- now registering students for 2021 classes -
Please scroll down for course descriptions
to register for a class please print out a registration form,
read it carefully, fill it in, sign it and mail it to us with your $200 deposit
- we have a waiting list for full classes, please be in touch -
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2021 workshop schedule:
June 14 to 20 - Timber Framing Workshop (FULL)
building a small shelter at MCCS, co-taught by Andrew Donaldson & Kenneth Kortemeier,
level 2, no materials fee
June 26 to 29, 2021 - Greenwood Bowl Carving (FULL)
level 2, + $20 materials fee
July 10, 11 & 12, 2021 - Non-electric Forging/Knife Making (FULL)
taught by Lucian Avery, level 2, + $20 materials fee
July 17 to 23 - Building Curtis Buchanan's democratic Windsor chair (FULL)
level 3, + $100 materials fee
July 27 to 30 - Bill Coperthwaite 4-board "Democratic" Benches & Chairs (2 spots open)
level 1, + $15 materials fee
August 7 to 13 - Make a Chair From a Tree - level 3, + $45 materials fee (FULL)
August 17 to 20 - Scandinavian Bentwood Tine Boxes - level 1, + $20 materials fee (3 spots open)
August 23 to 28 - Spoon Carving Intensive - level 1, no materials fee (FULL)
September 4 to 10 - Welsh Windsor Chair Making - level 3, + $100 materials fee (FULL)
September 13 to 16 - Broom & Dustpan Making - level 1, + $35 materials fee (3 spots open)
1. Fundamentals of Timber Framing - Building a shelter for our school pizza oven - 7 day class
co-taught by Andrew Donaldson and Kenneth Kortemeier
June 14th to 20th
exertion level 2 - materials fee: none
$ 910
This class will introduce students to American square rule joinery, with a focus on concepts of reference face, load paths, timber layout and position.
We will visit 6 or 7 nearby historic frames to see the evolution of framing in our area. We’ll also cut joinery and do some light hewing.
Methods of work and how to organize a work site will top it all off.
2. Greenwood Bowl Carving - 4 day class - FULL for 2021
June 26 to 29
exertion level 2 + - materials fee: $20
$520 + $20 = $540 total
We’ll delve into the reductive process in our Greenwood Bowl Carving class and learn how satisfying the process of carving out a bowl from a rough section of a newly felled tree can be. Unlike lathe-turning, hewing a bowl by hand offers wider variation in terms of shapes and symmetry. We’ll use a froe to split the log, then an axe, adze, gouges, spoke shaves and slöjd knives to gradually refine the size and shapes of our wooden vessels. During this thorough four day class we will explore proper tree selection, layout and design, tool selection, various holding devices, decorative carving, wood finishing, and also edge tool use, care and sharpening.
Students will come away with a hand hewn bowl plus instructions on how best to dry them, as well as thorough information about the process and materials of oil finishing once their bowls have dried.
3. Non-electric Forging, Making a Carving Knife - 3 day class - FULL for 2021
taught by Lucian Avery
July 10, 11 & 12
exertion level 2.5 or 3 - materials fee: $20
$390 + $20 = $ 410 total
Lucian Avery is a blacksmith based in northern Vermont, he forges a number of high quality tools for working green wood.
In his non-electric forging class, students will each make a Scandinavian style carving knife. The blade will be forged to shape and the bevel filed carefully by hand. The blade will be heat treated, a wooden handle burned on and then custom shaped to create a comfortable grip while carving. Next, the blade will be honed to a razor edge. After the knife is complete, each student will make a birch bark sheath. Finally we will do some carving to test the knife and see if it needs fine tuning.
Forging technique, steel selection, basic metallurgy, filing, heat treating and sharpening will be covered in this class, as well as local wood selection and some green wood spoon carving techniques.
This workshop is best suited to students with some basic metalworking experience but beginners who are up for a challenge are also welcome.
4. Building Curtis Buchanan's democratic Windsor chair
July 17th to 23rd - 1 spot still open 3.10.2021
exertion level 3 - materials fee: $140
$910 + $140 = $ 1,050 total
5. Bill Coperthwaite Democratic Benches & Chairs - 3 day class
July 27th to 30th - 3 spots still open 3.10.2021
exertion level 1 - materials fee $15
$ 390 + $15 = $ 405 total
In this class we explore one of the ‘democratic’ designs (link to our blog entry here) of our friend and mentor, the late Bill Coperthwaite (link to insearchofsimplicity). An elegant and simple design, this is the first thing that Bill instructed people to make at the beginning of one of his community yurt builds. Participants used them for many tasks, such as saw horses, stepping stools for reaching high places, taking a break and ultimately as furniture inside the completed yurt.
For those of us who knew Bill well, this bench design is an enduring reminder of our friend. We all seem to have a number of these benches around our homes and workshops. Many of us in our turn have shown others this design and led them in building these refined benches.
During this three day class, students will cut, shape and assemble their own democratic bench using just four wide pine boards and hand tools. Basic hand tool skills, layout, design, tool use and sharpening will all be taught.
6. MACFAT/Make a Chair from a Tree (Post and Rung ladder back chair making) - 7 day class - FULL for 2021
August 8th to 14th
exertion level 2 or 3 - materials fee: $45
$910 + $45 = $ 955 total
- Post & rung ladder back chairs based on Jennie Alexander’s teaching & method.
Using a minimal assortment of hand tools, students will learn how to craft and assemble this
elegant, lightweight, durable, and very comfortable chair. This is the chair and the class that Jennie Alexander is known for. Kenneth learned this chair from Drew Langsner, who learned from Jennie during classes she taught at Country Workshops over the years. Kenneth in turn has been teaching this style of green wood post and rung chair making to beginning woodworkers since 2004.
This project is a wonderful introduction to a straightforward and simple form of chair making,
it teaches foundational techniques and skills that are used in making more advanced chairs and furniture. We recommend that students start with this class before they build the Welsh Windsor chair.
The post and rung chair design is called a ladder-back because the back slats resemble the rungs of a ladder. It has also been called a mule ear because the tips of the back posts are reminiscent of ears. Chairs of this design were an inspiration to the Shakers who appreciated their utilitarian simplicity and lack of ornamentation.
The workshop begins with students learning how to select green logs and then to rive (or split) chair parts with a froe and club. Because we will be working with a freshly felled tree, this type of green woodworking offers a direct connection to the materials used and to an older, more sculptural way of working wood.
The riven posts (chair legs) and rungs are shaped with a draw knife and a spoke shave on a shave horse. Rear posts are steam bent onto a form to create the proper curve for the chair back. Rectangular mortises are chopped into the air dried posts with a mortising chisel, and cylindrical mortises are drilled by hand. Tenons are sized and cut on the rungs by hand. We take advantage of dissimilar moisture content between the air dried posts and the kiln dried rungs to help guarantee a tightening of the joinery from natural shrinkage of the wood as it dries. To complete the chair, the seat is woven with colorful cotton webbing called “Shaker Tape”. Finally, the back slats are shaped, fitted and eventually pinned in place with small wooden dowels. Tool use, safety and sharpening will be thoroughly demonstrated and wood finishing will be addressed.
Students will have their red oak chairs assembled and the seats woven by the end of our class time. Oiling or finishing the wood and pinning the back slats will need to be completed after the end of the workshop, once the chair has thoroughly dried.
7. Scandinavian Bentwood/Tine Boxes - 4 day class
August 17th to 20th
exertion level 1 - $20 materials fee
$520 + $20 = $ 560 total
We have seen bentwood boxes in quite a few cultures; archeologists have discovered examples in Viking ship excavations in Norway, there are gorgeous old and modern examples from the First Nations peoples of the Pacific, and there are the more modern American Shaker oval boxes. Scandinavian countries all have examples of bentwood boxes. We are focusing on the Norwegian Tine (pronounced “tee-nah”) as the model for this class.
Students will learn steam bending techniques and basic carving skills. We’ll use common hand tools such as gouges, spokeshaves and chisels to shape and fit the various parts of the box together.
Many historical examples of these folk art boxes are personalized and embellished with typically Scandinavian vernacular decorations such as chip carving and painting. Kenneth will demonstrate some of these techniques so that students can practice skills and add decoration during the course of the class (time permitting) or at home.
8. Spoon Carving Intensive - 6 day class - FULL for 2021
August 23rd to 28th
exertion level 1 - materials fee: none
$ 780 total
A wonderful and full week of carving spoons together, for all levels of skill and experience.
We will start by taking a walk in our surrounding woods to look at trees and natural crooks from which to make curved wooden spoons. Larger serving spoons will allow more room for practicing knife and axe skills, but students can experiment and play with many sorts and sizes of spoons and utensils. Participants can experiment with our collection of carving axes to rough out spoon blanks and get a feel for different weights and styles of axes. We've also got block knives for the roughing-out process. We’ll discuss layout and design choices before we dive in with straight and curved knives to refine and shape our spoons. Kenneth will introduce a variety of techniques and tool choices, such as bent and dog leg gouges as alternatives or additions to the standard slöjd knives for carving. Emphasis is placed on using natural crooks and following the wood fibers to design for curvaceous, flowing lines. Much attention will be paid to proportions and resolving facets in a pleasing way. We’ll also explore decorative carving and applying pigment to the surfaces of spoons to add to their appeal and interest.
Sharpening (grinding, honing and stropping), safe and effective knife grips, work-holding options, understanding wood species and selection, and design feedback/discussion will all be covered.
Because of our small class size (limit of five) Kenneth is able to work with each student to improve and deepen their sense of carving wherever they are in terms of familiarity with design choices, tool skills and previous hand work experience.
9. Making a John Brown style vernacular Windsor chair - 7 day class - FULL for 2021
September 5th to 11th
exertion level 2+ - materials fee: $100
$910 + $100 = $ 1,010 total
In this seven day workshop we will learn to make and assemble a Welsh style vernacular Windsor. The chairs which Kenneth builds (and the way he teaches students to to build them) are based on the unique design and techniques he learned while he was an apprentice with the late John Brown, the self-taught Welsh chair maker.
A pre-requisite for this class is the MACFAT/ Post and Rung Ladder Back Chair class.
Using hand tools, we’ll shape and assemble chair parts, working with both green and air-dried hardwoods. Some parts will be roughed out ahead of time (although this in not a kit) in order to allow for time constraints and various student skill levels.
All necessary specialized chair-making tools will be available for use and materials are all provided.
This is a very full learning experience and students will need to oil or otherwise finish their chairs after the conclusion of the class.
Students will need to be able to transport their chairs home after class (finished chairs measure 28” wide, 43” tall, 23” deep.)
September 5th to 11th
exertion level 2+ - materials fee: $100
$910 + $100 = $ 1,010 total
In this seven day workshop we will learn to make and assemble a Welsh style vernacular Windsor. The chairs which Kenneth builds (and the way he teaches students to to build them) are based on the unique design and techniques he learned while he was an apprentice with the late John Brown, the self-taught Welsh chair maker.
A pre-requisite for this class is the MACFAT/ Post and Rung Ladder Back Chair class.
Using hand tools, we’ll shape and assemble chair parts, working with both green and air-dried hardwoods. Some parts will be roughed out ahead of time (although this in not a kit) in order to allow for time constraints and various student skill levels.
All necessary specialized chair-making tools will be available for use and materials are all provided.
This is a very full learning experience and students will need to oil or otherwise finish their chairs after the conclusion of the class.
Students will need to be able to transport their chairs home after class (finished chairs measure 28” wide, 43” tall, 23” deep.)
"Power machines are unfriendly for they are very noisy and make a lot of unpleasant dust.
Craft woodworking should be a creative activity, with the practitioners as artists.
Surrounded by ugly, noisy, dusty machines the woodworker does not have the environment in which to do good work."
- John Brown
10. Broom Making + Dustpans - 4 day class
September 13th to 16th - 3 spots still open 3.10.2021
exertion level 1 - materials fee: $35
$520 + 35 = $ 555 total
It is very satisfying to use a broom that is handmade. It can turn a mundane task into a satisfying ritual - sweeping begins to feel like a dance between the maker, the sweeper and the broom.
We are excited to share this handcraft which our friend Fritz taught us, he learned it while he was an intern at Tillers International in Michigan.
Students in this 2 day class will make two different styles of handmade brooms; a classic floor broom and a whisk broom. Materials we’ll use include broom corn, special tarred cordage, broom sewing needles and (for the larger floor broom) a custom carved broom handle. We will discuss dust pan design and broom handle decoration.
Making brooms requires very minimal infrastructure and tools, so this accessible craft is definitely something that students can continue at home.
We'll investigate several designs for handmade dustpans once the brooms are made, so that students have a highly utilitarian set of tools.
Our classes are human-scaled and quiet in a pleasant, productive way with 5 or 6 students at most, a perfect atmosphere to learn and pursue handcrafts together.
