12 Hour Classes
INSTRUCTOR: Ann High, Fellow
COURSE: Carved Furniture Construction
PROJECT: 16th Century Boarded Stool with Pierced Tracery
(This class is FULL)
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This lovely boarded stool is English, made of oak at the beginning of the 16th Century. The design on the aprons is very similar to those on cupboards of the same period. These stools were constructed quite simply of five flat shaped boards held together by nails or pegs. Unlike Continental stools of this century, which were mostly plain, this example is unusual with its pierced gothic tracery.
Early furniture was usually made of oak. Students in this class will use steamed pear wood which has a finer grain, is lovely to carve, and will stain to simulate oak. As the emphasis of this course is on the carving, advanced students will have the option to shape their own pieces using a scroll saw and cut the slots with an overhead shaper whilst beginners will use prepared timber. Students will learn how to accurately mark out the design and drill the holes for the pierced areas. They will learn how to carve the design on the aprons using a Swann-Morton scalpel. This will be taught in easy stages with demonstrations and practice of the use of the scalpel. After staining and assembling the stool students will learn how to give the wood a beautiful natural finish.
TIME: 12 hours. Completion is likely.
POWER TOOLS: shaper, drill press, scroll saw
SKILL LEVEL: All levels
MATERIALS FEE: $45 to be collected at school. For an optional additional fee of $25 students can make more than one, if time permits.