Description

Learn to process and re-construct reclaimed wood from historic buildings in this power tools crash course.

DESCRIPTION

In this course we will go over the basics of processing reclaimed wood. Learn to take rough lumber through the milling process, measure and cut parts, and construct a small stool. This course is geared towards beginners who want to gain confidence with fundamental power tools to feel more capable in their own homes and lives. With a focus on safe practices and in depth discussion of machinery, students will be encouraged to ask questions and take their time learning processes correctly. As this is a course on reclaimed woodworking, we will also be discussing the history of the woods we work with and the beauty of giving new life to an old material.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Read a board
• Chop Saw (straight and angled cut)
• Jointer
• Planer
• Table saw
• Band saw
• Drill
• Pin nailer
• Hand Sander
• Finishing

WOOD SELECTION

Reclaimed woods include:

• Douglas fir from an 1930’s era commercial building in Rego Park, Queens. With it’s great strength-to-weight ratio and warm tones, Doug fir and other Northwest softwoods – trees that grew to enormous size (sometimes higher than redwoods) – were used as structural woods within many mid-century warehouses across NYC.
• Longleaf pine from an 1890’s warehouse in lower Manhattan – Dense, hard and available in huge dimensional sizes from old growth Southern forests following the Civil War, longleaf was a staple timber of the Industrial Revolution – framing everything from the base of the Brooklyn Bridge to warehouses and the stunning strip flooring of city row houses.
• Southern softwoods – These boards are from a recent UWS construction project. But every board has a story to tell. And lumber from different eras have comparable environmental value. Made of dense high grade Southern pine, these woods are available in a ready-made dimensional size and have acquired a gently aged patina and character marks.

MEET THE MAKER

• Michal Mandil is a woodworker and artist based in New York City. She brings her experience at custom furniture shops, cabinet shops and her own sculptural furniture work to the classroom. Michal takes great pride in this craft and this material and is excited to share that with others.