Our third annual Student Show and Open House will take place at the school on January 26, 2008 from 1-5pm. For more information please contact the school.
Warmest Regards,
Robert& Yvonne
There is still limited space in many of our 2008 programs at Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking. If you would like more information or would like to register please call Yvonne at 1.877.943.9663. Registrations may also be faxed to 604.885.9711.
Guest Faculty Programs for 2008
Composing with Adrian Ferrazzutti
June 30th – July 4th
Adrian Ferrazzutti
Adrian’s bloodwood chair.
Students will spend a week with Adrian Ferrazzutti learning various techniques to design a piece of furniture by creating sketches, models and mock ups. This course will begin with loose drawing and sketching to hash out a design for a piece of furniture of your choice and design. Students are encouraged to arrive with sketches of furniture ideas and designs they have worked on in advance. Each student will decide on a piece of furniture and a design that he/she would like to create. A sketch or sketches of this idea will be discuss as a group. Adrian will give a compentary on each design with attention to aesthetics as well as construction considerations. In this early stage of composing a piece of furniture the initial concept is hashed out however, the direction the design process may lead and the outcome of the original idea can be surprising. Moving on from the drawing stage students will build one or more models or makquettes of their piece of furniture transforming the 2-dimensional sketch into a scaled down yet simple 3-dimensional object. Students may opt to create more than one model to explore different design possibilities. With a working model completed each student will transform their design concept into a full size model or mock up using various materials. The final mock ups will be presented and discussed as a class giving each student the opportunity to enhance their design sense by observing what other students have encountered with during their design process. http://www.adrianferrazzutti.com.
Adrian will also be teaching a veneered box-making program this coming summer at the College of the Redwoods, for more information visit www.crfinefurniture.com.
Intricate Joinery with Michael Burns
July 7th – 11th
Michael Burns
Burns Box
This class will be hands on. You will make a variety of jigs, fixtures and joints to take back to your shop. Joint design, aesthetics, machine use and handwork will be covered. We will focus on joints for chairs, tables, stands and casework. A few of the joints covered include: mitered frame with through tenons, tenons in round stock and compound angles with slip tenons. We can work on any joint that you are interested in trying, or refine a joint you have already attempted. You can do a very small project with sophisticated joinery.
Artisan Programs for 2008
David Welter
David Welter Vanity
We are delighted to have another of Roberts teachers, David Welter teach Artisan A – Hand & Machine Tools July 14th though 18t.
In this program, students will be introduced to the possibilities of working wood with simple yet well-tuned and effective hand tools as well as the set up and safe use of the machines commonly used in woodworking. Through a series of talks, demonstrations and exercises, students will be guided through the tuning, sharpening, set up and use of hand tools, including block and bench planes, spokeshaves, scrapers and chisels.
Students will have the opportunity to practice set up and safe use of the bandsaw, jointer, planer and table saw. Students will learn their applications, blade and knife changes as well as set up and ongoing maintenance of each of these tools. Students will be encouraged to develop a sensible balance between hand and machine tools. Wood characteristics, cuts, movement, selection and graphics will be explained and explored. David, a true Krenovian, has taught at the College of the Redwoods since 1986. Robert is very grateful to have had each of his teachers teach at our small school.
Craftsman, Resident Craftsman Programs for 2008
Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking is pleased to announce that Daisuke Tanaka of Nishio-shi, Aichi-ken Japan will be joining us for a second year of study. We will be announcing the remaining Resident Craftsman for 2008-2009 in a few weeks but wanted to give Daisuke the opportunity to make the necessary arrangements when he returns to Japan over the break. We are very pleased to have this nice young man with us here at the school.
"Wanting to be a craftsman, or a woodworker, there are, I believe limited choices. The emphasis these days is on novelty, efficiency with very little individual contribution; many schools follow this trend. There are relatively few schools, in fact very few schools that educate a person to become a complete craftsman in wood. One of the schools I have been following and observing is at Roberts Creek in Canada, it is called Inside Passage School. I know the people there, I like what they are doing and I like very much the way they are doing it. The emphasis is on hand skills, not primitive methods but efficient skills. Work that that can be traced to the maker, the hand, the eye and the heart. The staff is open and warm and generous and there is an opportunity there at Roberts Creek to develop the skills that support this approach. In fact the kind of work that I have for many years encouraged, the craftsman as an individual. I think that this will emerge gradually as the school for the complete craftsman. If I were starting my life today as a craftsman, and needed to learn what matters the most; my choice would be Inside Passage School."
"Wanting to be a craftsman, or a woodworker, there are, I believe limited choices. The emphasis these days is on novelty, efficiency with very little individual contribution; many schools follow this trend. There are relatively few schools, in fact very few schools that educate a person to become a complete craftsman in wood. One of the schools I have been following and observing is at Roberts Creek in Canada, it is called Inside Passage School. I know the people there, I like what they are doing and I like very much the way they are doing it. The emphasis is on hand skills, not primitive methods but efficient skills. Work that that can be traced to the maker, the hand, the eye and the heart. The staff is open and warm and generous and there is an opportunity there at Roberts Creek to develop the skills that support this approach. In fact the kind of work that I have for many years encouraged, the craftsman as an individual. I think that this will emerge gradually as the school for the complete craftsman. If I were starting my life today as a craftsman, and needed to learn what matters the most; my choice would be Inside Passage School."
Journeyman Program
Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking offers graduates of the Craftsman Program or the College of the Redwoods Fine Woodworking Program the opportunity to share their craft with aspiring woodworkers. If you are interested please call the school and ask to speak to our Program Director.
Todd’s chair during mockup stage while participating in the Journeyman Program at Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking.
Todd Sorenson’s Chair in narra and leather at the College of the Redwoods' Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Show.
College of the Redwoods graduate Steve Skonieczny discusses design Federico Mendez Castro during Federico’s first year at the school.
Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking Program graduate Jason Klager explores marquetry with last year's Craftsman Program.
College of the Redwoods graduate Todd Stockner discusses shop sawn veneer with Jason while he was a student at the school.
College of the Redwoods graduate Todd Sorenson has participated in our Journeyman program on two occasions, one week in 2005 and five weeks in 2006.
College of the Redwoods graduate Carl Zytowski participated in the journeyman program earlier this year.
Resident Journeyman Program
Robert & Doug at Gilmers doing something they are both passionate about, looking at wood!
A new program offered at Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking. The Resident Journeyman Program is an appointed position and is based on limited space. It may be more accurately referred to as "the separation anxiety program" at the school and is offered to two-year graduates of the program who just refuse to leave. Our small school is pleased to announce the appointment of Doug Ives who is currently completing his second year of study at the school. Doug has been a tremendous advocate of the school and we are so pleased that we will not have to see him leave anytime soon!
Alumni News
Lael’s pear cabinet
Lael’s Hemlock & Yew cabinet
Congratulations Craftsman Program Graduate Lael Gordon who received a grant from the Rasmuson Foundation of Alaska and will be featured in an upcoming article by Jennifer Hicks of Woodshop News.
Scott's Box for Isabella
Scott King’s treasure box for his daughter will also be featured in an upcoming issue of Fine Woodworking Magazine’s gallery. Scott, his wife Kathy and daughter Isabella have returned to the Barbados where Scott is in the process of building his shop. www.scottkingfurniture.com
Jason's Cabinet
Jason’s showcase cabinet will also be featured in an upcoming issue of Fine Woodworking magazine’s gallery. Jason has completed his shop and already has several commissions underway.
Peter Heilman is in the process of completing a large cooperative shop in Brooklyn New York. I spoke with Peter last week. He hopes to have things up and running in the early spring. He is currently working on a craftsman kitchen built the way they should be made. Congratulations Peter and his partner Maura on their recent engagement!
All of our alumni are encouraged to submit work for our annual Student, Alumni and Faculty show which takes place in the James & Britta Krenov Gallery in Roberts Creek on the May 10, 2008.
Annual Faculty Meetings
Following our annual pilgrimage to Gilmers in Portland, Robert, Yvonne and Tadi continued down to Fort Bragg where in addition to catching up with family and friends, met with JK to discuss teaching and craft. Jim will continue to lecture once a week “As long as I’m breathing”. We are grateful for his lectures and look forward to his talks each week. A special thanks to Britta for facilitating our weekly talks.
The Benchroom This Week...
December 23, 2007
This year’s class is just Plane Crazy. This year to date nearly seventy finely made and tuned wooden hand planes have been made at the school.
Walker picked out some incredible Claro Walnut at Gilmers, for his second piece. Walker currently has a rather large dovetailed box with a curved frame and panel lid in English brown oak underway. Walker's partner LM and his mom made the trip as well. It is so nice to have family and friends take part I activities with the school. Walker intends on relocating to New York following the program where he hopes to take a spot in Resident Craftsman Graduate Peter Heilman’s cooperative shop.
From left Jim, Miles, Adam, Ed, Robert, Michael, Walker, Daisuke, Douglas, Matt, Juan, Doug & Paul. In addition to Gilmers most of us took the opportunity to visit Powell Books. Adam and Paul arrived at Gilmers disappointed that Powell Books, who deal in new and used, did not have any copies of JK’s books. What they didn’t realize is that Robert had been there hours before and bought all the copies available for the school.
Michael selected two lovely planks of Bubinga for his second and third pieces at the school. He will commence work on a writing desk and chair in Bubinga and Swiss pear once he completes the Teak wall cabinet with two curved frame and panel doors currently underway at his bench. Michael has been a real pleasure to have at the school.
The sign on Ron Hock’s humble shop. While in Fort Bragg, we had the opportunity to stop in for a visit with our favorite supplier and his wife Linda who operates an independent bookstore in Fort Bragg.
Gary and Juan discuss Juan’s piece. We are very fortunate to have Gary serve as our relief teacher at the school. Gary is a graduate of the first College of the Redwoods Fine Woodworking Program and has been woodworking on the coast since returning in 1982.
Thanks to the generous gift of an Alaskan Chainsaw Mill by an alumni of our school who wishes to remain anonymous. Our school has now added Chainsaw Milling to the curriculum in both the Craftsman and Artisan Programs. Following our inaugural run I would like to extend a special thank you to both Kurt Gjerdalen, a local woodworker and Craftsman Alumni Bruce Rigby for all their assistance.
From left Doug, Paul, Daisuke, Adam, Ed, Bruce, Juan, Kurt, Dan, Erik & Matt. Not shown Michael, Douglas, Ian and Robert.
Dan cross bucks the log to length prior to milling. The log was nearly eighteen feet to begin with; it was bucked into a six-foot log with a butt of almost four feet and a twelve foot log with a butt of three feet. Each of these pieces required edge milling to accommodate our thirty-two inch bar.
Ian uses an axe to remove a bump on the cedar log just prior to attaching the top plate for edging and center cut. Ian has been busy putting together a dehumidification kiln for the school based on Ejler Hjorth-Westh’s design. While the initial need for the kiln is for some Claro Walnut from recently purchased from Gilmers, I can’t help but think the kiln will be kept busy with some of our locally milled wood. Ian’s shop is nearly complete, we hope to have a shop tour in the New Year.
Kurt gives the group an overview of chainsaw milling. Kurt is Juan’s landlord and also shares his shop space with Federico Mendez Castro, a two-year graduate of our Craftsman Program.
Doug shows that safety and style do not necessarily need to clash!
Dan & Robert make first cut. This is something that I have wanted to do since reading The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking for the first time. It was everything I dreamed of, noisy, dusty, hard work and very, very satisfying! Watching three-inch slabs being filleted off that log was a wonderful experience!
Ed sets up the saw for the slab cuts. Once set up each cut takes less than ten minutes. Following each pass the gas tank and the chain oil are topped up before the next cut is made.
Ian & Ed cut a slab while Bruce and Paul stand by. While two people are operating the mill, kerf spacers need to be placed while the cut is being made. It was truly amazing the accuracy of this simple machine.
I waited twenty years for this moment!
Daisuke makes a pass with the mill. Each of our students was given the opportunity to get involved with the milling. Daisuke also had a hand in keeping the fire going.
Douglas and son Lukka chop dovetails at his bench. Having family around the shop adds a great deal to the experience of the school. This year we are so fortunate to have so many lovely people at the school.
Juan takes a closer look at his side compound curved panel cutting and shooting jig. Juan and his wife Beatriz off to California for break. It is a pleasure having this lovely couple involved with our school for the past two years.
Juan shares the process of sizing the components of his compound curved parquetry cabinet during walkaround. The cabinet’s substraight is of aspen veneers bent over a form in the vacuum press a method Brian Newell shared with us last summer.
Doug explores the drawer/ door configuration of his four sides cabinet with integrated stand during walkaround. Doug’s cabinet of aframosia and zebrano houses ten drawers and two drawers with a rising compartment. It features curved veneered panels, tapered laminations and parquetry. A very carefully thought out and complex piece.
Dan talks about stand possibilities for his dovetailed box of locally harvested spalted arbutus during walkaround. Dan has completed the joinery for the box and is moving onto the stand. Nothing stops this man!
Daisuke talks about dovetail layout patterns during walkaround. Dovetails are a great opportunity for the craftsman to express his or her creative side.
Paul talks about his tabletop cabinet mock now underway in Doussie and China berry during walkaround. Walkarounds were started last month and continue to be a wonderful opportunity for students to share the triumphs and tragedies of their pieces. We are pleased that they will be joining us on the coast over break.
Douglas shares his intensions during a recent walkaround. Douglas has taken on an angled dovetailed box in East Indian rosewood for his first piece with curved frame and panel lids. Douglas has some exceptional Claro Walnut coming from Gilmers, which will be used for his second piece.
Matt & Gary during enjoy the relaxed atmosphere at the school during a walkaround.
Matt talks about the process of dovetailing wide boards during a walkaround. Matt has a side table underway in some lovely air-dried beech featuring a dovetailed carcass through drawers and a mortise and tenoned stand of mahogany.
Dan’s dreads, its not all serious at Inside Passage!
Adam’s padauk shavings! Adam has a letterbox underway in some lovely wood he acquired at a local auction. Adam has gone to great lengths to ensure the graphics work at each of the corners. The surface preparation of this wood normally requires scraping and sanding. But when you have a finely tuned plane that takes shavings like this it can save you a pile of time not to mention make the process that much more enjoyable.
Ed with dry run glue up of kwila top. The wood in this piece is exceptional, as is the workmanship!
Erik’s bench in kwila and Danish cord is moving along nicely with the joinery complete, Erik has moved onto the shaping using the shop made wooden spoke shave and chair scrape made earlier this month.
Dan’s arbutus dovetails on nicely done. Dan chose to cut the tails first, a process different than we teach here at the school no one could argue with the results. One of the most rewarding aspects of being a teacher is watching your students refine and develop methods to suit their specific needs.
Matt’s dovetails in European air dried beech, impeccably done! Exactly what we have come to expect from this aspiring young craftsman.
Daisuke’s dovetail layouts. Students are encouraged to do multiple layouts, settle on one and refine before diving into the wood.
Daisuke’s very clean pins underway. Daisuke has forced many of us to reevaluate the sharpness of our tools is developing into a fine craftsman and has a promising career ahead on him.
Doug’s shop made substraights of Port Orford cedar and aspen. There is a sense of satisfaction when you make your own substraights not to mention that when you are working with curved panels shaping wood instead of plywood is easier on our wooden planes and is a much more enjoyable process.
Adam with shop made mallet of eucalyptus. Walker donated some eucalyptus for tool making. Tool making continues to thrive at the school. This year’s class has really embraced this aspect of our craft.
Franka, Adam and Jodie’s daughter, what a perfect little person!
Juan’s compound curved sides received bake ins prior to dowelling.
Juan’s top panels in different stages. The top consists of three compound curved panels. Each panel is made of cross banded two-plys of commercial veneers that need relief cuts to facilitate bending.
Juan makes top angle cuts. Following these cuts on the bandsaw the edges are shot with a hand plane prior to receiving baked in edges to add to the structural integrity of the piece.
Juan’s carved pear medallion will be let into the top of his cabinet. Watching students develop their own voice in design is an exciting and rewarding experience.
from left Ed, Erik, Dan, Robert, Michael, Daisuke, Walker, Adam, Paul...
Daisuke, Walker, Adam, Paul, Juan, Matt, Doug, Douglas.
Website updates are underway. Alumni Pages, Facility Tour and JK Lectures are in progress. Thank you for your patience. Watch for announcements in upcoming publications of Benchroom this Week.