Steve Habersetzer's Latest Gypsy Wagon

Steve has just completed this Gypsy Wagon for Pushkara. I'll add more details soon.

I wanted to get these images up so that you could drool over them and think about coming along to the Design and Build classes in either March or September.

Port Townsend Woodworker's Show 2009

Port Townsend, Washington

The Port Townsend Woodworker's Show is here again.

This weekend (November 7 and 8) woodworker's from around the area will be showing their latest work. A highlight will be the new Gypsy Wagon being built by Steve Habersetzer.

Admission to the show is free.

The show hours are:

Saturday November 7th - 11:00am to 8:00pm
Sunday November 8th - 11:00am to 3:00pm

The school will have a booth there and we'll look forward to seeing you. Feel free to ask questions about the new 2010 Schedule.

See you at the weekend!

Getting found - Help for Artists

The Port Townsend Arts Commission is offering a free class for artists on getting your website found.

From the release:

Please join us for this workshop, networking, and discussion featuring Mark Gerth, Communications Manager of the Washington State Arts Commission, on Saturday, November 14 from 11 am to 3 pm at Centrum, Fort Worden Commons Room A, Port Townsend.

Increasingly, arts organizations and artists are relying on web traffic to drive sales, increase audience participation, and provide vital information to their constituents. Designing your site to be found and rank high within the search engine results is a task that requires knowledge, skill, persistence, a little luck, and the ability to follow the rules. This workshop for artists and arts organizations will provide the basic information you need to compete, avoid pitfalls, and improve your web presence - including an explanation and tips on onsite and offsite optimization, specific do’s, don’ts, and “these will get you banned!”, social networking tools, and other resources.

Mark Gerth has been the Communications Manager for the Washington State Arts Commission since February 2004. He oversaw the redesign and launch of a new agency website in 2007 and publishes a monthly eNews letter that is received by over 3,000 subscribers throughout the State. Before moving to the Pacific Northwest in 1996, he worked as a manager for a firm specializing in fundraising and marketing for cultural nonprofits including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Dallas Symphony, and The Vancouver Playhouse in British Columbia.

Attendance is FREE and open to the public/ no host Deli will be open
Registration is appreciated - contact Sherry Kack at ask-sherry@msn.com or call 360-385-0386.

Chicago--What I Taught and What I Learned!

In mid-August, I went to the Woodworking in America design conference to give a presentation on a topic that has been of great (and growing) interest for me since I first started teaching hand-tool woodworking at the school: the distinct differences that arise between the artisan and the industrial approach to woodworking. As I got into hand tools after having worked (I should say machined) wood with power tools for a living for almost three decades, I began to see that fundamental differences weren’t just showing up in the processing but also right at the start of the project in the design phase.

When developing my “Handtool Heaven” course, it dawned on me that I while I often found it useful to draw out a project in full-scale I didn’t really need to show students how to apply numbered dimensions or angles to the drawing—because you don’t need those numbers to generate a cut-list. I realized that numbers were for machines. In processing the wood in the power tool realm, you use numbers off a cut list to set fences and cutting angles to numbers inscribed on the machine. But as a hand-tool artisan you are working, not machining, the wood and you don’t need any numbers whatsoever to do so! Instead, my presentation in Chicago described how I show my students to simply mark ticks on a stick to transfer the dimensions of a part represented on the full-scale rendering to the piece of wood that will become that part! Angles are transferred directly with a bevel gauge. (We transfer curves by making a template from the drawing). At the end of the project, it’s possible that you may not have dealt with one number throughout the entire process, from design through completion!

“But where do the dimensions of the project come from in the first place to make a full scale rendering—don’t you need to start with some numbers?” asked someone in the audience? Well that’s where we really start having fun: To make a step stool, I showed how you can take all the dimensions right off your own human body: the step top is as long as the spread of your shoulders (which is two spread-out hand-widths); the width of the step is a foot (your foot!) and the height is whatever is a comfortable step-up for you (which turns out, amazingly enough, to be one spread-out hand width!).

“Well that’s all well and good for a stool you are making for your self”, pipes up another person, “but what about a chest of drawers? You certainly need numbers to define that project, don’t you?” Well this is where it gets interesting—because it turns out that there is little evidence (according the some of the experts speaking at this conference such as George Walker and Jeffrey Greene,) that pre-industrial artisans probably didn’t use numbers to design anything. Instead, what I learned was that furniture design was based on the classic orders of proportion—which were essentially whole-number ratios of squares and portions of squares. Drawings of designs were likely rendered entirely with a straight edge and dividers without a ruler in sight! (Rulers of those days were fairly crude, by the way—the divisions rarely went below 1/8-in.) Experts at the conference such as George Walker (who, by the way, has a very good DVD out on creating furniture designs in this manner) surmise that rulers were only used for giving a general description of a piece, not for design or process.

Hearing what some of the other experts had to say made me feel that I’m on the right track with my thinking that there really are some profound differences in the way we—as workers rather that machinists of wood—must approach not just the working, but also the conceptualization of the projects that we build by hand. It confirms in my mind that to fully understand the way the pre-industrial artisans work we have to understand more than just the tool set, we have to grasp the mindset as well!

Pix from August 22 Greene & Green Details Class with Darrell Peart

Fall Historic Preservation Workshops at the Port Townsend School of Woodworking

Port Townsend, Washington.
Owners of older homes in the Pacific Northwest will be particularly interested in this fall's series of classes and lectures at the Port Townsend School of Woodworking, as it continues its Historic Preservation program. Maintaining old homes presents major challenges: paint peels, wood rots, floors sag. Heat leaks through old single-pane windows, uninsulated walls, and gaps in the siding. Understanding traditional construction methods can help homeowners make intelligent decisions on how to maintain and insulate without compromising the the historic fabric of their old buildings.

Continuing its Historic Preservation classes, Port Townsend School of Woodworking will present "Maintenance of Old Homes in the Pacific NW" on October 3; "Weatherization of Old Homes in the Pacific NW" on October 4; and a two-day "Wood Window Restoration Workshop" on October 17-18. Taught by Kevin Palo, a historic preservation consultant and wood window expert, the "Maintenance" and "Weatherization" classes mix lecture, site visits and hands-on practice. The Window Workshop will be hands-on: by restoring windows in a building at Fort Worden, students will learn how to remove old windows, carry out minor repairs, re-glaze, re-rope a double-hung sash window, and weatherize windows.

In the first of a new Historic Preservation lecture series, on September 17 at 6:30 p.m., consulting architect Gee Heckscher offers a "A Primer on Seismic Stabilization." We live in an active earthquake zone, so many of our older buildings are at risk from seismic damage. Gee will explain how earthquakes affect buildings; identify the types of seismic risks of various types of building construction; and describe structural solutions to buildings with seismic risks that address foundations, frame stiffening, and tying building components together. Gee was responsible for designing the stabilization for the Jefferson County Courthouse Clocktower; he is on the board of the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation and serves on the City of Port Townsend's Historic Preservation Committee. The lecture will be at the School; admission is pay-as-you-can.

Earlier this year at the School, veterans from Clallam and King Counties learned the fundamental theory of Historic Preservation and completed the restoration of the eastern facade of the Motor Vehicle Pool building (Building 365) at Fort Worden. These classes, offered by the School for the Washington State Veterans Conservation Corps, were supported by a generous grant from the Friends of Fort Worden and with materials and staff assistance from Fort Worden State Park.

Looking ahead, there are big plans afoot for the Port Townsend School of Woodworking: we are in early stages of planning for transition to non-profit status and we will be partnering with the City of Port Townsend, the Fort Worden Collaborative, the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission to create a center for Historic Preservation at Fort Worden.

The Port Townsend School of Woodworking is located at Fort Worden, Port Townsend, in Building 315 (the Old Power House -- behind Copper Canyon Press).

CONTACT:
Tim Lawson
(360) 440-7660
tim@ptwoodschool.com
Port Townsend School of Woodworking
200 Battery Way, Fort Worden
Port Townsend WA 98368
(360) 344-4455
www.ptwoodschool.com

August 2009 Newsletter

Plan on joining us this fall to make some shavings and sawdust, with a bonus of Port Townsend fun! Early fall is a great time to be here: we have some of the best weather of the year, and some amazing events: the Wooden Boat Festival, the Sea Kayak Symposium, the Port Townsend Film Festival, the Kinetic Skulpture Race, Art Port Townsend and, of course, the Woodworker's Show. You can find a fuller listing here

Fall 2009 Schedule The fall schedule has been firmed up. We're still developing some Historic Preservation courses but we'll announce those separately. Hand Tool Classes We've added a Build a Wooden Plane course with Steve Skonieczny. You'll leave this two-day class with a working Krenov style wooden plane. Improve your skills building a hand plane! Jim Tolpin's Advanced Hand Tools class is now called Working with Hand Tools and reflects his new thinking about hand tools. You can get a sneak preview at the August 20th Lecture. Furniture Making Classes We've added a second Out of Square with Seth Rolland. Seth is an innovative and inspiring custom furniture maker based here in Port Townsend. Seth helps you think about contemporary design and shows how to develop a piece through extensive prototyping. Turning Classes Bonnie Klein's teaching schedule in September now includes two-day classes in Spindle Turning and Threaded Boxes as well as her Basic Turning class. Evening Classes We added some evening classes in September and October. These classes are intended for the new woodworker. These are a mixture of hand tool and small power tool classes.

Hand Tool Classes with Garrett Hack in September The response to our planning for classes with Garrett Hack in September has been fantastic! There are just two open slots left for the two day Decorative Details class on September 14-15 (Monday and Tuesday). This is a wonderful opportunity to learn from a master craftsman.

The Art and Craft of Working with Wood Lecture Series Measure Once, Measure Not at All? with Jim Tolpin on Thursday August 20th 2009 at 6:30pm Jim is working on a new book on hand tools. The research he had done and his experience with hand tools are making him rethink the practise and philosophy of how hand tools are used and gives him even greater appreciation of how the old furniture makers worked. The old furniture makers worked in a much more organic (should I say analog?) way. The furniture was fitted to the space and the wood fitted to the piece of furniture - largely without reducing dimensions to feet, inches and fractional inches. The precision of the joinery was more important than the measurement. In this lecture, Jim contrasts the traditional approach and the modern measurement intensive approach. Jim explores each path and shows you how to work efficiently with either approach. Illustrating the hand tool-primary approach, Jim will mock up a footstool to show how story sticks, full-size drawings and layout patterns drive the design and construction process. Note: For residents of Whidbey Island and places east we will provide a shuttle service from to and from the Port Townsend / Keystone Ferry. So you don't need to bring a car or worry about a reservation. Please let us know if you need a ride. Free presentation at the School

Special Offer -- discounts on Fall Classes and some free tools! Get discounts when you take multiple classes in the Fall Free tools from FastCap when you attend a class (starts September 28th).

Greene & Greene Details I - July 11-12 2009

Wonderful class - wonderful students. Many returnees - delighted to have you back!

Click on the link in the lower left hand corner of the slide show to go to the Picasa Gallery and download the images. Enjoy.

Basic Woodturning with Bonnie Klein - May 2009

Yet another group of Happy Turners!

Out of Square with Seth Rolland

Port Townsend, Washington:
Some images from Day 3 onwards of the Out of Square class at the Port Townsend School of Woodworking. The first few days were demos, sketching, making models. Now, enthused by Seth's vigorous teaching style they get to build the forms and stand bending the wood.

Keep watching to see how the designs evolve.

Miller Manufacturing - Port Angeles

Four of Port Townsend's Splintergroup headed out to examine some redwood slabs that have been through the dehumidification kiln at Miller Manufacturing in Port Angeles.

One of Michael Hamilton's clients has a family property outside Sequim that was homesteaded in the late 19th century. The land was cleared and the family planted trees that grow up and down the West Coast to see how they would grow near Sequim. One set of seedlings included some Redwoods. One of the trees blew down in a storm a couple of years ago. The family kindly offered the tree to the Splintergroup as part of their "Gotta Tree" program that rescues and reclaims lumber from around Port Townsend.

This first (uppermost) part of the tree was sent to Guy Miller's dehumidification kiln to see how it would dry. We met with Guy last week to see how the wood fared in the kiln. Guy showed us round his operation, which primarily makes flooring but he does rent out his kiln (around $350 per thousand board feet) to dry small batches of lumber for landowners.

The dehumidification kiln is made from a converted refrigerated container with dehumidifier added and baffles to control the airflow in the kiln. The temperature can get up to about 150F (which is needed to set pitch in fir or pine).

There are other kilns in the area but Guy's is the only dehumidification kiln I, now, know about. I'll be posting more information about kilns and other local resources over the next few months.

The Splintergroup will be making rustic outdoor furniture from the Redwood. The furniture will be auctioned off for charity at the Port Townsend Woodworker's Show in November 2009.

We checked the moisture content of the Redwood at 14% which is a little high but not a surprise as these boards are 3 1/4" thick. OK for outdoor furniture!

Miller Manufacturing, 255568 Hwy 101, Port Angeles, Washington - (360) 452-0932

Carving Shed at the Jamestown S'Klallam

I went out to Blyn, about 30 minutes west of Port Townsend on the way to Sequim, to meet with Dale Faulstich. Dale has generously agreed to give the next presentation in our "Art and Craft of Working with Wood" lecture series. Dale will be giving his presentation at the School on the 21st of May at 6:30. The admission is free.

I feel privileged and awed to watch these carvers at work and to see this healing themed totem pole emerging from old first growth cedar.

The carving shed is at the Jamestom S'Klallam Tribal Center in Blyn - the carving shop is down behind the Art Gallery there on the North Side of Route 101. It's a full time job and the carvers are there business hours weekdays. They welcome guests to drop in and watch them at work.

We're thinking about hosting classes with carvers of Dale's calibre - feel free to drop us a note or post a comment if you'd like to know more or make suggestions.

(There are a few captions on the slideshow - but the images speak for themselves.)

Greene & Greene Details II - April 2009

Another bunch of happy students get to grips with a great set of fine detail and the ways to make them with Darrell Peart's new Greene and Greene Details class.

Just click on the link in the lower left hand corner of the slideshow to go to our Picasa site. You can download the images from there. Enjoy.

Feel free to comment, please.

Building a Windsor Chair with Greg Kossow

I threatened the guys with posting images every day on the blog and I didn't get to do it yesterday.
They were giving me grief this morning. So here you are immortalized for posterity!

That said they were having way too much fun. Ankle deep in shavings; delicate staves appearing from split chunks of white ash; a delightful array of drawknives, spokeshaves gracing the benches.

They broke down an used the bandsaw this morning to cut out the seat. I think they're making steam tomorrow. Shout if you hear the whistle.

Mark is training Kielan as a service dog so he (Kielan) is allowed in the school and around the buildings at the Fort - so this is the (permitted) exception to the rules about pets at the Fort.

I'll be adding to the slideshow each day. Or nearly every day. I wasn't able to get to the school to take pictures at the end of class but if any of the students have images of completed chairs please send them in and I'll add them to the slide show.

Woodworks, Things of Use and Beauty

The White River Valley Museum celebrates the history, art and craft of woodworking with the exhibit “Woodworks, Things of Use and Beauty” that opens April 22 and runs through July 26. The collection honors the skills of carving, joinery and cabinetry focusing on three cultural traditions: Coast Salish Native, European and Japanese.

Caveat - I know nothing about the Museum but I laud the goals of the exhibition. If any of you live near enough and go to the exhibition please post a comment and let the rest us know whether we should visit.

More details here.