# Going to Woodworking School



## theplaneman (Oct 29, 2009)

*The First Day of School*

Thursday, August 27, 2009
*The First Day of School*

I don't think I slept the night before the first day of Woodworking School. I had been waiting five years to do this, now it was actually going to happen. Maybe I was worried about going to school again after all these years, or I might just have been excited about the next phase of life. How many of us dream about the day we can do the things we want? My day to do that very thing has finally happened.

To go back a few years five to be exact, I started on this road by buying a table saw at Home Depot just to see if this was something I might want to do for retirement. Of course my wife said to not touch this saw until you take a safely class, a safety class where will I find one of those. Fortunately for me Palomar College in San Marcos, CA offered a Saturday safety class for the table saw. After talking the class I took other Saturday classes, the Band saw class and the Dovetail class and soon after I was hooked and wanted to take the *"real woodworking classes"*. My job required traveling so I was never able to take the "Fundamental of Woodworking" the 100 class the basis for all future woodworking.

Well now you know what this blog will be about…the basic woodworking class CFT 100 many people want to take or already have taken. I wanted a way to share my excitement and learning experience and to offer insight to those who want to take the class and just can't make it happen. All for good reasons, like time, money and or location. I will be sharing all the things we learn and do in the class. I hope to create interest in woodworking like others have done for me. Like the woodwhisperer and tom's workbench to mention two that have inspired me. I was not aware of Lumberjocks Site until Wed of this week. I have already been going to school and documenting my classes. Now I can make this blog available to the audience I have been looking for.

So sharpen your pencils or "chisels" and start the school year with excitement and the same wonder that happened years ago only now it will be fun, I think: *do we have to take tests? *


----------



## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

theplaneman said:


> *The First Day of School*
> 
> Thursday, August 27, 2009
> *The First Day of School*
> ...


welcome to LJ's , john .

and good for you to be going to class ,
and wanting to share that with others .

you will enjoy it here , 
so ask away or blog away .

what we do best here is share ,
the good and the bad ,
we all learn from each other .


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

theplaneman said:


> *The First Day of School*
> 
> Thursday, August 27, 2009
> *The First Day of School*
> ...


Hi My name is Jim I'm a woodworked ….so welcome Jonh to the club I hope your ready for a pop quiz. It will be on what is Davids LJs name and what was his most recent project. Just kidding around , look forward to your input Enjoy.


----------



## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

theplaneman said:


> *The First Day of School*
> 
> Thursday, August 27, 2009
> *The First Day of School*
> ...


John, you have a wonderful opportunity available to you. Many of us would enjoy taking a formal class like this but, as you said, time, location or money create obstacles that prevent us from doing so.

Have fun and enjoy.


----------



## theplaneman (Oct 29, 2009)

*Woodworking a Bright Future: Here's Why *

Palomar College Cabinetmaking and Furniture Technology Program, San Marcos, CA.

*CFT 100 Fundamentals of Woodworking*
Six Classes offered in the fall semester 25 students per class 30 max

*Day classes: 8 Am to 4:30 PM*

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday

*Night Classes: 5 PM to 9 PM*

Monday and Wednesday
Tuesday and Thursday

What this means is that about 180 students are taking the CFT 100 class 140 hours of instruction and countless hours outside the classroom and lab In the Spring the classes change to the CFT 105 Fundamentals of Woodworking II. Once students completes the 100, 105 classes they can take any other class offered in the Program.

*Is Woodworking coming back with skilled workers and hobbyist?*
Woodworking is the fastest growing Division of the College.
The College is expanding with a six million dollar improvement bond.
This is good news for woodworking and for anyone interested learning woodworking.

Palomar offers 55 courses during the calendar year and has over 650 students participating in a least one course or more during the calendar year. When all is said and done it makes me appreciate how lucky I am to live so close to a school offering such a great program.

*Here is the Course Outline*
I will expand each section as it is covered.
1. Introduction 
2. Wood Technology 
3. Hand Tools 
4. Sharpening 
5. Wood Joinery 
6. Machine Safety and Demonstrations 
7. Squaring Wood 
8. Routers 
9. Abrasives and Sanding Techniques 
10. Assembly Techniques 
11. Hardware 
12. Finishing

*Course Requirements:*
1. Attendance 
2. Assignments and Exams 
3. Project 
4. Notebook and Final exam


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

theplaneman said:


> *Woodworking a Bright Future: Here's Why *
> 
> Palomar College Cabinetmaking and Furniture Technology Program, San Marcos, CA.
> 
> ...


Looks like a good course it looks like a good school for woodworking programs


----------



## theplaneman (Oct 29, 2009)

theplaneman said:


> *Woodworking a Bright Future: Here's Why *
> 
> Palomar College Cabinetmaking and Furniture Technology Program, San Marcos, CA.
> 
> ...


Rob,

I selected Palomar because it is so close to home. I know of two other schools but they are in Orange County. Both are good Ceritos and Fullerton. The class make up is about 50% older people like me and many younger students also. Some are taking the courses to develop skills to work and others as a start for a different Career say in instrument making. Most graduates, although many take courses and don't actually graduate from the program are interested in developing safe and correct woodworking skills. We also have about 15 to 20 percent who are female and want to do creative things in woodworking. I am very fortunate to live so close to the school that has a good and complete course offering.

I can see why you visited they have an urban forestry program with a protable saw mill.

Thanks for your encouragement

John


----------



## theplaneman (Oct 29, 2009)

*Safety and more Safety *

Our first day of class was reviewing the safety rules and procedures for the entire school curriculum. As you can imagine with over 180 new students using power and hand tools safety has to be an important part of the training we will receive.

Each student must complete the safety test. This test is 200 questions covering all safety issues. Since it is an open book test the 50 page companion Safety manual will guide us through each power tool. It is a lot common sense tied to specific rules for each tool. A grade of 90% is required before a student can move forward with tool demonstration and tool use.

A list is given below on some of the equipment covered on the exam and manual.

Power Miter box
Table Saw
Jointer
Planner
Radial Arm Saw
Disc Sander
Drill Press
Band Saw
Router
Shaper
Overarm pin Router
Lather
Edge Belt Sander
Horizontal Boring Machine
Hollow Chisel Mortiser
Panel Router
Wide Belt Sander


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

theplaneman said:


> *Safety and more Safety *
> 
> Our first day of class was reviewing the safety rules and procedures for the entire school curriculum. As you can imagine with over 180 new students using power and hand tools safety has to be an important part of the training we will receive.
> 
> ...


That's a great Idea I wish I had a copy of that for my class.


----------



## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

theplaneman said:


> *Safety and more Safety *
> 
> Our first day of class was reviewing the safety rules and procedures for the entire school curriculum. As you can imagine with over 180 new students using power and hand tools safety has to be an important part of the training we will receive.
> 
> ...


This is a wonderful idea. Too many of us take safety precautions for granted.


----------



## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

theplaneman said:


> *Safety and more Safety *
> 
> Our first day of class was reviewing the safety rules and procedures for the entire school curriculum. As you can imagine with over 180 new students using power and hand tools safety has to be an important part of the training we will receive.
> 
> ...


Thats a great idea!


----------



## theplaneman (Oct 29, 2009)

*Wood Technology: Day Two part one *

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
Topics covered in this section listed below:

Terminology Wood science
Hardwoods and Softwoods
Seasoning and Drying
Warps and Defects
Board Footage
Grading
Urban Lumber

*Parts of a tree:*









Sapwood is the new wood as newer rings of sapwood are laid down its inner Cell lose their vitality and turn to heartwood. Heartwood is the essential supporting pillar of the tree. Although dead it will not decay or lose strength while the outer layers are intact.

The Outer bark is the tree's protection from the outside world. It keeps the moisture out during rain, prevents the loss of moisture when the air is dry, insulates against cold and heat, and wards off insects. the inner bark or "Phloem" is the pipeline through which the food is passed to the rest of the tree. It lives only for a short time then dies and turns to cork, to become part of the outer protective bark. The Cambium Cell layer is the growing part of the truck. It annually produces new bark and wood in response to hormones that pass down through the phieom with the food from the leaves. Sapwood is the tree's pipeline for the water moving up to the leaves.

Courtesy of St. Regis Paper Company
Wood Science: tree cells

*Wood cells;*










The structural elements of wood tissue are of various sizes and shapes and are quite firmly cemented together. Dry wood cells may be empty or partly filled with deposits, such s gums and resins or with tyloses. The Majority of wood cells are considerably elongated and pointed at the ends; these cells are customarily call fibers or trachieds. The length for wood fibers is a highly variable within a tree and among species. Hardwood fibers average about 1 mm (w/25 in.) in length, softwood fibers range from 3 to 8 mm (1/8 to 1/3 in.) in length.

In addition to fibers, hardwoods have cells of relatively large diameter known as vessels or pores. These cells form the main conduits in the movement of sap. Softwoods do not contain vessels for conducting sap longitudinally in the tree; this function is performed by the trachieds. 
Both hardwoods and softwoods have cells (usually grouped into structures or tissues) that are oriented horizontally in the direction from pith toward bark. these groups of cells conduct sap radially across the grain and are called rays or wood rays. The rays are most easily seen on edge grained or quarter sawn surfaces and they vary greatly in size in different species. in oaks and sycamores the rays are conspicuous and add to the decorative features of the Wood. Rays also represent the planes of weakness along which seasoning checks readily develop. Another type of wood cells known as longitudinal or axial parenchyma cells, function mainly in the storage of food.

Day One continued next blog posting


----------



## TraumaJacques (Oct 25, 2008)

theplaneman said:


> *Wood Technology: Day Two part one *
> 
> WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
> Topics covered in this section listed below:
> ...


Man! I went to nursing school and the human body did not look that complicated. But nice to know.


----------



## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

theplaneman said:


> *Wood Technology: Day Two part one *
> 
> WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
> Topics covered in this section listed below:
> ...


Tree anatomy is very interesting and I think you have done a great job giving us an appropriate amount of detail for us who don't know much about trees or wood.

The thing that irritates me most is that in spite of my almost 70 years I still find it difficult to identify a tree from its visible characteristics (of course I do recognize some trees). This is partly due to only being really interested in trees I can make something out of, but in fact most trees are useful for woodworking projects. I'm not exceptionally bright, but I guess I could learn it as well as most others if I focused on it a little. I guess my excuse is being just plain lazy. Not a commendable trait. It would be nice if someone would do a blog or a series of blogs on tree identification. Since you are interested in tree anatomy maybe you are interested in tree identification too? Just an idea. Lazy people like to get others to do all the hard work. Oops, there I go again!


----------



## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

theplaneman said:


> *Wood Technology: Day Two part one *
> 
> WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
> Topics covered in this section listed below:
> ...


I didn't go to nursing school but I like TraumaJacques interpretation.

WoW


----------



## theplaneman (Oct 29, 2009)

*Day Two Con't*

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2009

*How Dry is Dry *
Water occurs in wood in two places, First, there's the free water that fills the inside of the wood cells. That's like water in a bucket. Second, water also infiltrates the cell walls. That's called bound water. Imagine squeezing a piece of cotton Cheeses cloth until all the free water is drained away. The cloth though, remains damp because the material continues to contain moisture-the bound water.

When wood contains bound water it is said to be in its fiber saturation point. And the bound water can be eliminated completely only by drying it. We would select a place where we have low relative humidity, as in an air-tight oven.

Wood likes water, wood rates as a hygroscopic substance; it has an affinity for water and readily absorbs it as a liquid and vapor. This ability directly depends on the humidity of the surrounding atmosphere. The amount of moisture in wood changes as the humidity in the atmosphere changes. For example in CA when we get a "Santa Ana Wind" the air is coming from the desert and is very dry causing most wood to shrink due to the decrease in Humidity.

The term Kiln-Dried means that wood moisture was removed in a chamber where air circulation, humidity and temperature were controlled.

*Bow, Cup, Twist Crook
What Shrinkage does to wood?*










*Woodworkers call the change in shape of a piece of wood warp*. 
It takes several common forms, all of which distort the wood.

*Bow*, as its name implies, describes the lengthwise curvature for board-end to end along its face. 
*Twist*, means that all of a boards corners won't lie equally flat. 
*Crook,* all the curvature runs end to end alone its edge.

*Cup*, is when a board no longer flat from edge to edge. 
Cup always occurs in the opposite direction of a flatsawn board's annual growth rings. 
*Checking*, Although not a distortion like any form of warp, checking refers to the Small splits along the grain. You'll most often see checks in the ends of boards but they can occur on surfaces too.

This is due to the fact that wood dries 10 times faster along it length compared to drying across the width. One of the things we will learn in our class project is to *project wood movement and design and build with this in mind.*

*Defects in Wood*










*Knots* are limbs separated from the tree trunk during tree growth. 
*Wane* is bark on the edge of a board.
*Pitch Pocket *is an opening in a board containing pitch.
*Splits *are the tearing apart of wood cells due to improper storage or handling.
*Checks* are the lengthwise separation of wood due to shrinkage.

*Measuring Wood*
The standard method of measuring hardwood is given in board feet. We will be calculating the board feet we will need for class project. Including any projected waste as part of our calculations.
One board foot is described as 12 inches by 12 inches by 1 inch thick or 144 cubic inches. This is calculated by multiplying length x width x thickness.. examples of a board foot are 3×4x12 and 2×4x18 and also 1×6x24. All these measurements give 144 cubic inches of lumber. We will be using a bill of materials for the workshop to determine how much wood we will need for each project.

*Grading Wood*
*FAS* (first and Seconds) This is the best grade, boards are 6" and wider and 8' and longer. Almost clear and yields 8 32/3 percent clear face cuttings 4" or wider by 5' or longer and 3" or wider and 7' or longer.

*Selects*, The boards 4" and wider, 6' and longer. one side is FAS the is no 1 common. Yields 83 2/3 percent clear face cuttings.

*No 1 common*, Boards are 3" and wider, 4' and longer and yields 66 2/3 percent clear face cuttings 4" or wider by 2' or longer.

*Urban Forestry in California*
In 1989 the legislature passed a bill to reduce solid waste by 50% by the year 2000. One unique outcome put forward by Eric Oldar of the California Dept of Forestry was to promote the value of the lumber cut from trees in Urban locations and to promote organizations to harvest urban lumber as an economic venture and to reduce solid waste.
Palomar College Participates in Urban Forestry with a Wood=Miser portable ban saw and Kiln for drying the lumber. Student participation in the Urban Forest Program is part of the class requirements and more will be covered on this subject in future blogs.

The Portable Saw Mill at Palomar College


----------



## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

theplaneman said:


> *Day Two Con't*
> 
> TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2009
> 
> ...


John, it sounds like you are having fun and learning a great deal about the general nature of wood. This sounds like a good place to start the course.


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

theplaneman said:


> *Day Two Con't*
> 
> TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2009
> 
> ...


Hey John
Looks like lots of great info is sticking in those memory banks enjoy.


----------



## theplaneman (Oct 29, 2009)

*Day 2 Con't *

*Thursday, October 1, 2009
Day 2 Continued*

*Hardwood* Comes from deciduous trees that drop their leaves every year.
broad Leaves, enclosed nuts, higher density, Mostly deciduous
Cost: Expensive
Examples of Trees: Aspen, Poplar, Birch, Elm, Maple.
Applications: used for furniture but less frequently than softwood
Density: Higher density, which means the wood is harder
Found Where: Hardwood is found all around the world in the north and the Tropics

*Softwood* Comes from Trees that are conifer and have needless, which they do not normally lose each year
Leaves are less dense and less durable, High aslorific values, evergreen
*Cost:* Less expensive
*Applications:* Widely used as a structure for building, and furniture.
*Density:* Lower density and most varieties are softer than hardwood.
*Found: *In the northern hemisphere
Note: Even though Woodworker use more hardwood manufactured furniture is usually Softwood. Fine furniture is usually hardwood.

*Hardwood Measurement*
4/4 equals 1 inch
5/4 equals 1 and 1/4 inch
6/4 equals 1 and 1/2 inch
7/4 equals 1 and 3/4 inch
8/4 equals 2 inches

*Bill of Materials*

When we do our clock project we will complete a bill of materials. This will be used to help us calculate the amount of wood we will need to buy for our clock project. The measurement we will use will be board feet. Many will use this bill of materials to make a cut list, which determines what board we use to cut each of the project parts.

*Board Feet*

Calculating board feet uses a formula
thickness x length x width/divided by 144
all measurements are in inches, the 144 is the number of cubic inches in one board foot.
We will be adding about 20 to 30 percent to the number we get to account for any waste.
Our method also drops all fractions to the next full inch, so 4.5 inches is 5 in our formula.

*A word about measurement and fractions*
One area that has the potential for confusing new woodworking students (this student included) are fractions and what they mean. During the course we will be discussing how to understand and use fractions as our friend. (This I have to see, I am thinking I should have been born in England where they use the decimal system)

*Moisture Meter*










The modern moisture meter has a large Digital LCD readout. the range is 0 to 40 percent, with a plus or minus 1 percent. Use the moisture meter when purchasing different boards to make sure they are close in moisture content, or one could let them dry in the shop until they are closer to the same content. In either case we will give our purchase of new wood time to adapt to conditions in our shop by checking the moisture meter as they adapt to there new environment.

*Different Types of Woodworking Joinery*










*Butt Joint*
For this common and simple joint the end of one piece of wood is simply placed against the adjoining piece, forming a right angle. The two pieces can be fastened with screws, glued or dry dowels, or sometimes staples. see illustration 1

*Cross Lap*
Ina cross-lapped joint a rectangular channel is removed from both of the pieces of wood in the joint. The boards then interlock at right angles. The channels re cut to a depth that allows this joint to appear completely flush when properly constructed. The cross lapped joint is similar to the rabbet joint and uses the same general technique. see illustration 2

*Dado Joint*
A dado is an adjustable blade used to create this simple joinery. Dado joints connect tow pieces of wood by cutting a groove (with a dado blade) in one piece of wood which is equal to the height and width of the second piece. Dado joints are often used to insert a drawer bottom. the dado joint is similar to the traditional rabbet joint and uses the same general technique. see illustration 3

*Dovetail Joint*
This form of locking joint looks similar to an outspread bird's tail. thus the name. One board has a flared extension which fits into matching flared cavity in the adjoining board. Use of a single dovetail is called a French Dovetail and multiple joints in the same corner are called and English Dovetail. Better drawers often use a multi-dovetail because of it's strong holding power. see illustration 4

*Doweled Joint*
Two or more small holes are bored into two pieces of wood. The boards are then joined by inserting small round pegs into the holes of one board. The dowels are then inserted into the other board and the joint is glued. see illustration 5

*Miter Joint*
Two pieces of wood are cut at 45 degree angle and the two beveled edges are placed end to end. They are usually connected with glue, nails or screws. see illustration 6

*Mortise and Tenon*
In this method of joinery, the mortised part has a recess cut into it. The tenoned part has a protrusion that matches the recess in the mortise. The pieces are sometimes glued together to strengthen the connections and sometimes a hole is drilled through both the mortise and the tenon and dowel inserted to further strengthen the joint. see illustration 7

*Rabbeted Joint*
for this joint, a groove is cut into one piece and a section of the other board fits into this groove. Similar to the lap but joint, only one board is cut.

*Splined Joint*
Grooves are cut in ends of each piece of wood so that they will line up when joined. A small strip of wood called a spline is inserted into each groove to hold the two pieces of wood.

*Tongue and Groove*
Two pieces are joined by cutting and edge or shape on one piece of wood which fits into a mirror groove cut int he other board. The tongue and groove must be cut in such a way that the boards fit together tightly without gaps, and the tow surfaces remain flush. see illustration 8.

*Timber Joinery:*


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

theplaneman said:


> *Day 2 Con't *
> 
> *Thursday, October 1, 2009
> Day 2 Continued*
> ...


Sounds good class goes on


----------



## theplaneman (Oct 29, 2009)

*A little Diversion: Going to Carving School*

*Carving 187, Begining Carving*

I am also taking the begining carving class a Palomar College. This short video shows the begining of carving our final project for the first semester. It is a Newport Shell Modified. It does not have as many rays as the traditional Newport Shell and has some other small improvements so we can learn other carving techniques.

Newport Shell (modified)

http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid579.photobucket.com/albums/ss239/Johnaflemingjr/NewportShellDaveModifiedvideo1.flv


----------



## dragginbutt (Oct 30, 2009)

theplaneman said:


> *A little Diversion: Going to Carving School*
> 
> *Carving 187, Begining Carving*
> 
> ...


Cool. I have dreamed of taking classes like this for many years. I was fortunate to study with a Dutch carver for several years in Holland, but all he taught was chip carving. Although I am proficient with that, the real stuff like this is where my heart is. Just before I returned to the US, I found a German craftsman that was doing some really nice work in a village about 90 miles away, but by that time, I was too close to returning to work out any sort of deal. I feel very fortunate that I was able to live and study in the Netherlands for 4 years while stationed there in the military.


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

theplaneman said:


> *A little Diversion: Going to Carving School*
> 
> *Carving 187, Begining Carving*
> 
> ...


Interesting John, Is this the instructor or you doing the carving?


----------



## jbertelson (Sep 26, 2009)

theplaneman said:


> *A little Diversion: Going to Carving School*
> 
> *Carving 187, Begining Carving*
> 
> ...


Carving, one of my dreams….............read…....envy….....


----------

