Lonnie Bird Woodworking Class

[Ray Martin]

I attended a class last week at the Lonnie Bird School of Fine Woodworking ( http://www.lonniebird.com/ ). It was the Woodworking Essentials class. The class was based on learning hand tool techniques, particularly joinery (dovetail, mortise / tenon). Lonnie even spends time explaining the care and use of hand tools. He gave us some pointers on sharpening planes and chisels... well... I thought I new how to sharpen, :saw:and I was wrong. After his instruction, all I need to do now is hold a tool near the wood, and a whisper of a shaving will float off the board... out of fear.:gar-Bi

Everything about the class, including the instructor, is world class. Lonnie really is a master craftsman as well as a terrific teacher. His classes are limited to 9 students so you get loads of attention from Lonnie, and he does all of the teaching. I would highly recommend any of Lonnie's classes to any woodworker.

We built a Shaker-style night stand in class to help us learn the techniques Lonnie taught. I made the table from cherry. That's not a front apron in the photo below... it's a drawer. Guess how much of a clearance there is around it.:gar-Bi:gar-Bi

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The drawer is assembled with dovetail joinery. Sorry about my limited photo skills ... the dovetails are hard to see.

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No finish yet, but I think after a final sanding, I'll use shellac to coat the table.

 

[Mt. Gomer]

Very cool Ray!!

 

[froglips]

Sweet! Sounds like a great experience.

I love your wispy shavings. Now that is sharp

Did you get into straight vs. curved plane blades?

I've seen Mr. Bird's video on handplanes, but he doesn't go into it much like the other plane sharpening crowd did.

JIm

 

[Ray Martin]

...

Did you get into straight vs. curved plane blades?

...

JIm

Lonnie recommended that the corners of a plane iron be rounded back so that if you plane a board that is wider than the plane iron, you don't leave ridges. The iron in this case would be VERY straight across the cutting edge and just the last millimeter or two be rounded back. I did that with my smoothing plane (62º angle) and I'm very happy with the results.

 

[jhreed]

It would make sense that to become a professional would take professional instruction. To learn by personal experience would take a lifetime. Now you must share.
James

 

[Trent Mason]

Beautiful job on the table Ray! :eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap I love the zero clearance door! :icon_thum

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Ray: thanks for posting your experience w/ Lonnie Bird's class. I've admired his craftsmanship in the magazines for years. :icon_thum

Bill

 

[tjgreen]

Very nice work Ray, thanks for posting. One question for you - with the drawer built to such tight tolerances and on wooden slides, did he address seasonal wood movement?

 

[Ray Martin]

Very nice work Ray, thanks for posting. One question for you - with the drawer built to such tight tolerances and on wooden slides, did he address seasonal wood movement?

Tim,

We did talk a bit about wood movement. The overall design and assembly of the table considers seasonal movement. The wood was dried appropriately (for furniture) and brought into the shop to acclimate for a period of time. At the end of class, I loaded the table into the car and brought it back to Raleigh; it's sitting in the house to acclimate to this environment. I'll make any final drawer adjustment in another week or so and then apply a finish. Having a finish on the table will reduce movement as will keeping it in the same (somewhat) climate controlled environment.

 

[CatButler]

Great work.

 

[Sealeveler]

Beautiful table and the fit is fine.Grain on drawer is fine also.Thanks for the review of the class.
Tony

 

[drw]

Ray,
Thank you for posting your experiences with Lonnie Byrd's class. Just out of curiosity, what was the range of woodworking experience/skill among your classmates? Would you recommend this class for all skill levels or is it primarily for those with significant experience who are trying to hone their skills to a higher level?

Cheers,
Donn

 

[Ray Martin]

Ray,
Thank you for posting your experiences with Lonnie Byrd's class. Just out of curiosity, what was the range of woodworking experience/skill among your classmates? Would you recommend this class for all skill levels or is it primarily for those with significant experience who are trying to hone their skills to a higher level?

Cheers,
Donn

Donn,

The class I took is the one that Lonnie uses as the pre-req to his other classes. I think you need to have some (basic) woodworking experience, but this is the one where he does teach you how to make an accurate cut with a (Japanese) hand saw, how to chisel out a dovetail, etc. He does cover how to sharpen a chisel and plane iron (surgeons WISH they had tools this sharp). He helps you understand proper test fits, glue-up, and assembly. As Lonnie moves from bench to bench, he does offer help on proper tool handling, use, and safety.

You do NOT need years of experience as a fine woodworker to take the Woodworking Essentials class.

Lonnie's teaching technique, particularly when he helps you with a correction, is quiet and gentle. He does not embarrass anyone. When he sees something that the whole class would benefit from, he waits a few minutes and visits a few different workbenches before announcing anything to the class... so it never seems as if he is announcing your correction to the whole class.

Lonnie is definitely a class act.

 

[drw]

Sounds great! Thank you, Ray.

Donn

 

[Guy in Paradise]

A great class and nice group

I have an identical table from the Lonnie Bird class I took two summers ago. The drawer did swell and is tough to get out at certain periods of the year. A pretty piece of furniture.

 

[Ray Martin]

Re: A great class and nice group

I have an identical table from the Lonnie Bird class I took two summers ago. The drawer did swell and is tough to get out at certain periods of the year. A pretty piece of furniture.

Guy,

Curiosity: What time of year did you build that table? I just built mine a week ago... a very humid season. The drawer is fit to slide in / out now and the clearance is quite small. Now the question is, 'What will it look like next January?'