| Blog series by TraumaJacques | updated 170 days ago | 9 parts | 2343 reads | 25 comments total |
Part 1: The enrolment
Well I enrolled in a 10 week furniture making course here in Mississauga. It is offered through the Living Arts Center by Matthew Agostinis. The first class is on April 22nd and will run until June. I will post the progress I make on the yet to be determine project I will be working on. I would like to hear from anyone who has taken this the course or heard of Matthew his link is attached ”:http://mafurniture.com/
Part 2: First Class in 2 days. What should I wear...
Well folks it is getting nicer outside ( here in the great white north eh!) and the shop is now thawed enough to start some serious work. I just finished a series of skill building project and start furniture design school on Wednesday night . Not sure what to expect at this point but I am excited. Oh !I also just purchased a 12 ½ inches thickness planner and am loving it(Review to come.) Goodbye big box store over priced pre dressed lumber. I still do not have a project in mind for this co...
Part 3: The first class.
Well… last Wednesday night was my first class. I was not sure what to expect since I was in high school the last time I was formally instructed in woodworking. The course is being held at the Living Arts Center here in Mississauga, Ontario. We are 10 students with a wide variety of experience and different background. A great bunch of people and the atmosphere was relaxed. I had already decided to leave my past knowledge in my shop and walk in with an open mind. It is a good thing because the...
Part 4: 2nd class
Well the second class of my 10 week course is behind me. I somehow had it in my mind that we were going to make sawdust last night. Well what I forgot is this is a structured course and we needed to have a design and drawing done before we take the wood to the tools. I had mine done but once the instructor reviewed it I had to make some changes. Also there was a review of the safety and operation of the tools. We did however split the 12X6 piece we dressed last week in half and re glued it. T...
Part 5: 3rd class saw dust and sexy legs
Well!!! we are finally making sawdust!!! After a quick safety review, we were given our lumber. I could hardly contain my excitement when I was handed a 6” x 40” x 8/4 board. Since the 8/4 stock is limited and my project requires only four 18” legs I was the first to get my board this was good news for me since there was no wait for the equipment. I took the board to the jointer and surfaced one face and the two sides. The board was slightly cupped so I was instructed (see I learned something...
Part 6: 4th class and a "little "progress
When I signed up for this class I had a plan ( in my mind) that would have me 3/4 way done by the 5th class so I could spend the rest on finishing touches. Well what I did not factor in was the wait time for tools. Since I was the first on the jointer and planer last week and many guys did not even get their wood yet, there was no way I could start on my rails and top. So we spent about 45 minutes going over mortise and tenon jointing at the router table and about 15 minutes on the mort...
Part 7: Week 6 and far behind...
Well week 6 is behind me and so am I on this project. Last night I glued up the boards for the top and cut the tenons in the aprons( the blue tape was a big hit even with the instructor). There was another event tonight but they did not appreciate all the noise that was coming out to the lobby. Too bad we kept going. When I put the rails and legs together I realised how ugly the 8/4 poplar was and that I could have easily designed something nicer in my own shop. So back to the drawing board...
Part 8: Caught up with the new legs
Well fellow jocks, I am back on track with this project. I pondered the leg issues and decided to go with a contrasting wood. I recently found a lumber yard in Toronto ( message me for more info) that is incredible for a city yard, so I had to buy something and one of these something was 8/4 walnut. I milled and tapered the legs in my own shop which was a great time saver , I mortised them in class and dry fitted the whole assembly. My phone died after 2 pictures. Sorry. The instru...
Part 9: It’s beginning to look a lot like a piano bench!
Well fellow LJ’s this project is beginning to take shape. Last night I glued up the frames and fitted the top. I realised I had enough lumber to make a shelf. So I quickly designed a shelf that could be added after glue up. The instructor had a Kreg Jig® Master System so I took advantage of it to learn a new skill. After a few test piece I managed to drill holes to secure the shelf after glue up. I want to cut three slots in the centre piece to add visual interest to th...
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