McLaughlin Woods - The Workshop





Class Evaluation
Final payment
Gift Certificates
MNOP
Mailing List

 

                                      


Click on the Workshop Title to access the Description:
(They are in chronological order according to our 2009 schedule)

   Make a Shaker Pedestal Table with Tom McLaughlin

   Mastering Handplanes in the Workshop with Garrett Hack

   Make a Pencil Post Bed with Tom McLaughlin

   Joinery Essentials with Tom McLaughlin

   Experience Woodworking 101 with Tom McLaughlin

   Bowl Turning with Graham Oakes

   Spindle Turning Basics with Jon Siegel

   Chairmaking with Tom McLaughlin

   Experience Woodworking 201 with Terry Moore

   Veneering Workshop with Terry Moore

   Woodfinishing Overview with Tom McLaughlin

Make a Shaker
Pedestal Table

In this 3-day beginner to intermediate class, you will learn some great techniques combining the use of light power tools and hand tools to achieve historic results. The small round table that is the focus of this class is considered by many to be the most beautifully designed table ever made by the Shakers. The original table, made at the Hancock Shaker Village, epitomizes the direct, artistic perfection and craftsmanship of the Shakers. By the end of the class, you will take home your own curly maple masterpiece, ready for finishing.

    TOPICS INCLUDE:
  • Design considerations
  • Sliding dovetail joinery
  • Wedged mortise and tenon joinery
  • Bandsawing and shaping the curved legs
  • Sharpening and using a cabinet scraper
  • Tuning and using a handplane
  • Spokeshave, rasping, and scraping tecniques
  • Pattern routing techniques
  • Finishing approaches




Instructor:    Tom McLaughlin
Dates:           May 28-30 (Thurs-Sat)
Tuition:          $390, plus $140 materials
Class size:        5-8      
Check status:   May 28-30

Click here to register for this	workshop
Register via fax or mail
Mastering Handplanes in the Workshop
No hand tools are more important or efficient than planes. The incredible variety available — antique or new — allow you to shave surfaces so polished they shine, cut precise joints, or shape decorative moldings. But to use planes successfully, you must first understand what the many types are designed to do, and then learn to tune them to work effectively. With Garrett’s expert guidance, you won’t believe how much this 2-day class will elevate the quality and enjoyment of your craftsmanship. And you will get lots of opportunities to practice these principles and techniques throughout your time, at your personal bench space.

*Garrett is regularly featured as a leading contributor to Fine Woodworking magazine and he has written two excellent books on the topic: The Handplane Book, 2003; Classic Hand Tools, 2001

    TOPICS INCLUDE:
  • Tuning and adjusting the common Stanley/Bailey cast iron bench plane
  • Tuning and adjusting block planes, spokeshaves, and scrapers
  • Sharpening and replacement iron options
  • Planing techniques including: flattening and smoothing a surface; shooting two board edges prior to gluing; cutting simple moldings, bevels, and chamfers; smoothing a curved surface with a spokeshave
  • Buying new and hunting used planes
  • The most important planes to own




Handplane Book



Instructor:    Garrett Hack
Dates:           June 5-6 (Fri-Sat)
Tuition:          $270, plus $60 materials
Class size:       9-12      
Check status:   June

Click here to register for this	workshop
Register via fax or mail
Make a Pencil Post Bed
In this chock-full 5-day class, you will be treated to the best traditional methods of bed construction as you make your own classic pencil post bed. Sure to be a treasured heirloom, this bed will be an incredible accomplishment!

Tom will skillfully guide you through the process of making the beautifully proportioned pencil posts Along the way you will be given the option to choose between making a “cove” or “lamb’s tongue” detail as the octagonal taper transitions to the square lower post. After engaging the many interesting topics listed below, you will have your bed set-up and standing in the shop, ready for final completion, detailing, and finishing at home.

Some basic experience or the Experience Woodworking 101 class is pre-required for this class. Space is very limited since the maximum class size is held to just six students. The class fee is based on this special smaller class size, and the materials costs are in accordance with the higher amount of prepared premium materials and hardware required.

    TOPICS INCLUDE:
  • Custom design consideration
  • Forming the octagonal tapered post
  • Carving “lamb’s tongue” transition detail
  • Making the post and rail, mortise and tenon joinery
  • Fitting traditional bed bolts and hardware
  • Handtool use and sharpening
  • Shaping and fitting the headboard
  • Selecting the right hardware
  • Finishing approaches




Pencil	Posts


Instructor:    Tom McLaughlin
Dates:           June 8-12 (M-F) 
Tuition:          $890, plus $870 materials (includes approximately 75 board feet prepared solid cherry or curly maple, and necessary premium hardware). NOTE: Note: Each student will enjoy the choice of either solid cherry or curly maple materials, and either standard double or queen size. The materials fee is the same for any combination.
Class size:        4-6      
Check status:   June

Click here to register for this	workshop
Register via fax or mail
Joinery Essentials
Fine Woodworking, most simply stated, is the ability to put wood together well. And this “putting together” of wood, the study of joinery, is the difference maker when it comes to defining great craftsmanship. This popular 2-day class will cover the two types most commonly used in fine joinery: the mortise and tenon, and the dovetail joint. Many variations of these primary joints, and their applications, will be discussed. Using both machine and traditional hand cutting methods, you will have ample opportunity to make practice samples. Some of the joints covered will be: through, half-blind, sliding and lap dovetails; standard, through, angled, pegged, and wedged mortise and tenons. By the end of the class, you will have a bundle of joinery samples, essential skills, and great memories to take home with you.

    TOPICS INCLUDE:
  • Fundamental joinery terms
  • Choosing the optimum joinery for the job
  • Laying out and marking out, tools and techniques
  • Effectively using a marking gauge
  • Sharpening and tuning joinery tools
  • Cutting and fitting precisely
  • Selecting and using adhesives




Instructor:    Tom McLaughlin
Dates:           June 19-20 (Fri-Sat) 
Tuition:          $270, plus $70 materials
Class size:        5-8      
Check status:   June 19-20

Click here to register for this	workshop
Register via fax or mail
Experience
Woodworking 101

During this comprehensive 5-day class, open to all skill levels, you will gain the essential knowledge base for making beautiful fine furniture. The week is full of the methods, approaches, and techniques you need to build a solid, foundational start in fine woodworking. As an added bonus, these core skills will be acquired as you make a classic Shaker style end table that is yours to take home at the end of the class. Those with previous experience, as well as beginners, have raved about this course, noting how much this week added to their woodworking understanding, enjoyment and skills. We offer this class twice each season due to its popularity, so sign up early.

    TOPICS INCLUDE:
  • Safe and effective machine use
  • Design considerations
  • Selecting and buying wood
  • Mortise and tenon joinery
  • Effective table saw jigs
  • Sharpening, using Handplanes and chisels
  • Layout and handcut dovetails
  • Dovetailing a drawer to fit an opening
  • Sharpening and using a cabinet scraper
  • Applying a beautiful finish
  • Table Dimensions: 21"W x 18"D x 27"H




Shaker	End	Table w/Drawer

Instructor:    Tom McLaughlin
Dates:           June 29-July 3 (M-F)
                     or Aug. 3-7 (M-F)
Tuition:          $670, plus $190 materials
Class size:        5-8      
Check status:   June  Aug.

Click here to register for this	workshop
Register via fax or mail
Bowl Turning
Few types of fine woodworking are so immediately satisfying as turning a bowl on a lathe. Imagine producing finished works of art in just a few hours. Like a potter’s hands on a lump of clay, using turning chisels you will learn to reveal the beautiful bowl inside a rough hunk of wood. Woodturning wizard Graham Oakes will demonstrate the best methods for achieving great results. This class is geared toward beginners, a no pressure environment where everyone can work at their own pace. By the end of this course, you will have multiple sample creations to take home with you as well as the knowledge of turning a bowl from start to finish.

    TOPICS INCLUDE:
  • Tool technique and construction
  • Chucking methods
  • Lathe safety
  • Design considerations
  • Wood selection
  • Finishing options

    Regarding tools for the turning sessions: If you have your own chisels, please bring them with you. If not, a limited number of turning chisels will be available for you to use. Prior to the class you will be given a suggested tool list to bring with you.



Instructor:    Graham Oakes
Dates:           July 10-11 (Fri-Sat)
Tuition:          $270, plus $80 materials
Class size:        6-8      
Check status:   July

Click here to register for this	workshop
Register via fax or mail
Spindle Turning Basics
You can read lots of woodturning books but there is nothing like seeing how it’s done up close and personal. In his articulate and passionate style, Jon will share the skillful techniques of a master turner. This 2-day course, designed for relative beginners, will focus on developing the core skills required for spindle turning (turning between centers). These techniques are essential to making furniture parts, and countless useful and decorative items. Class time will be organized around demonstrations, skills building exercises, and completion of projects such as a carvers mallet and more as time permits

    TOPICS INCLUDE:
  • The lathe: history, parts, adjustments, and safety
  • Sharpening turning chisels efficiently
  • Mounting the work piece on the lathe
  • Proper use of the various chisels
  • Practice exercises with gouge and skew chisels
  • Design of turnings
  • Duplication methods

Regarding tools for the turning sessions: If you have your own chisels, please bring them with you. If not, a limited number of turning chisels will be available for you to use. Prior to the class you will be given a suggested tool list to bring with you.



Spindle Turning

Instructor:     Jon Siegel
Dates:           July 17-18 (Fri.-Sat.)
Tuition:          $270, plus $70 materials
Class size:        6-8      
Check status:   July

Click here to register for this	workshop
Register via fax or mail
Chairmaking
For many, chairmaking is the ultimate woodworking experience. With all those compound angles and curved parts, the prospect of making a chair is too intimidating to most woodworkers. But it need not be that way. In this 5-day course, Tom will organize the process of chairmaking into understandable stages, while focusing on the study of classic, mortise and tenoned, traditional chair design. As a bonus, you will apply your new knowledge and skills by making your own straight-forward Chippendale style side chair. As time permits, the chair will be assembled in class and completed at home. This will likely be the most rewarding project you will have undertaken and conquered. (Note: The Experience Woodworking 101 class, or equivalent experience, is a prerequisite for this class).

    TOPICS INCLUDE:
  • Design considerations, for comfort and style
  • Drawing techniques
  • Making good patterns you can use
  • Mortise and tenon joinery
  • Simplifying compound joinery
  • Clever table saw jigs
  • Hand tool skills to add detail and value
  • Upholstery options
  • Finishing approaches



Chairmaking

Instructor:    Tom McLaughlin
Dates:           July 20-24 (M-F)
Tuition:          $670, plus $190 materials
Class size:         5-8      
Check status:   July

Click here to register for this	workshop
Register via fax or mail
Experience
Woodworking 201

The perfect follow-up to Experience Woodworking 101, this class focuses on the core skills related to making traditional case pieces (think any furniture type that begins with a “box-shape”). In this 5-day class, geared to advanced beginner/ intermediate skill levels, you will learn the time-tested techniques used in making a chest or drawers. Your dovetail skills will grow by leaps and bounds under the skilled guidance of furniture master Terry Moore. As an added treat, you will be learning these skills while making your own small “collections” chest, a sure heirloom that will be a great compliment atop a full-sized chest of drawers. The skills Terry will pass on to you in this class will equip you to make all kinds of chests of your own in the future!

    TOPICS INCLUDE:
  • Design considerations
  • Selecting and buying wood
  • Effective use of marking and layout tools
  • Dovetail joining a case
  • Sliding dovetails
  • Sharpening, using Handplanes and chisels
  • Dovetailing drawers and precisely fitting to an opening
  • Sharpening and using a cabinet scraper
  • Finishing recommendations
  • Collections chest dimensions: 19"W x 10"D x 7"H, with three drawers




Dovetailing


Instructor:    Terry Moore
Dates:           Aug. 10-14 (M-F)
Tuition:          $670, plus $190 materials
Class size:        6-8      
Check status:   Aug.

Click here to register for this	workshop
Register via fax or mail
Veneering Workshop
After this 2-day encounter with veneering expert Terry Moore, a whole new world of fantastic woodworking potential will be opened to you. Some of the most incredible furniture made throughout history was made using veneers. Unknown to most, the finest figured lumber, burls and crotches, bypass the lumberyards and are sent directly to veneer mills. These beautiful materials are only available to those who know how to use them. In this class, Terry will guide you through time-tested techniques to using veneers effectively. You will enjoy lots of hands-on practice as you decoratively veneer three tabletops; an 18x18” book matched top with a border, a striking 18” round sunburst top, and a terrific 18” square chessboard. As an added bonus, these valuable tops are yours to take home at the end of the class.

    TOPICS INCLUDE:
  • Purchasing, handling, and flattening veneer
  • Essential veneering tools
  • Cutting, matching, and taping techniques
  • Designing and laying out classic patterns
  • Choosing the best adhesive and substrates
  • Using a vacuum press
  • Correcting mistakes and unexpected problems
  • Border and edge band techniques




Veneering Class

Instructor:    Terry Moore
Dates:            Aug. 28-29 (Fri-Sat)
Tuition:           $270, plus $90 materials
Class size:         6-8      
Check status:    Aug.

Click here	to register	for	this workshop
Register via fax or mail

Woodfinishing Overview
For too long, wood finishing has needlessly remained a mystery to too many. In this one-day, concentrated class, Tom will break it all down into understandable components. You will end up with a thorough overview and knowledge base to more confidently and consistently achieve great finishes. The day will be chock full of explanations, demonstrations, question and answer sessions, and hands-on opportunities. As an added bonus, Tom will share his favorite finishing processes and techniques, which he has applied successfully on fine furniture over his 19 years as a custom furniture maker.

    TOPICS INCLUDE:
  • Surface preparation
  • Understanding and applying wood stains and dyes
  • Oil finishes, use and application
  • Understanding and applying shellac and lacquer
  • Approaches to achieve special effects: filler, glazes, tints and toners
  • Techniques to rubbing out a finish




Woodfinishing

Instructor:    Tom McLaughlin
Dates:           Sept. 12 (Sat.)
Tuition:          $130, plus $80 materials
Class size:        6-10      
Check status:   Sept.

Click here to register for this	workshop
Register via fax or mail

 
McLaughlin Woods, Canterbury, NH 03224          Phone/Fax:  603-783-9700       
e-mail us        Site map