Help design and build woodland or wetland creatures for holiday displays at Bloedel Reserve, the 150-acre forest garden on Bainbridge Island.
In this Community Service project, youth and adults will team up to turn natural materials gathered at Bloedel into sculptures that will be on display from Thanksgiving through the New Year. Each participant will receive a free pass to visit Bloedel during the holiday season to see how the projects were used and enjoy the trails.
Beginners, including adult helpers, are welcome. Participation is free but registration is required.
Everyone will work in teams of two. Teams can be two people ages 14 and above, or a youth age 12-14 and an adult. Parents or guardians can register to work with their youth or ask the BARN Woodworking Studio to recruit the adult team member.
This activity is offered on multiple days, and you can sign up for more than one. The goal is for each team to complete one piece at each session. To sign up for the Oct. 3 session, use the Register link on this web page. For the other sessions, click on the dates:
Details:
This class has been canceled. We apologize for the inconvenience.
(class canceled 10/3/22-CR)
This class has prerequisites. Please see below.
Learn how to create a lidded wooden box to hold a range of small items – candy, rings, trinkets – or just for show or gift-giving. Turning wooden boxes is an enjoyable, creative past-time; it’s also a skill-builder that encourages you to employ a variety of tools and techniques.
In this class you will create and finish a classic cylindrical box with a fitted lid from a single piece of stock. You will use not only familiar tools such as a roughing gouge, spindle gouge and parting tool, but also a negative rake scraper plus a skew, which will improve the quality of the surface and provide crisp transitions. You will learn the sequence of steps that must be followed to successfully complete a box with a precision fit to the top, and how to create and use a jam chuck for finishing the bottom.
This class is designed for turners who have mastered the basics and long to expand their techniques.
Prerequisites:
Please click here for BARN's current COVID-19 health & safety protocols.
You must wear safety glasses and closed-toe shoes, tie back long hair, and avoid loose-fitting clothing and jewelry. We recommend bringing your own safety glasses.
BARN is committed to accessibility. Tuition Assistance is available - click here to fill out the simple application before registering for a class. For those who might need physical assistance, please learn about BARN's Companion Program here.
Instructor:
Bob Abresch is a long-time woodworker who has been turning since 2017, when the BARN facility opened. He has taken classes from several notable local turners and has enjoyed creating a variety of turned objects which, much to his surprise and delight, have been popular items at BARN’s annual bazaar.
Learn the basic features of VCarve Pro, a popular program used to make signs, engravings, intricate inlays and imported 3D shapes and models on computer-controlled routers. VCarve Pro is easier to learn than Fusion 360, the other 3D design program taught at BARN, and can be used for projects on both the large CNC router in the Woodworking Studio and the small CNC router in the ETA Lab.
Session 1 will be in the ETA studio where you will use the VCarve Pro software to design an 8x16" sign. You will prototype your design on ETA's laser cutter then in session 2, you will meet down in the wood shop to carve it on the CNC router.
Please note: To take this class, you need a laptop computer with a mouse and a working copy of VCarve Pro 11 already downloaded to that computer. Download a free trial at www.vectric.com. The software requires a PC or a MAC that has Windows installed. There is no time during the class to download the program. If you have questions or run into problems downloading the program, please email the instructor for help. If you don't have a laptop you can bring to the class, you may use an ETA studio desktop computer with the required software already loaded.
Instructor: Al Ebken is a retired ocean engineer with many years of computer and computer-aided design experience. (In the picture, he's using the Woodworking Studio's CNC router to make parts for face shields to protect against coronavirus infection.
To use the shop, you will also need to attend our free one-hour Orientation to the Woodshop class.
Woodshop Tool Safety 1 will qualify you to use the following tools during Open Studio time and in classes that require certification in these tools:
Wear safety glasses and closed-toe shoes, tie back long hair, and avoid loose-fitting clothing and jewelry. We recommend bringing your own safety glasses.
BARN is committed to accessibility. For those who might need physical assistance, please learn about BARN's Companion Program here.
Build a small, Shaker-style table suitable as a lamp stand or night stand as you learn to take a project through all of the steps from initial idea to finished project.
This class is designed for students who know the basics of using tools but want to develop those skills more under the guidance of an experienced instructor. This class includes:
Richard Batcheller, owner of Blackmouth Design, a design and fabrication company on Bainbridge that does high-end retail installations and tackles other creative projects, will be the speaker for the October woodworkers' meeting.
Blackmouth Design is a full-service house that takes ideas through a design phase, sources materials, engineers the construction and fabricates the finished project. They utilize wood, carbon fiber, plastics, electronics, glass, and fiber. Their shop includes woodworking equipment — and also CNC, 3D printing, laser cutting, welding, composites, and paint. Sound like a commercial BARN place? It is. And a couple of BARN members and instructors work there. (The top picture shows weatherproof cladding for an urban planning team's office in Toronto. Below is signage on Bainbridge.)
Like many of our artists with an idea that they must bring to life, Blackmouth Design carries the process through on a higher-level, problem solving along the way. Many of the process are the same each of us experience in our studios.
Please join us as Rich takes you on his journey of Blackmouth Design as he shares his adventures in design and creation.
These monthly meetings always offer an informative presentation on various aspect of woodworking, plus a short business meeting. It's a good opportunity to meet other woodworkers of all skill levels, learn what's new in the shop, and share your thoughts on class offerings and studio operations.
As usual, we’ll have coffee and nibbles. Free and open to all — no need to register.
Instructor bio:
This class has been postponed. A new date will be posted shortly
"Where do you get your wood for turning?” -- Perhaps the most common question woodturners are asked by people new to the craft!
In this class you will learn not only where to find or buy wood, but also how to evaluate wood for different projects; how to cut, preserve and store it (if it is green); how to lay out bowls, vessels and spindles on your stock to ensure good project success; and how to maximize the yield from your wood. Much of the wood local turners use is free “found” or “fallen” wood, and there are many details to learn about how, when and where to obtain these treasures.
Woodturners use bandsaws to prepare much of their stock, and are often challenged by irregular pieces of wood that require special safety tactics. In this class you will learn how to determine which approach you should use for a particular piece of wood, be it a log, a burl or a piece of spindle stock. Students who have taken Tool Safety II will gain hands-on experience in cutting turning stock on one of the studio’s bandsaws.
You are welcome to bring one or two pieces of wood you want to evaluate for turning stock.
Instructor: Jamie Straw has been turning wood for several years, working on both spindle and bowl projects, and has taught woodturning at BARN since July 2017. She also serves as coordinator of BARN’s woodturning classes. She is past Vice President for Education and Training for the local chapter of the American Association of Woodturners. Her focus is on helping students build skills progressively as they design and create their woodturning projects.
Designed as a user's guide to BARN's Woodworking & Small Boatbuilding Studio, this free orientation session is required for all who wish to work in the Woodworking Studio. It will cover everything from shop etiquette to specifics of how to use the shop's dust collection and compressed air systems. Overall BARN policies, as well as shop-specific ones, will also be covered.
Participants will also learn about the leadership structure within the shop and about opportunities to participate in helping everything run smoothly. Volunteer jobs range from serving as safety monitors to helping on Maintenance Mondays.
Instructor: Jeff Williams
This program has prerequisites. Please see below.
If you're looking to tackle a project but want some help to develop and complete it, Woodshop Guided Open Studio is for you. By signing up for this program, you and up to two other woodworkers will have access to an instructor to guide your work. You will share the shop and tools with others, just as in any Open Studio. These sessions will be scheduled once a month, on the second Sunday of each month, while we gauge interest.
This program promises to help build your woodworking knowledge while increasing confidence and skill using the woodshop. It is open to both beginning woodworkers, as well as those with more experience who are seeking help with an unfamiliar process or a technical challenge, such as determining the most suitable joinery or designing a jig.
This class has a pre-requisite. Please see below.
As you build a poplar box about 6 inches wide, 12 inches long and 3½ to 4 inches tall, you will learn how to design, lay out and mark the dovetails, and how to cut them accurately and efficiently using hand saws and chisels. You'll also learn tricks for getting a perfect fit. Depending on the pace of the class, you will finish your box using a combination of hand and power tools. There may be time to make a lid.
Dovetails started out as a practical solution to keep drawers from coming apart as people tugged and pushed them in and out. Today, they still serve that purpose. But, in an era when there are machine-assisted ways to join wood at right angles, and mechanical drawer slides, hand-cut dovetails have become a code for fine craftsmanship.
You must wear safety glasses and closed-toe shoes. We recommend bringing your own safety glasses.
* This class has prerequisites. Please see below.
The 36” Northfield bandsaw is the Wood Studio’s “Big Boy” and requires separate user qualification from the other bandsaws. Successful completion of this class, plus some supervision in your first Studio use of the Northfield, will qualify you to use it independently in Open Studio. You will learn important safety guidelines, how to inspect and tune up this big saw, how to resaw boards and how to cut irregular or unstable stock safely.
Instructor: Jamie Straw. Jamie has been woodworking for more than 20 years and has experience on all of the standard stationary tools of a wood shop. Her first floor-model tool was a bandsaw, which she uses for both sawing large woodturning blanks and processing dimensional lumber.
It is time to make your perfect Jack O Lantern creations and there is no better way than with a proper set of carving tools.
This class will instruct you in making handles for each of these tools. This pumpkin carving set features: a Scoop to easily remove seeds and pulp, Angle Knife to help cut out patterns and trim edges; Serrated Carving Knife to create eyes, teeth, nose and other fine detail work.
This is an excellent beginning handle-turning exercise to introduce you to woodworking on the lathe and you will create a treasured tool set that will bring joy for many Halloweens to come.
Instructor: Mike Morgan
This class has a prerequisite. Please see below.
Get started on your woodturning adventure with this three-session beginner's class, where you will learn safety, tool control, and how to create the basic shapes involved in spindle and bowl turning. A small project will be started and completed as time permits.
By successfully completing this class, you will be cleared to use the wood lathes for spindle turning during Open Studio. While you will also be eligible to take a bowl-turning class, it is strongly suggested that you spend time turning in Open Studio a few times before you enroll in a bowl class.
In Session 1, you will learn about woodturning safety, bevel contact, and gouge technique focusing on good body mechanics - all important to building a foundation to launch your turning skills. You will use the roughing gouge during most of the class, followed by an introduction to the regular (“fingernail”) spindle gouge. Tools you will use: spindle roughing gouge and fingernail spindle gouge.
In Session 2, you will review the earlier lesson, and then focus on the spindle gouge and parting tool, learning new mechanics for turning beads and coves. Toward the end of class, you will learn how a scroll chuck and tenon work in preparation for Session 3.
In Session 3, you will increase the precision of your turning technique by making a small project such as a honey dipper, finial, spinning top, or goblet, with your own design elements. You will use a scroll chuck, a Jacobs chuck and Forstner bit.
Virtually all woodworking projects involve measurement and math, for everything from calculating materials needed to ensure that parts are cut to dimensions that fit together properly. This class, part of BARN's Woodworking Basics series, will walk you through various kinds of measuring tools, from rulers and measuring tapes to French curves and digital calipers.
You'll get tips about how to lay out angles and curves, how to measure, and how to mark dimensions to ensure accuracy. You will also learn basic math principles that are helpful in woodworking — and ways to cope if math isn't your strong suit.
This activity is offered on multiple days, and you can sign up for more than one. The goal is for each team to complete one piece at each session. To sign up for the Oct. 17 session, use the Register link on this web page. For the remaining sessions, click on the dates:
Learn the basics of designing and building Euro-style cabinets, also known as frameless cabinets, as you build a versatile utility cabinet that could be at home in a den, office, craft room or garage.
You will build a base cabinet with a top drawer, two doors and one or two shelves. You will be able to modify the dimensions to fit your needs, within the limit of what can be cut from a sheet of plywood. The materials fee covers one sheet of 3/4-inch hardwood plywood per student, with an option to get it pre-finished or unfinished, in case you want to paint once you take it home. Also included are 100-pound-capacity, full-extension drawer slides, hinges, and other supplies needed to complete your cabinet. If you want to use your cabinet later as a free-standing piece, you may want to add casters and a countertop. These will be discussed in the class but the materials are not included in the class fee.
The class will start with an overview of cabinet styles, with an emphasis on Euro-style cabinets and their components. There will also be a discussion about cabinet materials and useful tools. You will learn how to sketch a plan, make a cut list and estimate materials, then go on to accurately and safely cut down sheets of plywood and assemble the pieces into a sturdy, square cabinet box. You'll also learn how to add components: shelves, doors and drawers. The class will cover the basics of how to install cabinets, but the actual installation is not included in the class.
Instructor: Dave Whitacre, assisted by Wayne Chang and Roz Estime.
Instructor: Charles Sharpe
Gain confidence in using a wide array of power tools safely in this three-week component of BARN's Intro to Woodworking series.
You will build a sturdy, two-step stepstool of solid wood and plywood. The project was specifically designed to give you experience with the most common stationary and portable tools in the woodshop:
Instructor: Bob Mathisrud. Bob was cross trained in many trades as a stationary operating engineer, for over 20 years. He helps at BARN in many ways, including by volunteering as a safety monitor in the Woodworking Studio. Morgan Neff will assist.
Have a well-loved piece of furniture in need of repair or just wish you knew how to bring one back into usable condition? Or do you want to touch up or even completely renew the finish on a fine piece? In this hands-on class, you will learn how to assess a piece of furniture and how to get it back into shape.
You can bring your own piece of furniture or a part, such as a drawer, that needs help. If you don’t have a piece but would like to learn repair techniques, the instructor will provide a project for you to work on. The instructor will discuss the repair issues of each piece that students bring, so you will learn about a wider array of techniques than just what is needed for your own project.
If your project is too challenging to complete within the four sessions of this class, you may continue the work during Open Studio time or in a future furniture repair class. Open Studio is always free for members. Non-members can also participate without paying the usual $20 fee if they are completing a class project.
Instructor: Carol Fiedler Kawaguchi is a professional woodworker who specializes in restoration of antique furniture through her business, C-Saw, on Bainbridge Island. After earning a fine arts degree from Western Washington University, she worked in New Mexico as an apprentice ceramicist and then as an apprentice violin maker, developing her skills in fine woodworking and traditional finishes. She began designing and building custom furniture in the mid-1980s. Her interest in European, Early American and Asian antiques led her to focus on their restoration and repair.
Instructor: Jeanne Huber
When you're planning a project, do you choose wood by color? By how hard it is? By its grain pattern? The right answer usually involves several factors, but it really depends on what you want to build.
This class, which is part of BARN's Woodworking Basics series, will start with a discussion about how wood grows and how that influences the look and performance of lumber. You'll learn about moisture content and wood movement, and how that should influence the wood you choose for various projects. You will also learn why the best option in some cases isn't natural lumber but a panel product such as plywood or even particleboard.
This activity is offered on multiple days, and you can sign up for more than one. The goal is for each team to complete one piece at each session. To sign up for the Nov. 4 session, use the Register link on this web page. For the remaining session, click on the date:
Learn about wood and some of the tools and techniques used to shape it as you make a variety of clever gadgets to use in your home kitchen or give as gifts. Depending on the pace of the class, these may include a pasta strainer, an herb stripper, a hot oven-rack puller and pusher, a cheese board, a cookbook or iPad stand, and a silverware tote.
You will learn tricks for accurately measuring and marking wood, how to cut straight and curved shapes, how to drill, and how to smooth surfaces for final finishing. You will also learn some of the properties of wood and how those affect smart ways to work with it.
Below you can see an oven rack puller and a pasta strainer in use. Never burn your fingers again! And forget about needing to wash a colander when you make pasta.
Instructors: Jeanne Huber, Morgan Neff and Marianne Spur. All three are safety monitors in the Woodworking Studio and enjoy sharing their love of woodworking with youth.
