The class will be "Beginning Hand Tool Woodworking: build a Pennsylvania Blanket Chest."
The class will go as I usually run them; introduce a skill, the tool(s) necessary to that skill, how to care for the tool. As is my practice we will begin by partially carving a spoon. Carving a spoon allows you to learn how to work with the wood, what short-cuts you can take and what only works when you shove the wood into a machine (which we won't be doing).
So the sequence will be (tools are introduced only once but used when needed):
- Carve a spoon. Bench chisel, mallet, coping saw, spoke shave.
- Design and stock selection.Chalk or lumber pencil.
- Using a saw bench to rough cut stock. Hand saws (rip & crosscut), panel saws, saw bench.
- Dimensioning lumber using hand tools. Fore plane, jointer plane, squares, marking gauges.
- Hand cut dovetails. Marking knife, dovetail saw, fret saw.
- Build the bottom with a ship-lap joint and bevel. Plough plane, smoothing plane.
- Assemble the carcase. Hot hide glue, clamps, improvised rope clamps, hammer.
- Build the base moulding and support frame. Rabbit plane, moulding planes.
- Build the lid and dust seal.
- Build the hinges.
- Final smoothing.
- Final assembly
- Applying traditional finish.
Since I will be recording the skills and showing them to you here, allow me to introduce the stars of that show. Alphabetically they are; Megan McDowell and Kashley Shaffer.
You will see much more of them beginning September 9, 2012. Oh and me too (kind of a beauties and the beast thing).
