Fundamentals of Box Design & Construction
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There is far more to making furniture than milling lumber, cutting joints, and applying finishes. Creating a piece of custom furniture from rough lumber is like conducting a symphony...one in which you also play all of the instruments. For the symphony to create beautiful music, each instrument must be played exceptionally, but that's not enough. The conductor must bring all of the musicians together harmoniously and guide their expression as they work together to create an entire piece of music from individual strands and efforts. As a furniture maker, you need to master lumber selection, milling, dovetails, the mortise and tenon, hanging and fitting doors, making drawers, and, well, you get the idea. But over and above these individual skills, you must keep a steady eye on the composition you are weaving from their individual efforts.
That sounds demanding, right? Well, it is, but it's also something you can learn to do. My goal for this class is to help you learn to be the conductor. So, as I am showing you how I pick lumber, cut dovetails and apply shellac, I'll also share with you all the things that I've learned over 20 years of making furniture that help me bring all the individual steps together to create a beautiful and harmonious piece of furniture.
Here's what the six lessons cover.
Selecting and milling lumber Learn how to read grain, and to pick boards that work with rather than against your furniture, pick up tips for milling a board to create grain patterns that enhance your work's design, and learn the best way to move from rough lumber to parts ready for joinery.
Dovetails and dadoes We'll take a deep dive into these two staples of case construction. Not only will you learn great techniques for each joint, but also the small details that ensure your joinery is square, tight, and beautiful.
Drawer construction A drawer that fits nicely in its pocket, sliding smoothing in and out, is less difficult to make than you might think. Fit the front properly and the rest falls into place. In addition to learning how to put a drawer together, I'll also demonstrate how to read the fit and figure out where to make adjustments.
Endgrain veneers This cabinet's defining feature are the gorgeous Douglas fir endgrain veneers on the drawers. They can be a challenge to make, so I'll share with you all that I've learned through the years, and show you how to create stable veneers.
Shopsawn veneers The cabinet's back is a thin piece of plywood sandwiched between cherry veneers that you can make in your own shop. I'll demonstrate how to cut them, and how to work them afterward so that end up with a subtle but stunning back.
Beautiful shellac finish No one really likes to apply a finish, so I'll show you one that I've developed through the years that's quick, easy, and looks great. But before you can wipe on any shellac, you've got to prepare the cherry so that the shellac can bring out its natural beauty.
The 6 lessons will take place live, and you'll be able to ask questions and get realtime responses from me. They will also be recorded and you can watch them at a later date. Questions can be asked afterward as well by starting a discussion in the lesson page.
Wednesday nights, from 7:00 pm to no later than 9:00 pm, New York time.
October 21, 2020
October 28, 2020
November 4, 2020
November 11, 2020
November 18, 2020
November 25, 2020