Woodwright's school

[PeteM]

February 2009 Issue No. 1 The Woodwright's School

Hand Tool Woodworking with Roy Underhill

Dear Woodworker,

This is our first newsletter announcing our first class. We're starting off easy with a one day class for all levels.

Our benches are in, I'm busy sharpening planes and chisels
and we're looking forward to having you visit!

This e-mail newsletter has nice pictures of the shop so be sure to click on the "show images" button on your browser if you don't see them.


Reserve your bench for our first class!

One-Day Workshop in Dovetail and Mortise & Tenon Technique
Working with our vintage tools at your individual Hoffman & Hammer large German bench, you'll learn to cut the signature joints of traditional woodworking. Tools and wood provided.

We'll begin by laying out and cutting classic through-dovetails using hand tool technique. Next comes half blind dovetails for drawer construction and then we'll end the morning with Roy showing his technique for secret miter dovetails.

Lunch break will give you a chance to explore the shops and restaurants of old Pittsboro. We are right next door to S&T's tin-ceiling soda shop and a block from the General Store Café. Our back door opens right into the City Tap - now serving Red Oak draft! (after class only, please)

Class resumes after lunch with a look at mortise and tenon joints for heavy timber frame construction. Back at your bench, you'll work on furniture-sized joinery using vintage mortising chisels, bench hooks and back saws. We'll then drawbore the joints and move on to demonstrations of specialty mortise and tenon work such as the scribed sash joint.

You'll take home samples of your chest and drawer joints along with the skills to continue in the more advanced classes coming at the Woodwright's School.

Four Dates:
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009

Time: 9 AM to 5:30 PM

$95

If you would like to reserve one of our ten benches for this workshop, please e-mail me by clicking this link . Let me know what day you prefer and what other days are acceptable. I'll get back to you with further details.




We're delighted to be in Pittsboro and appreciate the great welcome from everyone. We still live in Williamsburg, Virginia so I am at the school now only a few days of the week. Stop in to visit when you can.

If you peek in on Tuesday, February 24th you may see the editor of Popular Woodworking, Christopher Schwarz and staff photographer Al Parrish working with me on a toolchest-building article for the magazine.

Thanks for your support! I'll be back in touch with information on more classes and events at the Woodwright's School.

Sincerely,
Roy Underhill
The Woodwright's School

Pittsboro, NC

[WoodWrangler]

PeteM ... look what you started! We filled up his classes!

[Trent Mason]

Just sent Roy an e-mail telling him briefly about this site and how excited we'd be to have him here. Here is his response:

Hi Trent,

I look forward to joining up with ncwoodworker as soon as my head emerges from total crazyland!

I do wonder if you would mind sharing something with the group for me however.

Getting ready for the class, I ordered ten 3/8 inch Ashley Iles bevel edge chisels from 'Tools For Working Wood' in Brooklin this morning. When Joel Moskowitz, the owner, heard about the order, he figured they were for the school and called me back to tell me he was sending them all free of charge. We'll be using these chisels in the dovetail classes.

I don't know if anybody in the group will find this as uplifting as I did, but I thought it was way cool! So much good will out there, even in these hard times!

Best to you,
Roy



I'm no chisel expert, but I'm guessing those are pretty sweet.

[Alex Franke]

All right. Now who wants to cancel so I can have the seat?

[AAAndrew]

Originally Posted by Trent Mason

I got confirmation last night that I'm in the March 7'th class. Hopefully it doesn't matter that I've never cut a dovetail. I guess I'll be the really confused guy in the class.

I'm sure you won't be the only one. I can cut an ok through dovetail, but it's been years since I've done a half-blind one.

It all comes down to two skills: sawing straight (which I always need to work on) and sawing down to a line. That's about it. The rest is butt-easy chisel work. (can you hold the chisel straight up and down as you whack it)

You'll do great!

I'm so thrilled to see the classes be successful, now just y'all don't go filling up all the future classes before I get to them. It's like telling people about your favorite restaurant. Pretty soon you can't get a reservation anymore.

Not many of you mentioned March 1. I wonder who else got that date? See you there!

AAAndrew

[Alex Franke]

um. never mind. Dang. I gotta learn how to read my emails better.

[BrianGeib]

I am in the March 1 class.

[dpsnyder]

Just got an email from Roy - he opened up 2 more classes - March 28 & 29.

I just got confirmed for March 29!

Dan Snyder