24 Hour Classes
INSTRUCTOR: Ann High, Fellow
COURSE: Carved Furniture Construction
PROJECT: 16th Century Carved Chest (THIS CLASS IS FULL)
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Chests were a versatile piece of furniture and came in a variety of sizes. Used in every room of the early house they could store practically anything, be used for transporting the contents, could be sat upon, or even used for sleeping. They provided a private place for possessions in a time when there was little personal privacy.
This six plank chest was made in the middle of the 16th Century. The carving is careful and confident. It is deeply carved with a leaf design and has curious faces at the corners. It is 3 3/4" W x 2 1/8" H x 1 1/2" D. Early furniture was usually made of oak. Students in this class will be using steamed pear wood which has a finer grain, is lovely to carve, and will stain to simulate oak.
After the cutting out process using a table saw and scroll saw and then preparing the pieces, students will learn how to accurately mark out the design. Students will then learn how to carve the relief design on the front panel using micro-miniature, palm held, carving tools and a Swann-Morton scalpel. The emphasis of this course is on the carving. This will be taught in easy stages with demonstrations and practice of the use of each tool. As this is relief carving which relies on shadow, students will need lighting and magnification to achieve the fine detail.
After staining and assembling the chest students will learn how to put on the butterfly hinges and a lock plate. Finally the completed piece will be given a beautiful natural finish.
TIME: 24 hours. Completion is likely.
POWER TOOLS: table saw, scroll saw
SKILL LEVEL: All levels
MATERIALS FEE: $64 to be collected at school