Steps Into Craftsmanship II Frank Strazza

Steps into Craftsmanship/Craftswomanship II with Frank Strazza

In this class, we will build a Craftsman-style clock to advance your fine woodworking skills– focusing predominantly on hand tool usage.

The clock itself is an excellent achievement for early woodworkers, and this particular clock is both beautiful and challenging.  There will be multiple elements – drawer making and installing, hardware installation, angled joinery, and understanding of craftsmen elements.

Frank will draw on his 30 years of hand and power tool experience to teach you how to build this clock while providing valuable woodworking techniques that you can use to make many different types of furniture.

This five-day class will take you, step-by-step, through the process of handcrafting a craftsman-style clock. Each part of the process is broken down into small, manageable steps so that you can concentrate on mastering one task at a time before moving on to the next. You will also learn the underlying concepts to understand how each step fits into the big picture.

Main learning objectives include:

• How to select lumber and mill wood for  case making
• Cutting and fitting mortise and tenon joints by hand and machine
• Working with tight tolerances – Piston Fit Drawer
• Fitting angled joinery
• Raised panel drawer bottoms
• Working with hand tools such as chisels, saws, planes, spokeshaves, and scrapers

You will be able to select from two different species of wood for this piece – maple and cherry so that you can “push” the feel of the piece to a more contemporary or a more classical feel.  The clock faces are also a variable – they are not expensive and students will be given the dimensions needed prior to the class so they can purchase their own.  The clock movement will be included as part of the class fee.

Please Note: Before taking this class, we recommend you take either Steps Into Craftsmanship I or the Intro to Handtools and Joinery class.