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.
NO TURNING AT OPEN SHOP. Instead please register for one of our Open Turning Sessions.
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
In this 2-day course students will use the bandsaw to create a box that can be used in countless ways! Working from a solid piece of wood salvaged from lumberyard offcuts, you will learn to design, layout, cut, sand, and reassemble the pieces to form a functional box and lid. Once you learn the basic process, the possibilities are endless! You will learn and use the following tools during class: bandsaw, spindle sander, orbital sanders, clamps.
A 30 minute meal slot will be set aside for all, you are invited to bring something to eat and drink each day.
The materials fee for this class is $43 and is included in the admission cost.
* We do require masking indoors, whatever your vaccination status *
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Taught by Gwen Comings
~Power tools 101 is a prerequisite for this course~
Learn how to transform rough lumber into finished sizes while making a mitered box. This class will cover how to use the tools to create parallel sides and perpendicular corners before building the box. Through box-making, we will learn how to make several forms of joinery including miters, splines, and dados. This class is open to students of all levels of ability, and we will make accommodations for anyone with a disability.
The materials fee for this class is $25 and is included in the admission cost
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Taught by Aria Kampfer
Show off your woodcarving skills this Fall-- on a pumpkin! Carving with hand tools can transform your pumpkin into a work of art. In this class, we will learn how to transfer designs and use hand tools to make your jack-o-lantern truly special. This is a great way to learn the basics of relief carving or to practice your skills on a new medium. Bring an image to carve and your pumpkin will be provided. All printmaking levels are welcome.
The materials fee for this class is $25 and is included in the admission cost.
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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.
*Photos courtesy of Callingbird Photography
The materials fee for this class is $5 and is included in the class admission cost.
Email hello@fireweedwoodshop.org to request ASL interpretation for this course.
Taught by Teresa Audet
NO LATHE USE AT OPEN SHOP. Instead please register for one of our Open Turning Sessions.
Please email hello@fireweedwoodshop.org if you have any questions about open shop or what tools are available to use.
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. *Woodshop lathes accommodate limited size blanks. If you have any questions about the wood you want to bring or the lathes, please reach out in advance.
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
Join instructor Theoren Keenan for a walk on East River Road learning about common tree species to the Twin Cities! This course will cover summer identification features including leaves, bark, and branch arrangement as well as uses of the trees for craftspeople and foragers.
This course will be held in unfavorable weather such as rain but will be rescheduled considering extreme heat, thunderstorms, or air quality warnings during the scheduled instruction time.
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Taught by Theoren Keenan.
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.
Taught by Julie Arnold
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.
The materials fee for this class is $30 and is included in the admission cost.
Taught by Abbey Dickhudt
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 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.
Butterfly joints are used to either join two pieces of wood together or to reinforce cracks in wood by inserting a key into the compromised wood. Joint Gymnastics Part Two: Butterfly Joints will utilize chisels, hand saws and the bandsaw to create the components of the butterfly joint. Students will draw their own key shape, learn to chisel a mortise, transfer the shape of the mortise to their key material, then use the bandsaw or hand saws to make the key. Students can choose whether to practice joining two pieces of wood together or reinforce a crack.
Taught by Aria Kampfer and EB
This craft hang is gathering in the hand tools classroom at Fireweed Woodshop. The purpose of a Fireweed Crafting Hang is for students and members to get together around making and crafting , share skills and chit chat, get to know each other, enjoy the Woodshop's space, community, and belonging. It's perfect for students who started a spoon in class and would like to use Fireweed's carving knives to finish up. Other handcraft projects could include woodblock carving, figure carving, Kolrosing, chip carving, hand sanding, etc....
6:30-8:30pm Registration is free or give what you can without pressure!
Bring your own hand-carving project to the shop for some company, community, and sharing tips and tricks. This is NOT A CLASS, just a hangout.
What to bring:
a mask (fireweed masks up indoors; extra masks are always available too)
-your project (all handcrafts welcome!)
- your carving tools (we usually have some spoon blanks for sale)
Wedged mortise and tenons are a beautiful way to showcase joinery, where a strong, durable, and visible connection is desired. They are often used on furniture to attach legs to stretchers on tables, chairs or beds. Stuents will use pull saws, chisels, marking gauges, and angle finders to create this joint. Students will learn how to chisel on an angle and techniques in precision. While perfecting this joint may take a few repetitions, students will be provided with material to make a bookend or small shelf.
The materials fee for this class is $20 and is included in the admission cost.
The purpose of this class is to provide a supportive learning environment for those identifying as women, transgender, agender, or non-binary to work with their hands, using traditional and modern tools to learn the craft of timber frame building.
Timber framing is the craft of joining wooden timbers together without the use of nails or metal fasteners. Timber frames are simple, strong, and elegant, and have stood for centuries around the world. In this class, students will learn the fundamentals of timber framing, from the use of hand and power tools to the layout and cutting of mortise and tenon joinery. On the final day of the class, students will work together to raise the frame they have built and will go home with the knowledge and skills to continue their timber framing practice and build structures of their own.
Wednesday (5pm - 7pm): Introduction to timber framing, project design, and square rule layout.
Thursday (9am - 5pm): Cutting mortises and tenons with hand tools.
Friday (9am - 5pm): Designing for strength - learning to cut wind braces, and continue working on individual pieces.
Saturday (9am - 5pm): Introduction to power tool use in timber framing. Students finalize their individual pieces. Discussion of raising day logistics and preparation.
Sunday (9am - 3pm): Assembly of the frame and community raising celebration
Taught by Jenna Pollard with assistance from Aria Kampfer.
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.
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Taught by Meena Mangalvedhekar (@meenanew) Bio 1. Bio 2.
Learn to tile while making a beautiful and functional serving tray! In this class, students will learn how to cut tile using two methods, how to mix mud, use a trowel, lay tile, and create clean grout lines. These skills will show the basics of tiling, to support a student with their home DIY projects. Students will then build a serving tray to display their tiling. The dimensions of the tray will be 12-by-16 inches wide, and 3 inches tall. The tray will be an introduction to using a table saw, cutting 45-degree angles on the miter saw, brad nailer, and drill press to make the hand-holds. Students will have the opportunity to personalize their tray using the bandsaw and router table for adding a profile.
The materials for this class is $35 and is included in the admission cost.
Taught by Abbey Dickhudt and Aria Kampfer
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!
Taught by Katie Speckman
This basket, made with black ash splint, is highly functional for everyday needs. It can appear rustic or refined. It can be filled with veggies from the market, groceries from the store, or binders and paperwork for meetings. It can also be a perfect fit for in-between the bucket seats of most automobiles. The course will start with an in-depth discussion of the harvesting process, including log pounding and material storage. From there, students will try their hand at splitting using two techniques: hands and a "splitting brake," followed by prepping our pre-selected raw materials using sharp knives, scissors and a slitting gauge. Participants will learn about twill and start/stop weaving, and tension and form as we lay-out and weave our baskets. After drying, we will construct the rim system, prep thicker splint for handles, and finally, wrap the handles with choice splint. The finished basket will measure approximately 4" x 13" at the base, 9" x 16" at the opening, with a height of 11". With handles attached, this brings the overall height of the basket to 17". Weighing in at just under a pound, it will be capable of carrying up to ten pounds quite comfortably. Note, this project requires some hand strength to complete.
The materials fee for this class is $60 and is included in the admission cost.
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