UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
*Due to Covid-19, all group workshops have been suspended, however I am able to provide 1:1 instruction with masks and physical distancing/outdoors. Be smart, stay healthy, and stay safe.
Surveying your wooden boat
Do you want to take on the challenge of restoring or rebuilding a family heirloom? Maybe a wooden boat came your way at a good price, or even free, and you want to know what it might take to breathe life back into it? Come spend a day and, using a systematic approach, learn how to work through and diagnose your boat, the issues and problems you might encounter, and how to plan a predictable and linear sequence for your restoration.
We’ll cover a variety of construction types: lapstrake, mechanically fastened and composite strip built, carvel, wood/canvas, and plywood. While your project is likely only going to fall into one of these, a broader knowledge the different ways boats go together will still be a big benefit. A surveying guidebook will be provided, but be sure to bring a pen and paper for note taking.
Maximum Participants 4 / Minimum 2
Pack a lunch
Coffee and water provided
Handplane restoration
75 years ago, hand planes remained a ubiquitous essential of any toolbox, homeowner or professional. With the advent of portable power tools and abrasives, they fell out of favor, relegated to antique shops and gathering dust on garage window sills. But handplanes are as practical now as they ever were, both for the hobbyist and professional.
Bring in an old handplane or two you have — or pick from the collection here at the shop — we’ll work together to breathe life back into these venerable tools, and you will discover for yourself the unparalleled joy of using a well tuned handplane.
Maximum Participants 4 / Minimum 2
Pack a lunch
Coffee and water provided
Hand tool sharpening
Hand tools are too often dismissed as outdated and needlessly difficult to use. The real key is in having a sharp tool. We’ll work through a varsity of approaches and systems to achieve a truly sharp edge on a variety of hand tools. From planes, spokeshaves, drawknives, and chisels, experience the satisfaction that comes from having sharp edge tools. Participants are encouraged to bring in their own tools. Otherwise, there is a collection of tools here at the shop available for both practice and purchase.
Maximum Participants 4 / Minimum 2
Pack a lunch
Coffee and water provided
Fundamentals of steam bending
Steam bending wood into curving shapes is often seen as a mysterious, dark art, but there is really no mystery other than following some basic rules that will almost always guarantee good results. We’ll go through the process from the woods to the workbench. Selecting wood species, stock preparation, variations of steam setups, and bending methods. We’ll practice with forms for wooden boats and windsor chairs, using and discussing a variety of approaches that will keep the bending process predictable and simple. Participants will leave with a steam bent handle for a tool box.
Maximum Participants 4 / Minimum 2
Pack a lunch
Coffee and water provided
Build a boatbuilder’s tool box
There is a good feeling in having a homemade tool box. Our version is study, lightweight, and made largely with just a few hand tools. The construction is distilled down what matters most; strong joints. Dovetailed corners and a pegged, through tenon handle not only look good, they will hold up to generations of use.
Maximum Participants 4 / Minimum 2
Pack a lunch
Coffee and water provided
Making the boatbuilder’s half hull
Learn how to make the boatbuilder’s half hull. The half hull, a cornerstone of boat design and building for over two centuries, is an accessible and rewarding way to “build a boat”. We will work through the different lines that come together to make a fair hull and shape a beautiful, and accurate model of a boat. The class will be building a model of the Mackinaw Boat, a venerable work boat of the western great lakes with a rich legacy. Largely a hand tool project, this is a relaxing way to spend a few days at a workbench and end up with a family heirloom.
*Note: If you have a specific boat you'd like to make a half hull to, please contact me ahead of time so we can discuss if it is feasible and make preparations accordingly.
Maximum Participants 4 / Minimum 2
Pack a lunch
Coffee and water provided
Basics of lofting
The first time I lofted a boat, working from a table of numbers into a beautiful and functional full size series of drawings, it changed the way I looked at the world. Come and explore the unique and extremely useful skill of what lofting a boat means and how it can help you in your projects, boats and otherwise. We will work though the steps of setting up, the sequence of laying down lines, and how to use the lofting in the building process.
Maximum Participants: 4
Pack a lunch
Coffee and water provided