MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Kelly Parker

INTRODUCTION TO OVAL SHAKER BOXES

KELLY PARKER

Live & On-Line

These lovely oval boxes crafted from bentwood are made by hand and are associated with Shaker folklife because they express the utility and uniformity that was valued in Shaker culture.

Learn along with other makers as you participate in this live video conference class taught by Kelly Parker while you chat with your classmates from around the nation and world in real-time.  There is a lot of interaction, and you’ll get to watch and engage with Kelly as she leads you through the process of making oval shaker boxes using basics tools.  Kelly will be leading this from her workshop in Missouri where she is a master furniture maker.

The class is split into manageable sections of approximately two hours online followed by work periods where you will work at your own pace.

During this course, we will go over the traditional process of shaping the tails, hot water wood bending, and using copper tacks to make a series of boxes.  You will need a very limited number of tools such as a drill and a small hammer (see full list below) and everything else is provided in the kit.  This is a quiet, nonmessy process so you don’t need a big workshop or space.

You will learn to:

• Bend wood using hot water
• Shape the tails into decorative forms
• Pin and with decorative copper tacks
• Craft the bases and tops to get a clean fit.

This class is open to all levels and is suitable for a wide range of ages.

Resources

We’ll have a “Tech Check” call a few days before the start of the class for you to verify your connection and get familiar with Zoom if you need to.

You’ll also be invited to join our private Facebook group where you can chat, post questions, and get advice outside of class hours.  Come and join the quarantine team!

Finally, will we record each day, so that you can refer back to it as you work through your assigned tasks and homework.

Class Schedule & Times

The class is broken up into sections over two days. Plan on attending all of them all, just like you would in real-time.

• Sat  December 12th, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm EDT
• Sun December 13th, 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm EDT
• Tues, December 15th, 6:00 – 8pm EST – This is a “run over” in case we don’t finish on Sunday.

All times are shown in  Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Tools & Materials Needed: 

Laptop with a camera and wifi access
Hot plate or some way to maintain the temperature of the hot water in the galvanized tray for 15 – 20 mins
Tongs to get wood out of hot water
Sharp pencil to mark the lines.
Lightweight hammer
Coping saw or a sharp utility knife
Small clamp for pipe
Rasps – 1 coarse, 1 medium flat faced
A 1/16th drill bit
Small powered drill
Yellow glue (very small amount needed)
The finish of your choice

Registration includes Oval Shaker Box kit + Shipping (cherry bands, cores for 3 different sized boxes), shaper and finger patterns, 32″ galvanized tray, tac pack, pipe, sanding block, sandpaper).