Cut the Cord: Build a Table with Hand Tools at Lie-Nielsen


What if you could build furniture efficiently without relying on power tools? Ever wish you could “cut the cord” completely, finally freeing yourself from the dust and scream of machines?

This summer I will be teaching a weekend workshop at Lie-Nielsen which lays the foundation of pre-industrial (read: efficient hand-tool-only) woodworking by building a small pine worktable with hand tools. The emphasis of the workshop is the rediscovery of the efficiencies of hand tool woodworking that have been lost since the industrialization of furniture making. Students will be able to examine and handle a few different disassembled 18th and 19th-century pieces to see period tolerances and the difference between “show” surfaces and “non-show” surfaces for themselves. Students will learn to process rough sawn boards with handsaws and hand planes and cut joinery in a period appropriate no-nonsense fashion. If you’ve been following along with M&T, you know what I’m talking about here.

Through the class, students will learn to design without measurements, build without machines, and assemble without clamps. The table features tapered legs, drawbored and hide-glued mortise & tenon joints and an optional dovetailed drawer for those interested.

If you have only tried your hand at hand-tool-only techniques, I invite you to join us June 17th and 18th to put these skills into practical use.

You can sign up for the class here: https://www.lie-nielsen.com/workshop/USA/150

I look forward to seeing you there!

 - Joshua

 


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