INSTRUCTOR: Bob Hurd, Artisan
COURSE: Furniture Construction
PROJECT: 18th Century Dresser
A dresser is a large piece of furniture that consists of a set of open shelves, cupboards and drawers for storing dining linens and dishes. The dresser for this class was originally made about 1775, but this style could have been made any time during the period 1720 to 1820. It is almost certainly of Welsh origin. It is a one-piece dresser with the upper and lower sections integrally joined. This project provides an opportunity for students to enhance their skills using power tools and hand tools. The jeweler’s saw will be used for cutting the bracket feet, the trim at the top and bottom of the sides, and the shaped upper rail on the doors. The saw cuts will be finished using files and sandpaper. The doors and paneled sides of the base have quarter round trim on the panels. The shelves in the upper section are throughmortised into the sides. The fronts of the shelves are beaded. The back is made up of separate boards. There is no shelving in the lower unit. The lock plates on three of the drawers and on the doors are mounted on an insert of contrasting wood. The molding on the top of the upper section and the top and bottom of the lower section will be premade. Traditional woodworking and joinery techniques such as mortise and tenon and rabbets will be used. The construction process will include making the through mortises, the paneled doors, the drawers, hinge installation, and the face frame and interior framing for the lower unit. The prototype has a stain and lacquer spray finish but the students can use their creativity to customize the appearance of the cabinet (material, color, distressing, etc.). The materials used to finish the prototype will be available. Students are invited to bring acrylic paints and brushes if they want to finish the piece with paint. If stain and lacquer is used for finishing, which includes drying time, applying the finish will be partially dependent on the weather since it cannot be done in the classroom. The overall dimensions of the piece are about 5 ¼" W x 1 ¾" D x 6 ½" H.
TIME: 48 hours. Completion is likely if students work overtime outside of the classroom and depending on their level of skill/experience.
POWER TOOLS: table saw, drill press
SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate and advanced
MATERIALS FEE: $$85 to be collected at school
INSTRUCTOR: Craig Labenz, Artisan
COURSE: Furniture Construction and Painted Finishes
PROJECT: Connecticut Grain-Painted Tall Case Clock
This class is FULL.
This grain-painted tall case clock was made by a clockmaker named Riley Whiting in Winchester, Connecticut between 1815–1820. Riley Whiting was a prolific clock maker during the first third of the 19th Century and was thought to have perfected the eight-day wooden geared movement. His tall case clocks were commonly made of simple pine lumber with richly painted finishes.
In this class, students will use mills, table saws, lathes and jeweler’s saws to make the clock case in 1/12th scale. They’ll incorporate traditional joinery techniques throughout, and will construct the case in three sections as it would’ve been built during this period. After construction is complete, the class will learn faux bois painting techniques to finish their clock cases to resemble a higher-quality wood. Students will also learn finishing techniques for patina and aging on wood and metal. The original clock face was painted wood with red and blue flowers and gilt detail. Students will learn to paint these details themselves before applying clock hands and placing the clock face behind glass.
The finished clock will not be working (it’s only a 48-hour class and a 200 year-old clock after all!), but students will be replicating some period-appropriate clockworks including weights, ropes and a pendulum.
TIME: 48 hours. Students can expect to finish the case construction and much of the painted finish in class. Because of drying times, some final finishing and hardware application might need to be completed at home.
POWER TOOLS: table saw, drill press, lathe, shaper/mill
SKILL LEVEL: This class is intended for intermediate students and will be challenging because of the fine details in the case construction and painting. Besides experience with power tools, ideally, students should have some experience with small-scale painting.
MATERIALS FEE: $150 to be collected at school