James Krenov described the plane as ‘the cabinetmaker’s violin’; in this class students learn to make, tune and use this iconic instrument.

The idea that quality work is the result of sensitive use of tools and materials is a fundamental premise in all our classes, and is a concept underlying the topics covered in this introductory class.

The course consists of lectures, demonstrations, and individual guidance at the workbench. The course covers in three weeks much of the material the nine-month students cover in six weeks. Attendees who account themselves as intermediate learners often remark upon how much they’ve gained in this intense class.

The first week begins with a day of understanding sharpness and how to achieve it. Each student will be provided with maple stock to make two hand planes. By the end of the week, students can accurately joint two boards and plane the resulting surface to flat and clean.

The next two weeks are concerned with traditional woodworking joinery techniques: edge joining, doweling, hand-cut dovetails, mortise and tenoning, and frame and panel work. We emphasize a satisfying balance between machine and hand tools.