Hand Tool Essentials

In these classes below you will learn how to properly complete joinery and projects with mostly hand tools. You can learn how to create dovetails, half laps, or mortise and tenon by hand. Or you can build a hand tool tote, traditional mallet, or a step stool with only hand tools and some help with power tools.

Hand Tool Skills: Through Dovetails

Have you always wanted to know what it takes to make through dovetails, but by hand? Then this class is for you. In this hand tool skills class we will practice doing through dovetails multiple times which means you will get to test your skills using a handsaw and chisels a lot so make sure you're ready. We will be using poplar for our test joints as its easy on hand tools to use and easily accessible if you want to continue to practice with outside the class. In just a 2 nights class you go home with multiple test joints that can be used to analyze and show off your hand tools skills to others.

Key Points

Use of hand tools for your work
How to keep your tools sharp
Proper layout of your joinery

Class Size: 4 students (2 sessions)

Dates:

August 7th Thursday & 8th Friday @ 6:30pm - 9:30pm

Price: $300 + $20 materials fee

Hand Tool Skills: Half Blind Dovetails

Have you always wanted to know what it takes to make half blind dovetails, but by hand? Then this class is for you. In this hand tool skills class we will practice doing half blind dovetails multiple times which means you will get to test your skills using a handsaw and chisels a lot so make sure you're ready. We will be using poplar for our test joints as its easy on hand tools to use and easily accessible if you want to continue to practice with outside the class. In just a 2 nights class you go home with multiple test joints that can be used to analyze and show off your hand tools skills to others.

Key Points

Use of hand tools for your work
How to keep your tools sharp
Proper layout of your joinery

Class Size: 4 students (2 sessions)

Dates:

July 22nd Tuesday & 23rd Wednesday @ 6:30pm - 9:30pm

Price: $300 + $20 materials fee

Hand Tool Skills: Mortise & Tenon

Have you always wanted to know what it takes to make mortise & tenon joints, but by hand? Then this class is for you. In this hand tool skills class we will practice doing mortise & tenon multiple ways which means you will get to test your skills using a handsaw and chisels a lot so make sure you're ready. We will be using poplar for our test joints as its easy on hand tools to use and easily accessible if you want to continue to practice with outside the class. In just a 2 nights class you go home with multiple test joints that can be used to analyze and show off your hand tools skills to others.

Key Points

Use of hand tools for your work
How to keep your tools sharp
Proper layout of your joinery

Class Size: 4 students (2 sessions)

Dates:

TBD @ 6:30pm - 9:30pm

Price: $300 + $20 materials fee

Hand Tool Skills: Half Lap Joints

Have you always wanted to know what it takes to make half lap joints, but by hand? Then this class is for you. In this hand tool skills class we will practice doing half lap joints multiple times which means you will get to test your skills using a handsaw and chisels a lot so make sure you're ready. We will be using poplar for our test joints as its easy on hand tools to use and easily accessible if you want to continue to practice with outside the class. In just a 2 nights class you go home with multiple test joints that can be used to analyze and show off your hand tools skills to others.

Key Points

Use of hand tools for your work
How to keep your tools sharp
Proper layout of your joinery

Class Size: 4 students (2 sessions)

Dates:

TBD @ 6:30pm - 9:30pm

Price: $300 + $20 materials fee

Traditional Wood Mallet

How can a traditional mallet teach you a very important wood joint? Well, a mallet head attaches to the handle with a wedged mortise and tenon joint. That joint is completed by hand with the use of a drill, handsaw, and some chisels. The designed mallet heads are glued up prior to this class so that in one night in 3 hours your mallet is all finished. We will start by making the mortise in the mallet head with a drill and bit, then chop it out following our guide lines. Then taper the walls of the mortise to accept the flare out of the handle once wedged. Then we will fit the handle to mortise until you like the feel. And finally we wedge the head to the handle and give the mallet a final sand.

Key Points

The proper use of chisels and handsaws
Setting up guidelines for your joinery
Fitting your tools to your comfort

Class Size: 4 Students (1 session)

Dates:

July 29th Tuesday @ 6:30pm - 9:30pm

Price: $150 + $20