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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

Have you always wanted to know what it takes to make dovetails, or create a mortise and tenon joint, but by hand? Then this is the class for you. In this hand tool skills class we will practice the following joints: through dovetails, half blind dovetails, half lap, mortise and tenon different ways. Throughout the class 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 5 nights 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 (5 sessions)

Dates:

  • March 18th Monday - 22nd Friday @ 6:30pm - 9:30pm

Price: $1000 + $50

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:

  • September 23rd Monday @ 6:30pm - 9:30pm

Price: $150 + $20

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