The Northwest Woodworking Studio is dedicated to teaching the art and
the craft of woodworking.
People of all abilities and backgrounds are
welcome to come and use their hands and eyes and hearts to build
functional and beautiful objects that will last for generations to come.
Novice: For those with absolutely no woodworking experience. Feel comfortable in class with other folks who haven't laid their hands on hand tools before either!
Beginner: Taken our novice class? Done a little sawing, chiseling, or planing here and there? These classes are for you. However, students with varying levels of experience will all find something of value in these classes.
The Hand Tool Skills series falls into this category.
Intermediate: For students who have taken previous beginning level classes or come to us with a fair amount of woodworking experience. The Workbench Skills series and Masterworks classes fall into this category.
All levels: Refers to Beginning level and upward. Novice level students are encouraged to take the "Woodworking for the Complete Novice" class first.
Register for any class via Paypal by clicking on the Reg Online button next to the class description of your choice. Click on the Reg by Mail button to print and mail or drop off the completed registration form with a check payable to The Northwest Woodworking Studio. We urge students to register well in advance of any class or workshop. Many classes and workshops fill quickly. A fee of $25 is applied to all cancellations. Please note that the deadline for cancellations and refunds for Winter 2008 is 72 hours before any class or workshop. No refunds will be given after that time. Same day registrations are possible if there is still room.
Please note registration dates for 5 day Concentration: tuition is an additional $50 if registering after January 21st.
Woodworking is a dangerous craft. It is also one that depends upon the individual to fully understand its consequences. Ignoring safety practices, using tools improperly, or operating tools under the influence of alcohol or drugs may lead to serious injury. Don't attempt any technique unless you fully understand it. It is our role to provide you with instruction so rely on us for assistance and guidance. There are no stupid questions you can ask, so please take advantage of our expertise. We will ask you to sign a liability awareness and release form before beginning any workshop.
Gift certificates for all of the classes, workshops and lectures are available.
More information:
What tools are essential to a woodworker? For some it's a full set of hand tools while others want the power and accuracy of power tools. No matter your bent, there are 5 essential power tools, another 5 hand planes, and a score of measuring and marking tools to own. Get tips on buying new and used tools and how to set up, maintain and keep your tools in good working order. Learn what to buy, when to buy, and how to buy in this informative lecture on the modern woodworker's tool kit.
There is a design and construction process that you go through with every piece of furniture that you build. Learn about the five steps in building any item as you get techniques for designing furniture, milling lumber, choosing the right joinery for the job, assembly techniques, and finishing tips. You wear many hats in the shop as you move through building a piece. Learn how to think clearly and strategize your way through the successful completion of a project.
The beauty of making solid wood cabinets is how simply you can create something so elegant and useful. Learn finger jointing and dovetailing techniques for building in solid stock. Practice design, lay-out, and finishing skills. Also learn to make a glass frame and panel door and how to hang hinges properly. Finally cap your design off with inlay and the addition of the perfectly carved handle.
A good drawing can be your roadmap for a project, from conception to completion. Learn the concepts and principles of hand drafting to create clean, accurate, and complete drawings for any project. These principles are essential in communicating with clients, with shop workers, and especially with oneself. Use sketching and rendering techniques in the exploration of design ideas. In-depth discussions of design, drawing and conveying ideas by drafting and rendering will bring insight into the total design process. Come with a woodworking or design project in mind.
Learn the basics of planning , layout, milling, and installing of common trims, (baseboards and caps, door and window casings, and crown moldings.) This course will give you the mindset and processes to solve problems creatively, while relaxed and confident, so you can achieve your carpentry dreams and plans.
Learning hand tool skills will take your work to a new level. It's great fun using saws, chisels, and planes while learning how to sharpen them well. Fine tune your projects with special details, and get valuable assembly and finishing experience. You'll get practice with mortise and tenon construction, frame and panel work, edge laminating and setting hinges as you build a beautiful blanket chest.
Everybody starts woodworking as a complete novice. Start here, learning about hand tools, wood, and simple techniques in this introductory class. We'll build a simple, useful project that will introduce you to the craft, how to work wood, and how to build with hand tools. Woodworking is about as much fun as you can have by yourself on a rainy day. Come and find out why.
Learn to make one of these sweet little planes. Create your own pattern or use the violin bow maker's patterns to build a useful and lovely tool. You don't need a machine shop to create these functional hand planes. You'll use simple tools and a torch to create your own functional design. You'll also learn the basics of hardening and tempering tool steel for any plane blade. By the end of class, each student will have at least one finished plane to take home.
Elevate your designs with the introduction of marquetry to your work. Explore traditional and contemporary methods of creating rosettes and decorative lines. Discover how these simple techniques can be used on furniture, cabinetry, or instruments to delight the eye. Create a sample board of variations based on a basic marquetry concept using natural and dyed veneers, burlwood, and shell.
Spend a couple days learning how to tune, sharpen, and use the best cutting tools in your shop. Learn how to take your chisels and turn them into tools that can actually cut something, using less effort and getting better results. Turn your old handplane into a valuable and precise tool. Learn how to sharpen and true its sole and iron, and how to use it for some basic essential skills. Also handle a spokeshave for a variety of curved planing and shaping operations.
Dovetail joints are the symbol of traditional joinery and woodworking excellence. Learn to lay-out and cut hand made dovetails that will transform your work. Develop saw and chisel skills as you build a simple box project and learn to produce dovetail joints that are as strong as they are beautiful. Also learn options for routed dovetails. Bring your sharp saw, chisels, and hand plane or use our tools.
The secret to making your woodworking easy is not buying but building your own jigs! Learn how to design and build three essential jigs for your shop. The table saw crosscut sled is the center of our shop. Learn to make an accurate version for your saw. Then learn how to make and use a tenoning jig for the table saw that fits over a T-square fence. Finally learn how to build and use a router template shaping jig that captures your work securely making template routing easy and safe.
Jewelry boxes are as fun to build as they are to give away. Learn 3 different box making techniques and build one through to the finish. Learn about design choices, joinery options, and get practice with the router, hand planes, and scrapers. Build a simple shaped laminated box if you're new to woodworking, construct a finger jointed box using band saw techniques if you have more experience, or try your hand at a dovetailed jewelry cabinet with drawers and dovetailed shelves inside. Learn rice paper techniques and how to create a special touchable finish with shellac and wax. Make your Valentine's gift the most special ever.
Ken Altman has earned his living for almost thirty years at a variety of woodworking trades from home building and remodeling to fine furniture making and the to musical instrument making and repair. For the past twelve years he has been making bows for violin, viola and cello, in a small shop at his home in Silverton Oregon. His bows are played in orchestras across the world.
Dan Biasca grew up on a farm in Southern Oregon where woodworking was a part of the daily routine, building and maintaining houses, barns, wagons and bridges often from timber harvested or salvaged from forests on the farm. Dan has worked as a cabinet and furniture maker since 1976 and is currently making and repairing acoustic guitars in Milwaukie, Oregon.
Nate Currier owns and operates Aurora Precision, a custom machine shop. He's a graduate of our Mastery Program and has had his work published in Fine Woodworking Magazine. After a 2 year remodel of a 1916 craftsman farmhouse in Aurora, he's looking forward to starting a few pieces for it. He enjoys building Shaker inspired furniture with local hardwoods. Soon he'll be starting on a pie safe inspired cabinet.
Ken Klos has been practicing architecture here in Portland since 1988, after designing/drafting work in Boston, San Francisco and Eugene. He's instructed students in drawing and design courses at University of Oregon in Eugene as well as the U. of O. Rome campus, Oregon College of Art and Craft, Marylhurst College and here at the Studio.
Lyle Lindsey began working at Endgrain Designs in Wood in 1973 eventually progressing to design furniture and cabinets. He has taught briefly at OCAC, PCC and private classes, built log houses in Alaska, worked as a general contractor in New York City and here in Portland. Now a finish carpenter, project manager in high end residential remodeling, Lyle is also fascinated with the inner workings of all of us, he has spent time in Quaker communities and at the Center for Healing Arts in Portland.
Brooks Nelson is the Facilities Manager for Rejuvenation House Parts after being their lead carpenter for many years. A life-long passion for woodworking, and a granddad who was really Handy Andy, has led to projects ranging from restoration and construction to furniture making and period remodeling. A passion for teaching makes Brooks' classes informative, great fun, and supportive.
Gary Rogowski has been woodworking since 1974 and showing work in galleries locally and nationwide since 1976. His work was in the 1989 Oregon Biennial at the Portland Art Museum. In 1991 he was awarded the Oregon Arts Commission fellowship in crafts. He founded The Northwest Woodworking Studio in 1997 with a background teaching wood since 1980. He taught locally at the Multnomah Arts Center, PCC, The World Forestry Center, and OCAC where he was Interim Department Head of Woodworking. He is a contributing editor for Fine Woodworking Magazine with several videos and two books out on joinery.