Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago offers interesting courses. There are others in the areas listed in the classified ads in Fine Woodworking. Woodcraft in Palatine always has a long list of courses. Some junior colleges and even some high schools offer woodworking classes to adults.
Dave Waycie in Mt. Prospect is a local furniture designer and craftsman. Think about giving him a call and ask him if he would teach you the basics. He's taught classes in building Shaker tables which would give you much of what you need to know. It shouldn't be too expensive because he can demonstrate the basics in a short time and then you can practice at home. You can reach him at [email protected]See also the thread Reinventing the Wheel which has a lot of good advice as well.
Edited 11/26/2004 6:01 am ET by Larry Martin
Jeff Miller's new class listing just came out. Give him a call at 773-761-3311. His address is 1774 W. Lunt Avenue, Chicago 60626. He has the following classes:
Table Saw Master Class
Dovetail Workshop
Shaping and Bending Curves
Hand Tools Skill Building
Table Making Workshop
Mortise and Tenon Workshop
Veneer and Inlay Workshop
Thanks, Larry, for the information on Jeff Miller and Dave Waycie. I'll check them out.
UniqueSheds,
I too have been attempting to learn the craft over the last couple of years...hitting the library, watching Norm, reading articles, Knots especially and looking at courses. Everytime I start to feel like I'm accomplishing something Rob or Lee or Bill will post their latest...and deep depression sets in....lol.
Quite frankly, taking a body of knowledge and organizing it into digestable parts is the work of PhD's in other disciplines. Basically, introductory courses focus on the concepts and terminology/definitions of the discipline....so the student starts off with a good foundation for facilitating further education. Working with wood is also complicated by the fact that so many of 'ism's' ..like flatten the board...is relative and a skilled craftsman's perspective is needed. One day Eddie from downunder posted a picture of one of his student's dovetail efforts...Eddie had marked up on the board specific areas where improvement was needed...that is quality teaching from a skilled craftsman.
You and I are fortunate that we have so many options in the Boston area for training. I suspect that, while your experiences bring much to the issue, you'll need to re-learn basic aspects as they relate to furniture making. Lastly, everytime I see a beautiful piece of new furniture in the Boston area and query who the answer is usually he went to the NBSS....
I took a course through the public school system. It taught me the basics of joinery and machine operation. More recently, I've taken several course at Homestead Heritage in Elm Mott, TX. (web site: http://www.homesteadheritage.com). Their emphasis is on basic handworking skills and I have found learning the basics is a strong foundation for machine work. For me, coursework provides the focus and coaching that works well for me. Books are also excellent but don't substitute for working with someone with known woodworking skill. Woodworking from books is like learning to ride a bicycle from a book.
Though I been working with wood for years I had never built "solid wood furniture". I learned about Marc Adams (note spelling) from The Woodworkers Show and was very impressed. I've now been to 6 of his classes and can't get enough. Finishing, design, turning, joinery, veneering - the range of classes with top quality instructers is amazing.
Marc has a 95% return rate so he must be doing something right.His website is marcadams.com.His school is located just South of Indianapolis. Registration for 2005 starts next week. If you are interested, hurry. They fill up fast.
Jerry
Read, take classes, ask questions, and make some things.
Look into a local woodworking club/guild, join and attend the meetings. It's a good way to meet like-minded people. Most of the major magazines have a directory of local clubs on their web sites.
I'm less experienced than you, but I posted a similar question and got some very helpful replies and suggestions. Check out "Reinventing the Wheel" which is the title of my initial post.
Joe
I just recently got into woodworking and I have taken a couple of short courses. I am now able to cut a very good set of dovetails, through wedged tenons, and a finish directly off the handplane. There was no way that I could have gotten this far on my own in such a short time without instruction.
Except for a high school shop class (at the end of the last ice age), I've never had any training in woodworking - and I've messed up enough wood to prove it. - lol
If you can take a course (or courses), I would definitely recommend it. I've also picked up a lot by watching Norm Abrams on New Yankee Workshop. For the most part, he uses tools you're likely to have - or could expect to get, and I think he does a great job of explaining what he's doing and why. If you watch enough episodes, you'll see him do the same things in different ways which I find useful.
The only thing I wish he would do is show how to "work around" a mistake. He always has a prototype and I guess that's where the mistakes end. I've never had that luxury - lol.
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