Demonstrations, Classes, Lectures and More!
Saturday & Sunday, November 9th & 10th 2024
These educational sessions are available to EDU tickets only. Recorded sessions can be view after the event via the Digital Pass
Starting and running a furniture business does not come from some innate sense that one is born with, it is the sum of the collective knowledge one learns during their life. This course focuses on best practices for business skills, client interactions, and marketing, while not forgetting the importance of the creative side of making furniture. Just as no furniture maker is an island unto themselves, this class will be a collaborative discussion. Drawing from the participation of those attending the event as well as the experiences of Ethan Abramson (Best of New York List - New York Magazine, host of the popular furniture podcast Building a Furniture Brand). This class will be an open dialogue to help dig deeper into how to run a successful furniture business in the modern world.
Stereotomy, done manually, is an art and science for drawing, or more precisely, a way of representing volumes in depth. Stereotomy has been used by over a millennium in different countries and by practicing these manual drawings techniques has contributed to the cultivation of unique architectural and cultural heritage. French carpenters call stereotomy ‘L’Art du Trait’, German “Schiften” and Japanese “Kikujutsu”. Each culture using stereotomy manually in a very unique, but similar way, to create and represent their own well defined architectural style. The development of these 2D drawing techniques gave rise to their own unique cultural identity. Stereotomy is a method for using systematic geometric construction drawings to present architectural details in three dimensions, achieving a kind of “objectification of craftsmanship.” Due to large societal shifts largely from the industrial revolution, stereotomy as a knowledge sphere became sealed within traditional architectural craftsmanship; nevertheless, it was still passed down without interruption. Apprentice practitioners of practical stereotomy become knowledgeable through hands-on experience of a process which makes the most complex designs very manageable. In truth, the experience of this approach not only provides craftspeople with new skills and enhances those they already possess, but in fact transforms them in a more profound way. They begin not only to do things differently and think differently, but indeed to see differently. Stereotomy is an empirically based method that has been used for millennia in the design and construction in both European and Asian structures such as cathedrals, temples, pagodas, fortresses, castles, and many historically classified UNESCO world heritage monuments. Stereotomy, in France and Japan, has been listed on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Stereotomy is directly connected to practical work site issues, that has developed into a genuine intellectual discipline that cultivates the art of solving problems on one's own. In applying the art ad science of stereotomy, one can learn to use full size, or scaled down, working drawings to produce structures. Often, people consider these iconic buildings as being extremely complex and overwhelming because in their experience creating such structures must have involved a great many abstract complicated formulas and numbers. What drawing the stereotomy manually does is make the procedure a concrete visual one rather than an abstract one. By using these working drawings, it makes the complicated abstract math completely unnecessary. Practitioners of stereotomy eventually find themselves designing and producing structures they didn’t think they could by using the exact methods used by the master craftsmen who produced the very architectural masterpieces people admire when they travel to Europe and Asia. No calculators or computers needed! This is the beauty and empowerment of “L’Art du Trait”. People often ask me the question, “Why not just use AutoCAD or SketchUp?” My response is that even the use of this type of software is limited by the capacity of the user. What the experience of practical stereotomy changes are the users themselves. It unleashes their own creative potential by developing their minds, which in turn increases the creativity of their use of such programs, should they choose to use them. If one considers an artist using different media, the artist chooses to use a particular medium because he requires it to express his creative vision. In a similar fashion, when we stimulate the creativity and expand the mental capacity of a craftsman, the technology he employs expresses his vision as well. As such, what he creates is not limited by technology, but rather the technology is at the service of the craftsman. The aim of practicing stereotomy manually is to expand minds and the ability to problem solve. The ways they choose to express themselves can become limitless. They do not depend upon, but rather creatively use technology. During this seminar we will look at a slideshow that will help illustrate what the Art and Science of Stereotomy is and how it is used. We will examine buildings and constructions that used stereotomy and how it transformed societal architecture in a profound way. You will learn how stereotomy was once taught at trade schools and how each culture uses and identifies with it differently. We will also see how it is used in other areas of construction such as stair building and masonry.
How did bent lamination and plywood come to exist? What happens on a cellular level when layers of veneer are bent? And what factors do you need to consider when creating a mold for bent lamination? This lecture will explore how the driving principles behind bending and laminating wood have shaped contemporary bentwood furniture.
Stop thinking like a furniture maker and start designing like a car designer! Lessons we can learn from other industries about integrating digital tools into our work process. What can we learn from other design disciplines like automotive design that can help us to create our unique visions and keep us curious in our pursuit of making furniture? In this discussion, we will explore some innovative ways in which digital tools a can help us to advance our design skills and process. Topic Includes examples from Advanced CAD tools- like Sub D modeling and surface modeling, Generative design, CNC Fabrication techniques, 3D printing for final parts vs prototype process building, and using ai tools like mid journey.
This demonstration will cover adding textures and color to your work, where you can find inspiration, and how to successfully use a variety of tools to achieve a carved and textured surface. This will include ways to highlight the natural beauty of the wood or how to add additional textures to the piece through the use of various power tools and handtools. We’ll touch a little bit on different methods of adding color, such as milk paint and acrylics, and different finishes depending on what you are hoping to achieve with your work.
Join veteran designer Kelly DeWitt from KKDW to learn about creating furniture for hospitality spaces. Kelly has spent her career designing and creating furniture for restaurants, hotels, bars, retail spaces, and flagship offices across the nation, and in doing so she has learned what it takes to create something durable, budget-minded, and beautiful. These are hardwon tips that can be applied by woodworkers and furniture makers in any stage of their journey, whether you’re interested in creating your pieces slowly, one at a time, or looking to expand your practice into high-volume units. Throughout this talk, Kelly will discuss designing spaces in a holistic way, creating specific furniture pieces, and proven fabrication tips, plus how to stay creatively motivated and true to your vision. There will be time for questions and answers in this presentation.
Many woodworkers are familiar with how to make a bent lamination that curves along a single plane. The mold surface can be created by extruding the path of a two-dimensional curve. Just as a squared edge acts as a reference face in traditional woodworking, the single plane, represented by the flat sides of your mold, becomes your reference face. But how do you approach bending a lamination that curves across multiple planes at once? Where can you establish a reference face? This demonstration will explore strategies to create a freeform “mold” which yields repeatable compound curved bent laminations and the iterative prototyping process that goes into making a bend look effortlessly organic.
So, you are an accomplished woodworker. You've built projects on a personal or friendship basis. However, you're thinking of going professional. A new, paying client asks you for a bid to make a piece of furniture. Not only do you need to design and to figure out this new piece, you have to estimate its value. How do you approach cost estimation as a craftsperson? This session discusses several tactics, and the pros and cons of each one.
As digital media continues to take up more and more time in our lives, the idea of using social media for your business has gone from asking the question, 'should I use social media? ', to asking the question, 'how should I use social media better? '. Running your business with a content creation component is not something everyone has trained for, and can leave most feeling overwhelmed with a new task added to their list. Or, it can leave one feeling confused about understanding goals to reach in a system they are not familiar with. This is not a class centered on growing your social media (although the topics discussed can help). It is a class for learning how to include social media as a productive part of your day, and finding ways to incorporate it in your process, so making content goes from being a hindrance to another enjoyable creative outlet.
The class will cover the five steps for successful gluing. From dry assembly to waiting for the glue to dry. Wood glues can affect the wood as it is being assembled and being prepared in advance will eliminate costly joint failures and frustrating disassembly. The discussion will focus on the steps needed to use wood glues with ease, what to watch out for when the glue hits the wood and why failures occur. We will also cover some frequently asked questions and why there are so many different wood glues. Bring your gluing questions as this is a discussion, not just a presentation.
Turning a bowl is a fast and fun way to make use of wood. In this demonstration we will go from log to bowl. Come discover how to harvest your own bowl blanks from a tree, and how to create bowl blanks that highlight different features of the wood while anticipating wood movement. That blank will then be turned on the lathe. We'll discuss grain direction in woodturning and proper tool usage, while also showcasing the importance of using sharp tools. By the end of the session, we should have a turned piece that can be used as an everyday item in your home.
Come watch (and participate in) a highly interactive demonstration, showing the fundamental aspects of windsor chair making. Including shaping Greenwood parts split from a log, carving a classic Windsor chair seat and finish with a beautiful steam bending. We will cover a bit of history, tools of the trade And their use as well as how to get started building your own Windsor chair
