Delve into the world of computer numerically controlled (CNC) furniture part making in this introductory fabrication workshop. Technology has propelled contemporary design in countless unexpected ways throughout history, and this class considers the modernization of traditional furniture design across cultures. Participants are encouraged to explore their unique artistic voice as they design furniture parts such as legs, backrests, stretchers, and decorative elements on paper. We then translate them into Rhinoceros 3D through basic 2D computer-aided design and further modeling. Students are introduced to best practices in material preparation, CNC hold-down methods, tools, and supplies. Final parts are cut as double sided 3D elements on the CNC.

This unique and dynamic woodworking class explores the Japanese art of making secret opening boxes in three stages. Students begin by creating a box infrastructure, then cut plates of wood, which slide in a sequence and stay attached to the framework. Finally, the box is assembled and a finish is applied. After each student completes an initial warm-up puzzle box, they explore a number of other wooden mechanisms and decorative inlays meant to disguise and hide moving parts. Students are encouraged to design and build their own custom puzzle box variation, focusing primarily on hand tool use with the aid of miniature router table set-ups that assist in cutting notches for moving parts and joinery.

This class is open to students who have taken the basic puzzle box workshop and want to go further, dreaming up their own mechanism for a unique box. Students work with precut milled woods and have access to a variety of specific hardware like springs, magnets, and ball bearings to prototype a more thematic puzzle concept. Time is spent testing and making a puzzle mechanism work before moving towards building a box that is locked with a puzzle mechanism.

Learn how to transform planar bends into faceted, sculptural vessels. This week-long workshop explores how to adapt the age-old technique of coopering (think staved wine and whiskey barrels) to cut angled joinery along bent laminated surfaces. Combining traditional and modern approaches, students learn to design profiles using basic Rhino skills to cut on the CNC, combined with a variety of woodworking machinery. We experiment with radial symmetry and create unique curved parts to achieve unique forms in wood.

In this hands-on workshop, learn how to design, cut, and assemble a variety of unique wooden box forms using the bandsaw. Students are guided through techniques to add color, texture, and detail, giving each project its own personality. Throughout the week, participants work on multiple pieces, including a variety of bandsaw boxes and a set of nesting vessels. The workshop is designed for all skill levels and offers a relaxed, supportive space to experiment and grow. Students leave with a collection of finished projects and a deeper understanding of both form and surface design.

Discover the power of the miniature to capture imagination in this unique introduction to architecture through model-making. Students explore making as a way of thinking while learning the woodworking and technical skills involved in creating a model. They learn how to visualize the organization of space and develop their own innovative techniques for representing the built world in miniature. We focus on woodcraft, technique, design, and ideas through the instructor’s visionary and transformative processes, grounded in the knowledge of historical and contemporary design practices. Students develop their own models for spaces—real or imagined—gaining confidence, curiosity, and insight into the development of our built environments.

This workshop for beginning woodworkers focuses on introducing and demystifying the wide world of woodworking. Beginning with design creation, students spend the week making basic stools and small tables, exploring how to make their designs come to life. Students learn how to operate and understand woodworking machinery, focusing on safety and craftsmanship. Students leave with beautiful, personalized, well-built furniture that stands the test of time and adds a unique flair to any living or workspace.

This inventive and exciting workshop, open to woodworking students of all levels, introduces participants to hand tool carving, power carving, and machine use. Through creating a wood sculpture of an animal form, students explore an array of carving techniques while considering surface detail, form, gesture, and balance.

Engage in innovation and meaningful design in this workshop that focuses on clarifying an artist’s voice through a sculptural approach to furniture-making. We ideate, design, build, and discuss how to develop personal styles and details. Annie gives demonstrations in intermediate joinery, carving, shaping, and other techniques that respond to each student’s direction. Time is spent learning to articulate ideas to others and sharing feedback in a nurturing community of makers. Whether refining work in progress or starting a new body of work, this workshop is for anyone who wants to build their skill base, make meaningful furniture, and have a whole lot of fun creating it!

This unique and dynamic jewelry design workshop incorporates wood, semiprecious stones, and metal to create unique pieces that make a fashion statement. Beginning in the design stage, students are guided through the process of transforming jewelry ideas into tangible forms by shaping wood into form. Each piece highlights the contrast of the warmth and organic flow of wood grain against the luminosity, color, and depth of semiprecious stones. Emphasis is placed on strategies to propel imagined designs into finished jewelry.

This advanced-level woodworking class guides students through honing their cabinetmaking skills to the level of their design ambitions. Emphasis is placed on the design and construction of cabinets, chests, and bureaus. Topics include dovetails, mortise and tenon joinery, frame and panel construction, and doors and drawers. Participants learn the proper application of each type of joint in the construction of a small cabinet of their own design. The goal of this workshop is to develop both machine skills and confidence in the use of hand tools in the construction of traditional joinery. Modest-sized projects are encouraged in this skill building experience, with the hope of leaving with a completed work.

Learn to make a unique, two-board chair in an Alpine vernacular. This class introduces and hones skills in joinery, relief carving, and design. Students utilize hand tools to create components and joints, including tapered sliding dovetails and through-tenons. Each student is encouraged to develop a vocabulary in pattern carving throughout the week as they work either from a template or from their own design compiled from practiced patterns. Though elements of this class may be physically strenuous, all levels are welcome and guided through this innovative process.

Light, playful prototyping is a key element for developing new ideas in the studio. This exploratory workshop delves into rapid, fast-paced prototyping to help generate ideas focused on light, form, and material. Students begin by iterating with paper to achieve form, explore luminosity, translucence, and shadow. Through the organic lens of bent wood, we tie it all together with contemporary lighting design. Students design and prototype their own light fixture, blending basic wiring and digital fabrication tools like laser cutting with wood bending methods such as hot pipe bending and bent lamination.

Learn how to create images in wood that add a personal touch to heirloom furniture or custom wood projects. We begin by practicing marquetry techniques and developing approaches to concept design. Participants use a palette of veneers composed of a variety of wood species to achieve contrast, detail, and composition to make their own unique projects. Matt guides students through the craft of cutting shapes and fitting the image together like a puzzle. The images begin to emerge, and the fun begins when we discover how to incorporate these techniques into mirror frames, boxes, tabletops, and more. Students should have some woodworking experience, but prior marquetry experience is not necessary.