It can be hard to find just the right picture frame--especially for one-of-a-kind art--and custom frames are expensive. Solve that problem by learning how to build your own! We'll use the table saw, miter saw, and v-nailer to construct basic frames out of oak, maple, or cherry. Students should come to class with dimensions of the piece they want to frame, and we'll take it from there!
The materials fee for this class is $15 and is included in the class admission cost.
* We do require masking indoors, whatever your vaccination status *
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Taught by Aria Kampfer
Learn to make two functional and beautiful whisk brooms. This 5 hour introduction class will cover traditional shaker and modern designs of the Turkey Wing and Sparrow tail whisk brooms with wrapped or plaited handles. You will also learn how to prep stalks for the woven handles. Leave feeling confident and inspired to explore the world of broom making.
The materials fee for this class is $20 and is included in the admission cost.
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Taught by Tina Green Krause
Open shop is a time for you to bring in any projects or crafts you are working on and have access to the tools and the space. While we will have an instructor on staff to help open shop run smoothly and make sure tools are being used safely, this is a self-directed work time NOT class time. Open shop is capped at 7 participants and needs 5 participants to run.
Registrants of open shop MUST have taken power tools 101 or be comfortable and experienced using power tools. Every attendee of open shop must register. Please no guests without registration!
Until further notice, NO GREENWOOD ON THE BANDSAWS.
Please email fireweedwoodshop@gmail.com if you have any questions about open shop or what tools are available to use.
* We do require masking indoors, whatever your vaccination status * _________________________________
Facilitated by Aria Kampfer
Come learn how to turn your own bowl on the lathe! We will start with a freshly cut bowl blank and take it all the way to its finished shape. You will be learning parts of the lathe, how to mount your blank, and how to use bowl gouges, scrapers, and different chuck attachments. We will also cover how you will later on dry, sand, and finish the bowl. In this 4 hour class we will go at a pace at which everyone is comfortable, leaving plenty of room for demonstration, questions, and hands-on time.
The materials fee for this class is $30 and is included in the admission cost.
Taught by Abbey Dickhudt
Join us for a special BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) centered class to practice the basics of Power Tools
Make a cutting board while learning how to use power tools. We will cover using the electric planer, ripping on the table saw, cross cutting on the miter saw, curved cuts on the bandsaw, and finishing. This is a great chance to get to know, or brush up on the most powerful tools in the shop. Take home your very own cherry or maple cutting board at the end.
This class is intended for BIPOC students.
Email hello@fireweedwoodshop.org to request ASL interpretation for this course.
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Taught by Meena Mangalvedhekar (@meenanew) Bio 1. Bio 2.
Learn how to carve a spoon from a fresh cut tree using traditional Nordic carving techniques. We cover tree anatomy, axing out a blank (roughed out spoon shape), knife holds for the hook & sloyd knife, drying, and finishing. This class is great for the beginner or the person wanting to learn Sloyd style carving. The class fee includes tool rental, materials, a finishing kit, and safety gloves. Please wear pants and close toed-shoes, as we are going to make some wood chips!
The materials fee for this class is $25 and is included in the admission cost.
Taught by Katie Speckman
This class is intended for students who have taken Bowl Turing at Fireweed or have prior turning experience.
During this 4 hour class, students will have the chance to apply their learned turning skills from Bowl Turning 101 to make a plate.
The techniques will build off of previous classes, while adding in additional changes such as using dried wood and making a plate, instead of a bowl. This class will allow students to further involve themselves in their turning skills, while also refreshing their knowledge from previous classes. Covered in this class will be mounting a blank to the lathe, balancing a blank, plate layout, and turning practices with the bowl gouge and parting tool.
NO TURNING AT OPEN SHOP. Instead please register for one of our Open Turning Sessions.
Join Fireweed staff Aria, Leah, Nia in helping Fireweed build a log storage shelter. An organized way to store full logs for our green wood carving and turning classes is needed in the backyard. We will be using reclaimed materials (mostly dimensional lumber) to build a structure similar to the sketch pictured. We will work as a group to measure, cut, and build the structure. Some of the tools that will be used include circular saw, mitre saw, drills, drivers; guest appearances by chalk line, speed square, levels. Since this will be a group build, all mobilities and abilities are welcome. Be prepared for the outdoors. We will take a DIY approach to problem solving as needs arise.
This event is FREE for all Fireweed members.
Facilitated by Aria, Leah, and Nia
The four types of joinery we will cover in Joint Gymnastics are the mitered corners with splines, butterfly joints, wedged mortise and through tenons, and handcut dovetails. While students are welcome to sign up for the specific joinery they are interested in learning, the sessions are organized so we will start with the most forgiving joint and work our way towards the most complicated. These classes will build students' confidence in handsaw and chiseling skills.
Joint Gymnastics Part One: Mitered Corner with Splines will walk students through the different variations in splines and when to use them. We will cover through splines, feather and classic spline keys, and dovetail keys. Students will learn how to crosscut wood with a Japanese pull saw, how to cut on an angle, and how to create a flat plane with a chisel. There will be special focus on how to lay out a joint and the importance of precision in handcut joinery. While the objective of the class is for students to be able to create a clean and tight joint, there will be the opportunity to build a bookend or small knickknack shelf too.
Taught by Aria Kampfer and EB
The materials fee for this class is $15 and is included in the admission cost.
Taught by Julie Arnold
Fall in love with making beautiful brushes used for art studios, workshop bench brushes, gardens and kitchens. Create a brush design of your own. Make tampico brushes with scrap wood or bring your own unique dried wood to work with.
Day 1, We will use power tools such as the bandsaw, drill press, sanders and hand tools to create the wooden handles. Day 2, we will focus on bristle work using tampico fiber.
The materials fee for this class is $20 and is included in the admission costs.
Taught by Jeanette Torkelson and Ema Thoen
In this special hands-on demonstration, Teresa Audet will give a presentation about several techniques for creating organic compound curves in wood on a small scale, including bricklay stack lamination and coopering with a handplane. She will also showcase a variety of hand tools used to smooth and shape these surfaces, including planes, gouges, and rasps. Participants will then experiment with these techniques in small groups at several workstations set up around the woodshop.
The materials fee for this class is $5 and is included in the class admission cost.
Taught by Teresa Audet
Open shop but for turning! This open shop is only for students with previous turning experience or those who've taken a turning class with Fireweed. Bowl blanks will be available for purchase but feel free to bring your own prepped wood if you've got a project you are working on. Instructor Abbey Dickhudt will be at the shop to make sure everyone is staying safe. This IS NOT a class. This is a time for self-directed work to make shavings, make mistakes, and ask questions.
Registrants of open shop MUST have taken Bowl Turning or be comfortable and experienced using turning tools and the lathe. Every attendee of open shop must register. Please no guests without registration!
Facilitated by Abbey Dickhudt
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