INSTRUCTOR: Craig Labenz, Artisan
COURSE: Furniture Construction
PROJECT: Connecticut Dressing Table
In this class, students will build a 1:12 scale painted Queen Anne dressing table inspired by a period example that was made by an unknown cabinetmaker in Wethersfield, Connecticut in about 1760.
Wethersfield was one of several Connecticut Valley towns that together formed an epicenter of furniture design in the mid-to-late 18th century. Furniture from this region is distinguished by long graceful cabriole legs, cyma curved front and side aprons, and clean surfaces with restrained carved shells.
This will be a truly multidisciplinary class intended for intermediate or advanced students. The class will cover a variety of traditional furniture building techniques and traditional joinery. Students will use power tools, including mills, drill presses, table saws, and lathes to build the dressing table case. They will use hand tools, including a jeweler’s saw, knives, and files, to cut, carve, and shape fine details, such as the cabriole legs, carved shells, and dressing table aprons.
And there will be painting and aging! The original 18th century dressing table has a black painted finish with beautiful wear and a patina that was built up over 250 years. A portion of the class will be dedicated to re-creating this type of finish in miniature. Students will learn techniques to create subtle, scale-appropriate wear and patina on painted finishes and brasses. Note that a painted finish will be the only option for finishing this piece in class.
TIME: 48 hours. Completion is likely although some finishing work will be completed at home.
POWER TOOLS: MF70 milling machine, Preac table saw, duplicator lathe, Cameron drill press, flex shaft
SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate
MATERIALS FEE: $175 to be collected at school
INSTRUCTOR: Hillary Lee, Fellow
COURSE: Mixed Media, Metalwork
PROJECT: Shoppe Bay
What better way to showcase a special collection than behind a bay window? In this class, students will build a Shoppe Bay that is brightly lit, with five LEDs in the main room ceiling and two in the bay ceiling. Because it is wired to receive power from either a wall plug or battery source, it is suitable for display on a bookcase or as a stand-alone piece on a table. Students will receive two removable ledges, which can be decorated with different seasonal displays. The bay includes a bracket mounted on the front and a sign with the student’s choice of name.
The building that surrounds the bay window will be relatively straightforward to construct. As part of the process, students will learn to set up and use jigs. Students will choose the color of the chamber walls, ceiling, ledges, and trim. The structure will be clad with “stucco;” students will learn techniques for applying the material as well as touching it up, which is a necessary step.
The bay window will take care to construct. Creating the mullion grid requires precision machining, and the copper-clad awning is fiddly. Students will be given a variety of options and time for experimenting so they can produce a patina finish that they like.
Student will work with a table saw and belt sander for the main structure, a jeweler’s saw for cutting the trim, and a drill press for the sign. Finishing will use a rotary tool. Dimensions of the finished piece are 8.125" wide, 6" deep, and 10.25" high.
TIME: 48 hours. Completion is likely.
POWER TOOLS: Table saw, drill press, flex shaft, moto tool, belt sander
SKILL LEVEL: All levels
MATERIALS FEE: $165 to be collected at school