“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world “
John Muir
Syllabus: Backyard Rustic Woodworking for Veterans
Saturdays, Jan 14 - Feb 18 2012, 10AM-2PM
Make a Small Chair, Table, Land Art, Carving, Accessories, Learn about Marketing
Rustic Woodworker Daniel Mack has been working with fallen wood, saplings, logs and driftwood for 30 years. He uses a variety of simple, traditional and contemporary woodworking tools to make furniture, architectural elements, accessories and sculptures. This workshop provide the basic skills to make rustic projects from common woods and driftwood and possibly start a small side business. More information go to museumvillage.blogspot.com.
January 14 at Dan Mack’s Shop, 14 Welling Ave., Warwick, NY
Rustic is just putting some patterns or forms on some materials
10 Meet, Tour studio area, Discuss materials, tools, safety possible projects,
10:30 Tools/Techniques Demo 1: mortise and tenon joint: by hand, with cutters
11-1 Make a Small Table: 4 holes, four tenoned legs Finishing options
1:30 Tools/Techniques Demo 4: power carvers, power chisels
January 21 at Dan Mack’s Shop, 14 Welling Ave., Warwick, NY
10 Tools/Techniques Demo 2: Drill Press, Big Drill, Chop Saw
11-2 Make a 12” Trophy Chair to get practice with tools, sticks, joint-making
January 28 at Museum Village, 1010 Rt.17M, Monroe, NY
10 Tour and Introduction and practice with the hand tools of woodworking
Hand Tool projects/Skills building1:30 Marketing Talk : Basic Writing skills, photography skills, elevator speech
February 4 at Newburgh Waterfront and/or Plum Point.
10 Introduction to working with driftwood: coped joints, mechanical joinery
Practice Land Art with Driftwood
1:30 Marketing Talk #3 networking, on-line and off-line; Media and Social media
February 11 at Museum Village, 1010 Rt. 17M, Monroe, NY
10 Small-scale woodworking. Intro to whittling, carving and rustic accessories.
11 Work on small-scale projects
1:30 Directions for Marketing and Selling
February 18 at Bear Mt. Park
10 Visit several Outdoor Benches Large scale Joinery, durability
11 Tour BMI Lobby: Birch Bark veneering
12 Gift Shop: who’s selling what?
1 Snack Bar: Marketing Talk; close of Workshop
CHECKLIST Workshop 2012
Goals
Increased facility with tools and techniques, Better understanding of personal sense of design, motivations for Making, appreciation for breadth--the “grammar”---
of natural materials
Tools:
learning when to use what tool
Shop Set-up Tables, lights, storage, heat, safety, air cleaning, Safety Glasses
Cutting Tools Loppers, Clippers, Knives, Hand Carving Tools, Saws: Hand folding, Bow,
Circular, Chop Saw, Reciprocating, Jig, Chain Saw: Gas, electric, Safety and blocking
Tenon Cutter: stationary, changing heads, adjusting blades, Safety and blocking
Portable (Lee Valley): methods of use; Alternatives: Hand Cutting, Chisels, hole saws, grinders
Antique Tools: hollow auger, spoke pointer, Rounder
Drills: 1/2”, 3/8” corded, battery, “keyless chuck”
Drill Bits Varieties, uses
Drill Press: floor, table model, Use of V Blocks, shims
Holding Hands in Gloves Vises, Clamp, extensions, bungees, Shaving Horse
Finishing Rationale(s) Grinders, Dremel, Sanders: Random Orbital, etc.
Sandpaper: grits, backings
Specialised Arbortech Carvers, Power Chisels
Techniques: Several Techniques can get similar results; Which to use??
Acquiring: The Hunt: Gleaning, Buying
Construction: Mortise/Tenon, Wedged Tenons Mechanicals: rationale, screws,(trims, timberlocs...)
Chemical: Glues: varieties, conditions for use
Alternative Joinery: Gravity, wire string, wax, velcro
Bark Applique handling, adhesion, trimming, finish
Finishing Oils, stains, lye, vinegar,
Sealers: oils, water-based, wipe-ons, Waxing
Woods: Identifying, Acquiring, Harvesting, Peeling, Storing Drying and Kilns and Bugs
“Country” Drawknife/Shaving Horse, axe, froe, spoke shave
Seating: Seat Weaving, Upholstery
Tricks and Tips: markers, paints, plugs, dirt, acorns, leveling legs
Outering/Uttering writing skills, speaking skills
Marketing selling windows or mirrors?
Materials:
Slab Wood and Driftwood to make benches and stools, Dry Sticks with Bark
Peeled, Fresh Cut: Hickory, Mulberry, & Maple
Purchased rustic materials: “fence posts”, fencing, lumber, Re-Claimed Wood, & planks
Exotics: White Birch Bark
Found Objects: stones, bones, feathers, soil, water, nests,
Projects: Time to Allow for Projects
Trophy chair, 12” high 4-6 hrs Bench 1 ¼ mortise/tenon joints 4 hrs
Garden Arbors/Trellises 4 hrs++ Ephemeral Work/Gifts 10 minutes ++
Land Art 1 hr++ Carved Bowls (with power carver) 30 min++
Found Wood Carving 1 hr++ Birch Bark appliqué 2 hrs++
Adult arm/side chair 10-12 hours Child’s arm chair, about 22” high 6 hrs.
Headboard 4 hrs Table structure 4-6 hrs
Discussion notes, concepts and terms
Elements of Rustic Design Rustic is an attitude, a mirror, a window
Human nature loves heartily well-balanced irregularity and longs for it in life, in character, and in almost everything else .
Calvert Vaux Villa and Cottage Architecture 1864
Rustic = affinity of opposites: geometry/nature, order/chaos, mater/pater, understructure/over structure,
Rustic = Linear and non-linear Geometry,
Rustic = The Need, the Intention, The Hunt, Making, Moving Along.
Rustic = geometry + craft + natural materials
Rustic = simple understructure + interesting feature
Rustic = mortality, transience, but not permanence
Rustic = a copy, interpretation, homage of something else.
Slide Talks: Dictionary of Rustic, Rustic in Architecture, Spirit of Rustic
The Four Needs: The Need for Wonder, The Need for Dexterity (hand-spirit, Infinite Play), The Need for Stories (the Diamonic), The Need for the Organic/Sensual/The Freal/The Carnal (Green Man./Al Khdir)
Nature-Time-Patience are 3 great healers
The “Other” Courses… Visitors to be alert for:
Your family: who visited you this week?? Who are you Building What For? Why?
Moods: frustration, slow, fast, Encounters with rude people, kind people, young people, the same people
Inferiores: the rest of the clan, the gremlins, the preferred, deferred and denied s’elfs, Dreams Coincidences,
Encounters with the Elements: fire, earth, water, air, moon, rain, cold, sweat, sun, smell, noise, movement
What Creatures Appear?: snakes (life energy), mosquitoes (persistence), rabbits, coyotes (trickster), spider(balance), butterfly(change/grace), salamanders(adaptable), bear(strong/introspective), raccoon(curious, playful pesky), fox(clever/adapts), ants(patient), heron(solitary), deer(sensitivity), owl (insight), hawk (vision/aggression), frog(healing/cleansing/transformation),
Activities/Exercises to honor the Other unconscious workshop
Tree Id
Woods Walks
Watching people
Looking at slides
Looking at Videos
Coincidences
Collecting Materials
Design Books
Field Trips
Visiting Sawmills
Drawing
Haiku/Senru Poetry
Mud Painting
Dancing with Sticks
Utensils
Kinetics
found/arranged Gifts
“Smalls”, Toys Land-Based Arrangement
Objects reflecting various techniques/materials
Collaborate, Assist, Be Assisted
Get up at 5:30 AM to hear some of the 100 possible Songbirds express Joy, Anxiety, Conspicuity, Alarm, Defense
Points of Rustic Interest for Possible Side Trips
, but anyone else interested in taking a class is welcome too. Museum Director Robert Schmick says “Orange County has a very large number of veterans, and we want to offer them opportunities to learn about some traditional trades and skills that connect with our 19th century setting that they might enjoy doing and which could become part of a side business.” There will be a 15 percent discount on tuition for veterans with an ID.
