After months of preparation we are pleased to announce the return of our weekly publication of Benchroom this Week.
Thank you for your ongoing support and patience, enjoy.
JK Lectures
Jim Krenov continues to lecture on a weekly basis. Segments from these lectures will soon be available on our website. We are very grateful for Jim's evolvement with the school. His words continue to inspire a new generation of craftsman.
Resident Craftsman Program
Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking is proud to announce our Resident Craftsman for the 2008-2009 Craftsman Program.
Daisuke Tanaka from Nishio-shi, Aichi-ken Japan will be joining us for a second year of study. His impeccable craftsmanship will serve as a fine example for our first year students. Daisuke is nearing the completion of the stand in Kwila for the a beautiful Curly Ash dovetailed box with a twin curved panel with a bottom of spalted Beech, a piece from JK's shop, a gift from Robert. The stay for the lid was woven in silk thread and dyed in black tea. Robert enjoys when Daisuke borrows his tools, they are always returned much sharper than they have ever been!
Adam Larson from Edmonton Alberta (right) shown here with Paul. Adam, his wife Jodie and daughter Franka have been a welcome edition to the coast. We are very fortunate to have this fine young craftsman and his family join us for another year. Adam has a solid work ethic and strong sense of community. Adam and his young family are taking full advantage of life on the coast. He is a regular up at Dakota Ridge Nordic Center. Adam completed his first piece, a delightful letter box of African Padauk, wood, he picked up at a local auction. The piece is filled with lovely details and workmanship. We are having each piece professionally photographed and will have these images available on the website in a few weeks. Adam his begun a rocking chair in teak that will require steam bent and tapered laminations and leather upholstery.
Michael Miller from Halfmoon Bay British Columbia will be joining us for a second year of study. He is nearing completion of a rather complex first piece, a wall cabinet in Teak and Olive featuring coopered frame and panel doors, two drawers, shop made hinges and wall hangers. The workmanship of this piece is exquisite. While waiting on the prefinishing of parts Michael has begun the mockup of a chair to go with the writing desk he plans on making in his second year. The desk and stand for the desk will be made from two exceptional planks of Bubinga purchased from Gilmers last fall. The desk will be of Swiss Pear also purchased at Gilmers and will be of shop sawn veneered construction. Michael, who just celebrated his 68th birthday this past week is one of my favorite people. In the relatively short time I have come to know him I put him in the same class as Gary Kent and Michael Burns. The world could use more people like this.
Open House
Our Third annual Open House & Show took place at the school on Saturday January 26th from 1-5pm. The event was well attended with people from as far off as New York and Los Angeles. Following the open house, students, alumni, faculty, family and friends gathered for dinner at the Gumboot Restaurant.
Journeyman Program
College of the Redwoods Fine Woodworking Program alumni Todd Stockner recently joined us from Hazelton British Columbia MyKiss Woodworking and presented a talk and slide show of his work covering nearly twenty years of work to this years Craftsman Program class. The students, alumni and faculty found Todd's presentation informative and very inspiring. Todd will be returning this summer to teach during the Artisan Program.
Craftsman Program alumni Jason Klager from Prince George British Columbia will be joining us for the first two weeks of March when he takes part in our Journeyman Program. Robert will use this time to complete his chair for the year end Student, Alumni ad Faculty Show which takes place May 10, 2008 at 7pm at the James & Britta Krenov Gallery and Gallery Five located just across the courtyard from the school. Jason's marquetry showcase was recently featured in the gallery section of Fine Woodworking Magazine. Jason has a number of fine commissions underway in his own shop. Jason's warm and patient nature and fine eye will benefit this years class as they continue with second projects. Robert plans on presenting the chair to the class while Jason is here as Robert is grateful for his involvement in the school, giving him the precious and much appreciated time at his bench.
Tabletop cabinet by Paul Nielsen, from Evergreen Alabama currently a Craftsman Program Student at Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking will be taking part in our Journeyman Program for the summer. Artisan Program students will benefit from having this fine young craftsman at the school while he builds a chair for a desk he is undertaking for his second piece. His first piece, a lovely tabletop Asian inspired table top cabinet in Doussie, China Berry, Cocobolo and Spanish Cedar is nearly complete. The workmanship is exquisite and the piece is filled with delightful curves and details. This young man has a very promising career ahead of him. We are delighted to have Paul and his wife Robyn here for the summer months.
Doug Ives (left), from Gibsons British Columbia who is completing his second year of study as a Resident Craftsman will be joining us this fall while taking part in the Resident Journeyman Program. Doug's third piece is currently underway, a complex cabinet with integral stand in Aframosia and Zebrano featuring ten drawers curved veneer panels and tapered laminations. This piece and many others will be taking place at our Third Annual Student, Alumni & Faculty show which takes place at the James & Britta Krenov Gallery and Gallery Five, located just across the courtyard from the school. on May the 10th 2008. Doug is a strong supporter of the school and we are grateful for his evolvement.
Lectures
Robert discusses Veneer and Form Making
Robert used the bandsaw, a variety of planes, spokeshaves and chair scrapes to demonstrate the shaping of compound curved form making
Second year student Juan Carlos uses the form Robert prepared to demonstrate making compound curved substraights to the class. This years Resident Craftsman bring a great deal of experience and enthusiasm to the Program.
Steam Bending including Hot Pipe bending a method commonly used in Instrument making but equally effective in some furniture making applications was also demonstrated this week, opening up a whole new world of possibilities. Juan Carlos used this method during the making of his first piece. His stand required bent laminations making a inside radius of 3/4" in Bubinga. After taking the laminations as then as he could Juan prebent each lamination on the hot pipe before laminating.
Craftsman Program
Compound curved parquetry cabinet in Redwood Burl by Resident Craftsman Juan Carlos Fernandez from Caracas Venezuela is nearly complete with the parquetry veneer work, at which time he will turns his attention to the interior and the stand. Following graduation Juan will be joining our faculty. Students will benefit a great deal from this very talented young craftsman. Juan enjoys his work and it shows. Both our Resident Craftsman this year have taken on very complex pieces, and have contributed to many sleepless nights for Robert.
Ed Tickle from Kamloops British Columbia shapes the live tenons on the stand for his side table of Kwila. The table is nearing completion and will be professionally photographed this week. Watch for Ed's table and other student pieces in the coming issues of Benchroom this Week. Ed has begun to mockup his second piece a tabletop cabinet to be made of Shedua and Cedar of Lebanon which will include curved veneered panels. Ed is very thoughtful member of our class and is developing into a fine craftsman.
Erik Copeland from Richmond Hill Ontario completed his Kwila and Danish cord bench a few weeks back and has taken on a Rocking chair in Red Cabruva for a second piece which will require tapered laminations and joinery off ninety degrees in curved components. Here he takes a few minutes to check the comfort of his mockup. Chairs require four equally important aspects of the craft, ergonomics, function, aesthetics and structural integrity. Erik arrived with significant education ad experience as a production woodworker and has made the transition to an emphasis on hand tools. The rocking chair will challenge Erik who has a long and promising career ahead of him as a craftsman.
Matt Hales from London England saws the veneers for his liquor cabinet with integral stand. The cabinet will feature stepped parquetry veneered panels in Macassar Ebony with a Cedar of Lebanon interior and stand of Jatoba. Matt completed his first piece a while back and is in for photography. Watch for this piece and others in upcoming editions of Benchroom this Week. Matt came to the school with little experience working wood and has blossomed as a fine young craftsman.
Craftsman & Teacher Ian Godfrey assists Daisuke in the glue up of the drawer frame for the stand for his box. Ian is busy dialing in his shop and has developed into a fine craftsman, teacher and father.
Walker Savage from Seattle Washington gets assistance from Michael and Ian during the assembly of his dovetailed box of English Brown Oak with bottom of Cedar of Lebanon and frame and coopered panels of Olive. Walker will be presenting the box to the class this week before turning his attention to his next piece. Following the completion of each piece students are asked to present them to the class, a celebration and chance to reflect back on the triumphs and tragedies of what they learned. The piece is then sent out to be photographed. Walker will be making JK's silver chest in Claro Walnut as a final piece.
Douglas Hagerman from Gibsons British Columbia is nearing the completion of his angled dovetailed curved box in East Indian Rosewood which hosts curved frame and panels of Tiger Myrtle, a gift from Robert. The bottoms are of Red Cabruva which maintain a lovely spicy, floral fragrance. Douglas, his wife Daniel and always smiling son Lukka hosted a wonderful Elephants last week wear we were joined by family and friends, including Juan's mother in law Beatriz and brother in law Berto who arrived for a visit from Venezuela earlier that day for a lovely pot luck supper.
Dan Clearley from San Jose California is nearing the completion of his proud dovetailed box of locally harvested Arbutus. Dan has made all the hardware for this piece including the butt hinges which will receive a patination using Cupric Nitrate before installation. One of the most enjoyable aspects of being a teacher is seeing what students do with what we have taught them. I demonstrated hinge making a while back, Dan has taken this aspect of our craft to a new level at the school. Butt hinges are much more complex to make than the typical knife hinges we make here at the school. It has been a pleasure watching Dan's skills and enthusiasm for the craft develop.
Workbenches
Our school and its alumni have just placed our yearly order of workbenches through Leif Karlsson of Målilla Hyvelbänkar Sweden. Leif is the son of the maker of Jim Krenov's Bench. Any alumni interested in ordering a bench should contact the school.
Its not all serious at Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking
Alumni
Craftsman Program Alumni Stephen Esdon is now offering Weekend classes in his Cooperative shop in Roberts Creek through the local Woodworkers Guild. The shop has a well equipped machine and the benchroom is outfitted with traditional benches and good ample natural light.
Federico Mendez Castro, another of our Craftsman Alumni had his third piece accepted into the Wood Coop Gallery on Granville Island. The cabinet of Macassar Ebony, Wenge and Port Orford Cedar and features compound curved sides and doors. Federico just completed a large commission with Shoji doors and has a sideboard underway where he plans on exploring inlay.
Craftsman Program Alumni Jacques Breau will be joining Jason Klager in his shop for the month of April to build a speculative piece. It is nice to see relationships begun at the school foster.
Artisan & Craftsman for Programs 2008
There is limited space available in our Artisan Programs. If you would you would like more information or would like to register call Yvonne toll free at 1.877.943.9663. Alternatively registrations may be faxed to 1.604.885.9711.
We have confirmed our first-year students for the 2008-2009 Craftsman Program. The group consists of men and women from Japan, Ireland, Columbia, United States & Canada. We are currently accepting applications for the 2009-2010 Craftsman Program.
Updates
Accreditation and website updates are still underway. Thank you for your patience. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our students past and present for their support, this school not only exists for you but because of you. I would also like to acknowledge the work of Ian Godfrey and Gary Kent our part time teachers for their assistance and of course Yvonne for keeping the school and our family on course.
Warmest Regards,
Robert