Learn how to make a hammer from aluminum and brass as you
Machining operations covered in the class include basic metal turning, external thread cutting, knurling, chamfering, cutting off, milling a flat on a round work piece, drilling, and tapping threads.
The hammer - yours to keep - has a brass head and is useful as a "positioning" hammer. If you want a hammer head other than brass that's 1¼ inches in diameter, bring the material to the class.
Before the class, students should view the following four YouTube videos by "That Lazy Machinist" on how to make this type of hammer:
Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4
Please click here for BARN's current COVID-19 health & safety protocols.
BARN is committed to accessibility. Tuition Assistance is available - click here to fill out the simple application before registering for a class. For those who might need physical assistance, please learn about BARN's Companion Program here.
Peter Moseley
Learn the essentials of the Centroid CNC VCP (Virtual Control Panel), the interface for all CNC machines in our studio.
This is a prerequisite for the CNC Lathe and CNC Mill classes, and highly recommended for CNC Plasma Cutter classes.
You’ll learn what all those buttons do, which directions the machine moves along the different axes, how to load a G-code program, and the way to communicate directly with the machine via MDI (Manual Data Input).
There’s a lot to know about operating a CNC machine beyond loading a program and pushing the button, and this class will get you started. After attending this class, you can proceed directly to Introduction to Plasma CNC, Fusion 360 CAM for Lathe or Mill, or CNC Lathe and CNC Mill classes.
Wear closed-toe shoe, tie back long hair, avoid loose-fitting clothing and jewelry and roll up sleeves. Wear hearing protectors when warranted and safety glasses (bring your own or use BARN's).
None
Ages 14 and up are welcome.
View BARN’s current COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
BARN is committed to accessibility. Tuition assistance is available. Fill out the application before registering.
For those who might need physical assistance, learn more about our Companion Program.
Eli Backer is an artist, composer, and engineer, working in a wide range of media and constantly making. A Bainbridge native, she holds an MFA in Glass from RISD, and a BS in Computer Engineering from Cal Poly, SLO. Her work may be found in the Cynthia Sears Artist’s Books Collection at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, at the Center for Book Arts in NYC, and at the Fleet Library in Providence, RI. She is a self-taught machinist, having bought a lathe during the pandemic, and finds the precision machine tools offer incredibly relaxing.
Contact: David Hays [email protected]
Create a pattern you can cast into metal and begin your casting journey!
Learn one of many ways to create a pattern of the casting you envision. Once completed, you can use the pattern in our Metal Casting in the Foundry class to create a mold for molten bronze or aluminum to produce your casting.
Making a pattern is the first of three basic steps of the foundry arts:
We recommend you consider three, no-fee informational classes we offer online: Introduction to Metal Casting, Patternmaking for Metal Casting and Finishing Castings. And this class completes that first step, where you learn how to make pattern used to produce a working mold..
The second step involves taking Metal Casting in the Foundry, which can be repeated as desired and qualifies you for guided studio time in the foundry, and where you learn to make molds from patterns and pour molten metal into the mold to for the casting.
Finishing a Metal Casting class is also recommended and can be repeated as desired. Guided studio in the foundry is where advanced casting skills are built.
Jeff Oens is a widely renowned sculptor with bronze artwork exhibited in prominent art collections and public displays across the United States and Canada. He is best known for his outstanding wildlife sculptures, but his portfolio also includes human figures, mythical creatures, and other diverse subjects, ranging in size from miniature to monumental. Many of Jeff’s sculptures can be seen around the industrial park on Three Tree Lane.
This is the class you want to take for your first time at a metal-cutting lathe, or if you just want additional experience.
Gain experience making a bolt on our Hardinge lathe, beginning with a hexagonal aluminum rod. Learn the basic functions of the lathe, including facing, turning, threading, parting, and chamfering.
You not only get a chance to gain confidence using our shop tools, but make a lovely bolt that spins freely into the nut you’ll create in our Make Your Own Nut (Intro to the Mill) class.
Machine Shop Orientation
Andy Dupree
Fix-It Saturday takes advantage of the equipment and skills of the Metal Fabrication group at BARN to meet the challenge of repairing items brought in. Requested repairs should be focused on metal or related electrical projects. Your hands on participation in the "fix-it" process is encouraged.
See what we can do, what suggestions we can make, or what other avenues you might pursue if a fix is not at hand.
(No wheeled vehicles, please).
Registration is suggested. Fix-It Saturday is free and open to members and non-members.
Please Note: Fix-It Saturday runs concurrently with an Open Studio available to qualified users. Open Studio users must register and pay the required materials fee for the Open Studio that is also held on this day. ----------------------------------
BARN will provide Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for participants.
Participants who plan to weld must wear natural fiber clothing, long pants, long sleeves, closed toe shoes (natural fiber or leather), no stretch fabrics, and long hair tied back.
Received 5-21 via a calendar from Henry and posted on 5/2
Take the first steps toward mastering the art of sheet metal work and create a display stand in the process.
Learn personal, tool, and shop safety; then learn how to use most of the basic tools for your future sheet metal projects - pattern layout, cutting, bending, shaping, and even the spot welder.
Practice your skills by making a display stand.
This introductory class serves as a prerequisite for all subsequent classes, including Organic Shaping and Forming.
A metal display stand to take home.
All needed materials are provided.
David Albergine
This class offers about two hours of hands-on instruction in Tungsten Inert Gas welding, different types of welds, and torch and filler rod manipulation.
Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding is generally recognized as the welding technique of choice for artisans and more exotic materials including aluminum and stainless steel.
TIG welding is more difficult to learn than Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding since it requires greater hand/eye coordination and the simultaneous use of both hands and one foot (controlling the amperage pedal.) TIG welding is a precision process particularly useful in high-grade artwork and metal sculpture.
The class includes shop safety and hazard awareness and proper use of personal protection equipment.
Patrick Clanton - Patrick is a professional welder with more than 30 years of experience. He participates in the artisan community on Bainbridge as a welder in support of other artists and as a sculptor in his own right. Patrick Clanton Email: [email protected]
This overview of tool capabilities, hazards, and safety - required if you’re new to the shop – is the first step to using them!
Major tools will be identified, and their use discussed along with their related hazards. You’ll learn the various welding and plasma cutting capabilities the studio has to offer, and the proper use of grinders, cutters, and saws. You’ll also be introduced to the many sheet metal working tools available, both hand-held and larger shears, roll, brakes, and spot welder.
This “observe and learn,” no-cost class offers only the basic but required understanding of what’s possible in our Welding & Sheet Metal shop. Hands-on experience with these tools is gained by taking classes and gaining hands-on practice. So the next step - in order to get that “hands-on practice” - is taking Welding: Wacky Tacky Art; it’s usually scheduled immediately after this orientation - it’s loads of fun and you’ll learn a lot!
This class is free but please register as the class is limited to four people for safety and so the instructor can focus on the presentation and help students.
(Our Welding & Sheet Metal Studio is fondly referred to as the Jack Archer Workshop, or "JAWS," in honor of our beloved BARN instructor, Jack Archer.)
Bob Mathisrud has a long work history of facilities operations, which has provided him with a wide range of experience in the skilled trades. He helps at BARN in many ways, including volunteering as a safety monitor in several studios.
You will receive basic instruction on how to tack-weld with our Miller MIG 215 welders. This is a hands-on class designed to build the skills needed to safely participate in welding open studio events. Note that classes or equivalent experience in MIG - metal inert gas - or TIG - tungsten inert gas, is required to weld during open studio).
You’ll be outfitted with all the safety gear needed to safely operate the tools used. This is your gateway to welding and is highly recommended prior to any welding or plasma cutter classes. Above all, this is truly a FUN class full of great learning experiences.
Bob Mathisrud’s long work history of facilities operations has provided him wide ranging experiences in the skilled trades. He helps at BARN in many ways, including by volunteering as a safety monitor in several studios.
Learn about basic metal cutting, and the tools used for drilling, turning, milling, sawing, and grinding.
See basic demonstrations of the drill press, lathe, milling machine, cut off saw, bandsaw, and surface grinder. Throughout, safety issues will be emphasized for these powerful and potentially dangerous machines used in the Machine Shop.
Learn the essentials of the CNC (Computerized Numerical Control) Lathe and how to safety operate it, and cut some metal!
In the second session, we’ll load a model created by one of the students into Fusion 360, examine and prove the CAM setup and G-code, cut some air, and then cut some metal.
These prerequisites provide an important foundation for learning how to use the CNC Lathe and use of it during open studio. Please log in to your BARN account and click on "My event registrations" to ensure you have completed the required prerequisites before you register for this class.
Contact: David Hays at [email protected]
This is a hands-on introduction to MIG (metal inert gas) welding – the easiest-to-learn technique with broad applications.
The goal at the end of the class is for you to feel comfortable operating the welding machine and the MIG welding process.
The class begins with a safety briefing, followed by an introduction to welding theory and materials. You'll spend about two hours in hands-on practice while receiving guidance on technique. At the end of class, you should be able to lay down a MIG bead and to be able to identify and remedy problems with the bead. Many will have advanced to exploring different types of weld joints or welding materials of different thicknesses.
Each participant will have the use of a fully equipped Miller 215 welder and go through the welding set up process.
Once you've completed the class, you'll be eligible to participate in welding shop open studios to practice and to improve your technique.
Wear long sleeves (natural fiber, no stretch fabric), long pants and closed-toe shoes of cotton or leather.
Erin Munter grew up on Bainbridge Island and moved to Oakland, Calif., in her 20s to attend the welding program at Laney College. After interning and volunteering at the metal arts school The Crucible, she returned to Bainbridge and began making furniture bases and other fabrication for Coyote Woodshop. She worked at another fabricating shop and taught welding to youth. She now does fabrication work all over Kitsap County. Her passion is everything welded including large and small indoor and outdoor household items. Her sculptures can be seen in local art shows.
Contact: [email protected]
Cast your own pattern or use one of BARN's in this introduction to metal casting.
Learn and advance your metal-art skills by casting bronze or aluminum into a mold you've already created, you make in our Patternmaking for Casting in the Foundry class or one of our stock patterns.
Molten metal is poured into the mold you’ve formed in green sand (an environmentally safe mixture of fine sand, clay, and water). After your casting cools, you’ll free it from the mold and experience the thrill as your artistic creation emerges.
Metal casting is the second of three basic steps of the foundry arts. What begins with a creative idea for a casting of art, utility, or both, evolves this way:
Create the casting (this class) by forming the mold, melting and pouring the metal into the mold, and break the casting out of the mold.
Finish the casting– remove the sprues, gates and runners; grind and finish the casting (and complete any additional machining required); and apply the desired finish or patina.
No need to be concerned about attending this class before you’ve made a pattern. When casting inspires your creative energies, take Patternmaking for Casting in the Foundry. Then take the Metal Casting class again - as often as you like. Our instructors help each student advance, no matter their skill level.
After casting your piece, register to clean up, polish, and finish it in our Finishing a Metal Casting class.
This is an off-site class - 9392 Wardwell Ave. N.E., Bainbridge Island
Wear natural fiber clothing, long pants, long sleeves, and closed-toe shoes (natural fiber or leather). No stretch fabrics, no hoodie ties, or dangling jewelry like bracelets that can get caught in machinery are allowed. Tie back long hair.
Jeff Oens is a widely renowned sculptor with bronze artwork exhibited in prominent collections and public displays across the United States and Canada, Jeff is best known for his outstanding wildlife sculptures, but his portfolio includes human figures, mythical creatures, and other diverse subjects, ranging in size from miniature to monumental. Many of Jeff’s sculptures can be seen around the industrial park on Three Tree Lane.
Frank Wurden earned his BS in electrical engineering at the University of Washington, and a BFA degree with an emphasis in life drawing, sculpting, and foundry art working with green sand, CO2 sand casting, investment casting, and ceramic shell casting. Sculpture materials were clay, foam, wood, or wax for the patterns, and casting in aluminum, bronze, and stainless steel. Frank says it’s been many years since he's actually done casting, so it’s great fun to get back into it.
Mario Oblak honed his passion for casting metal with a BFA (University of Washington) and an MFA (Rhode Island School of Design) in sculpture. Creating, designing, and building in different materials and mediums is a joy, but working in liquid metal is “it” for him. Mario feels “casting is a magical process that requires patience, skill, labor, and teamwork, with the results both satisfying and permanent.” By sharing his knowledge and experience, Mario wants to help others explore, learn, and develop skills so they can see their ideas come to life.
Learn to use the CNC plasma cutter as you create a metal house number.
This introduction to the CNC (computer numerical control) plasma cutter focuses on safety, general principles, start-up, and shut-down procedures of BARN’s CNC plasma cutter. Plasma is an ionized high-temperature arc that cuts through metal when combined with a directed jet of compressed air. Just as with BARN’s other metal fabrication CNC machines, this system is based on the Centroid Acorn CNC controller and has a similar Virtual Control Panel.
The design you bring to class (details below) will be created in Fusion 360 with most any font you wish. Once in Fusion 360, the design will be post-processed to produce the G-code (geometric code) to cut your specific design. G-code is the control language that commands the CNC plasma cutter when and where to cut.
With the G-code created and fundamentals of safe operation out of the way, you’ll learn the basics of machine operation: X- and Y-axis motion of the machine, torch height control, and Centroid’s Virtual Control Panel. Then you’ll cut your masterpiece!
View BARN’s currentCOVID-19 health and safety protocols.
BARN is committed to accessibility. Tuition assistance is available.Fill out the application before registering.
Bob Mathisrud has a long work history of facilities operations, which has provided wide-ranging experiences in the skilled trades. He helps at BARN in many ways, including by volunteering as a safety monitor in several studios.
In this class, you’ll learn about:
Knowing how to utilize the CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) functions is a big step toward using BARN's CNC machines and is required to produce usable G-code from a Fusion 360 model.
Eli Backer is an artist, composer, and engineer, working in a wide range of media who is constantly making. A Bainbridge native, she holds a master of fine arts in glass from the Rhode Island School of Design, and a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Her work may be found in the Cynthia Sears Artist’s Books Collection at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, at the Center for Book Arts in New York City, and at the Fleet Library in Providence, R.I. She is a self-taught machinist, having bought a lathe during the pandemic, and finds the precision machine tools offer incredibly relaxing.
This is the second class for those learning MIG (metal inert gas) welding, and builds upon what was learned in MIG #1.
Refine and practice what you learned in MIG #1.
This class will focus on how to perform different kinds of welds – butt, lap, “T,” corner, and edge. The goal is for you to feel comfortable operating the welding machine and know how the MIG welding process works in performing different welds. You will progress to welded pieces and/or a simple project at the discretion of the instructor.
Safety, welding theory, and materials will be reviewed.
Learn how to finish your rough casting with all of its unwanted gates, sprues, and runners.
Learn when to remove specific gates and sprues, and see how to finish the casting by grinding, texturing, and polishing to a desired finish (a separate class may be needed if machining is required). A media-blast cabinet may be used to get the desired texture. It’s also possible some blemishes will need to be filled using a TIG welder. Finally, you’ll learn how to apply a patina of your choice to achieve the finished look that appeals to you.
Finishing the casting is the third of three basic steps of foundry arts:
1. Make the pattern2. Form the mold and pour metal to create the casting3. Finish the casting
We recommend repeating this class as desired (the same recommendation stands for the classes Metal Casting in the Foundry and, of course, guided studio in the foundry, which is where advanced casting skills are built).
Make a basic Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) bead and progress to the techniques and practices needed for TIG welded joints.
The goal for this class is to feel comfortable operating the welding machine and with the TIG welding process in performing different welds.
From making a basic TIG bead to the techniques for TIG welded joints, the class focuses on how to perform different kinds of TIG welds – butt, lap, “T,” corner, and edge.
TIG welding requires more dexterity and practice than Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding. Students are encouraged to use open studios to practice their technique and develop confidence.
This is the second class in the TIG welding series.
TIG #1. Please login to your BARN account and click on "My event registrations" to ensure you have completed the required prerequisites before you register for this class.
Patrick Clanton - Patrick is a professional welder with more than 30 years of experience. He participates in the artisan community on Bainbridge as a welder in support of other artists and as a sculptor in his own right.
Patrick Clanton Email: [email protected]
Make a garden trug from old-growth cedar and copper in an intro to the Woodworking and Metal Fabrication studios.
Trugs are great for harvesting veggies or flowers. In this beginner-friendly class, you'll use wood purchased from Makoto Imai, a master of Japanese woodworking profiled in The Seattle Times. You’ll cut the end pieces with a bandsaw, and use a bandsaw or hand saw to cut strips for the basket bottom and sides to the desired length.
You’ll then bend the copper handle, cut the copper connector plate, and use Chicago screws to hold the parts together.
This is part of BARN's "Try It!" series of classes meant to introduce students to new skills.
A garden trug approximately 10" wide by 16" long
You must wear safety glasses and closed-toe shoes, tie back long hair, and avoid loose-fitting clothing and jewelry.
We recommend bringing your own safety glasses.
David Grant and Linda Sohlberg David is a safety monitor in the Woodworking Studio and has taken the lead on many community-service projects. Linda leads the sheet metal activities in BARN's Metal Fabrication Studio.
Canceled due to the Rotary Auction. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Learn how to work with metal or build on your metal-working skills in this four-day class. You'll begin with a safety briefing in our welding and sheet metal shop, then learn how to use all the tools you need to prepare and build your creations - cutters, grinders, vices, and spot welders.
Then it will be time to practice your skills and make your own unique creations with old silverware and other scrap metal parts that have been collected.
This is a great chance to have fun and learn some new skills this summer!
You may register your youth for an optional supervised lunch hour from 12-1 pm for the duration of this class.
Bob Mathisrud has a long work history in facilities operations, which has provided him a wide range of experience in the skilled trades. He helps at BARN in many ways, including by volunteering as a safety monitor in several studios.
Learn how to make a hammer from aluminum and brass as you learn basic metal machining techniques.
Bob Mathisrud - Bob’s long work history of facilities operations has provided him with a wide range of experience in the skilled trades. He helps at BARN in many ways, including by volunteering as a safety monitor in several studios.
This is the class you want to take for your first time at a metal-cutting vertical mill.
Gain an understanding of the three principal motions of the table in the X-, Y-, and Z-axes, how to make use of the DRO (Digital Read Out), how to control the speed of the spindle, using collets, and the different cutters used. You also practice layout, using the cut-off saw, “finding” an edge, facing and squaring on the mill, drilling, tapping, and filing a chamfer. This class dovetails with Make A Bolt (Intro to the Lathe) because the bolt you make in that class will thread into the nut you make in this class.
This class is suitable for both beginners and those who are fairly new to the shop and wish to gain experience.
You not only get a chance to gain confidence in using our shop tools, but you get to create a lovely square nut that will spin freely on the bolt you’ll create in the Make A Bolt (Intro to the Lathe) class.
Please wear closed-toe shoes in our studio. Tie back long hair, avoid loose-fitting clothing and jewelry and roll up sleeves. Wear hearing protection when warranted and safety glasses; bring your own or use BARN's.
