Capstone | Owain Harris

CAPSTONE CLASS FOR CERTIFICATE STUDENTS

In this class, you will use the skills you have acquired in your core classes and on your woodworking journey so far to build a furniture piece of your own design. Design to Fabrication is a prerequisite for this class. The following things covered in that class will need to be completed prior to the start:

• Accurate shop drawings and cut list completed
• All material purchased and rough milled where appropriate
• Bending moulds and forms built if needed
• Hardware ordered

This class will focus on the strategies and approaches needed to successfully move a complex design through the shop from rough lumber to completed piece and the specific techniques required to execute your own design. Additional time will be spent discussing various professional development topics such as estimating cost and time, creating proposals and contracts, and understanding overhead.

The curriculum includes:

• Efficient milling strategies with a focus on creating harmonious designs through material selection
• Project planning and management
• Calculating time and costs to produce accurate estimates and quotes
• Joinery design and execution
• Working with curved components
• Door and drawer making
• Planning stress-free glue-ups
• Adding details and embellishments
• Hardware selection and installation
• Finishing

You will work closely with the instructor before the start of class to refine your idea. We encourage you to challenge yourself for this project! The outcome of the class will be different for each person. Because each project will be different, there will be learning opportunities beyond your individual project — you will learn by seeing how your fellow students approach the problem-solving process for their projects.

The piece you are building in this class should adhere to the following parameters:

• The combined width, height, and depth of the piece must be less than 75” (W+H+D= less than 75”)
• The piece must have:
• A door or a drawer, not both
• A minimum of two types of traditional joinery
• Thoughtful use of wood species, cut and grain
• A minimum of one embellishment or detail (carving, pyrography, texture, color, inlay, marquetry, contrasting wood species, use of additional materials, etc)
• A curved element — either cut from solid wood or a bent lamination (bending form would be built before class)
• If your design involves a door, traditional morticed butt or knife hinge
• A hand-applied finish (shellac, oil, Osmo etc)

There is no pass or fail in this class; rather, the student, instructor, and Director will critique and evaluate the work at the end of the class.

TOOLS NEEDED:  Determined by the student project

MATERIALS NEEDED:  Provided by the student.  Maybe preordered from the School

RESIDENCY STUDIES

Four benches are available in this class for non-certificate students who wish to work on building a piece under the guidance of a senior-level instructor. If you are interested in this, you must apply using the following FORM.

It is highly recommended that you take the Design to Fabrication class before this.  This is not a traditional class; it will be up to you to determine what you accomplish each day and what your overall goals are for your time in the workshop.  You will need to be familiar with the School, competent in using all power tools and seeking an opportunity for focused work under the guidance of a professional furniture maker.