Hardwood Spatula Workshop
Our 7 week Hand Tool Skill Building Series ends with a class in Shaping Wood. It is an excellent way to learn about grain direction and curved work. Here you can see some of the hardwood spatulas that participants made as they honed their shaping skills using spokeshaves and other hand tools. Use the subscribe area to the right to sign up for updates on upcoming classes. We are considering offering this 6 week series on Friday afternoons this Fall (Nov-Dec.) The six weeks cover the following skills: Sharpening Chisels Sharpening and Tuning Hand Planes Dovetail Joints...
Read MoreBuilding Hand Tool Skills
We are half way through our six-week Thursday hand tool skill building series. In the first two sessions, participants learned to sharpen chisels and planes. In the 3rd session, instrument maker Martin Macica taught the principles of hand-cut dovetail joinery using traditional methods and tools. The class consists of both beginners and experienced woodworkers looking to add some techniques to their repertoire. Jeff Kadlic, who owns his own guitar making company Champtone Guitars, participated in the first two weeks of these classes to learn more about sharpening edge tools by hand....
Read MoreHand Plane Restoration Class (with slideshow and video)
Can an old rusty Stanley hand plane really be brought back to better-than-new condition in only a few hours? In our recent hand plane restoring class, fifteen woodworkers spent their Saturday cleaning, flattening and sharpening a plane that would become theirs to keep. By the end of the day, everyone was using these old Stanley #4 workhorses to raise panels, create roundovers, plane rough stock four-square and take shavings of less than one-thousandth of an inch. We spent the morning going through the three stages of restoring these Bailey pattern planes ranging from the...
Read MoreTimber Framing Class (with video)
We always enjoy our Introduction to Timber Framing Class here at Maplewood. Participants spent three days building a timber-framed sawhorse that incorporates three traditional timber framing joints, including the angled knee brace. This is a “hand-tool only” workshop, so beams are crosscut with hand saws and mortises are drilled with antique beam drills (otherwise know as a “boring” machine or beam auger). Maplewood instructor Nick Richards uses traditional layout and joinery methods to allow participants to see and experience how craftspeople built homes and...
Read MoreGuitar Making Class (with video)
On Saturday, September 14th, Martin Macica shared his insights from over 30 years of fine instrument making during an Introduction to Guitar Making class at the Maplewood Center for Common Craft. Some of the participants had experience building instruments, while others were simply interested in learning more about the craft. Martin uses hand tool techniques, some of which he has developed himself, to accomplish tasks where many other guitar makers would use machines. For example, he demonstrated the process for adding the binding to the guitar using a simple yet effective purfling tool. ...
Read MoreRestore an Antique Handplane
We are pleased to announce our Fall 2013 Class Schedule, which includes some exciting new course offerings. Master instrument maker Martin Macica will be teaching a one-day Introduction to Guitar Making, which will allow participants to discover the time-honored traditions of fine-instrument making. We are also offering a one day class on Restoring an Antique Stanley #4 Handplane. Participants will spend the day learning the ins-and-outs of this trusty stand-by that has served generations of craftspeople.
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