Building or repairing a violin is a challenging project, and not one that can be completed in a few class sessions. So this class is structured to let you work at your own pace with a minimum of stress. The class fee covers three hours a week of instructor time for 12 weeks — approximately three months. You can also work independently between sessions. If your instrument is not completed after three months, you can sign up for another 12 weeks (or more). It's likely that 12 weeks will not be enough to build a new violin, especially if you don't already have hand woodworking experience or if you can't devote much time to work on it between sessions.
The instructor will focus instruction on what each student needs. If you're building a violin, you will start with a bundle of wood and go through all the steps, from shaping the parts to assembling them, applying finish, and setting up your instrument so it's ready to play. If you're repairing a violin, the steps will depend on what is needed.
This class is open to beginning woodworkers and students who do not play the violin or fiddle (the instruments are the same; it's the playing that differs). But experience with either or both crafts would be an asset.
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.
Get started in woodturning by learning safety, tool control, and how to create basic shapes for spindle and bowl turning.
A small project will be started and completed as time permits.
In Session 1, you will learn about woodturning safety, bevel contact, and gouge technique focusing on good body mechanics - all important to building a foundation to launch your turning skills. You will use the roughing gouge during most of the class, followed by an introduction to the regular (“fingernail”) spindle gouge. Tools you will use include a spindle roughing gouge and fingernail spindle gouge.
In Session 2, you will review the earlier lesson, and then focus on the spindle gouge and parting tool, learning new mechanics for turning beads and coves. Toward the end of class, you will learn how a scroll chuck and tenon work in preparation for Session 3.
In Session 3, you will increase the precision of your turning technique by making a small project such as a honey dipper, finial, spinning top, or goblet, with your own design elements. You will use a scroll chuck, a Jacobs chuck and Forstner bit.
Completing this class clears you to use the wood lathes for spindle turning during open studio. While you also will be eligible to take a bowl-turning class, it is strongly suggested you spend time turning in open studio a few times before you enroll in a bowl class.
You must first complete Orientation to the Woodshop. Multiple sessions of this free, one-hour class are listed on the Woodworking Calendar. Log in to your BARN account and click on "My event registrations" to ensure you will have completed this class before Intro to Woodturning begins.
Jamie Straw has been turning wood for several years, working on both spindle and bowl projects, and has taught woodturning at BARN since July 2017. She also serves as coordinator of BARN’s woodturning classes. She is past vice president for education and training for the local chapter of the American Association of Woodturners. Her focus is on helping students build skills progressively as they design and create their woodturning projects.
Bring in a piece of furniture that's broken, wobbly or dinged and learn how to get it back into shape.
Have a well-loved piece of furniture in need of repair or just wish you knew how to bring one back into usable condition? Or do you want to touch up or even completely renew the finish on a fine piece? In this hands-on class, you will learn how to assess a piece of furniture and how to repair it.
You can bring your own piece of furniture or a part, such as a drawer, that needs help. If you don’t have a piece but would like to learn repair techniques, the instructor will provide a project for you to work on. The instructor will discuss the repair issues of each piece that students bring, so you will learn about a wider array of techniques than just what is needed for your own project.
Learn the basic safety principles of five key tools in the woodworking shop.
In this hands-on class, you will make practice cuts on wood that the shop will supply. Completing this class qualifies you to use the following tools during open studio time or in classes that have this as a prerequisite:
You will shape a piece of wood using specific studio tools.
All needed materials will be provided.
None.
Mike Morgan
Gather with other woodcarvers to share tips, explore different techniques, and work on individual carving projects.
More a weekly gathering than a formal class, Carving Afternoon is open to beginners as well as experienced woodcarvers.
Each session begins with basic safety and carving instruction, so beginners should plan to arrive promptly at 1 pm. Blanks for a simple carving project and all tools will be provided.
More experienced carvers should bring a project to work on as well as any personal carving tools, although BARN tools also are available. Once beginners are engaged in their projects, there will be time at each session to explore more complicated techniques, discuss carving traditions, learn about topics such as sharpening or wood selection, and get advice about the best way to proceed.
Work on your own project or one provided for beginners, which will be a simple basswood figure or design. The projects shown are all by BARN members who plan to participate in these sessions. Dan Webb carved the wooden balloon and the hand. Jeff Iller made the spoons. Bill Clapp carved the halibut bowl.
All materials and tools are provided at no cost for the instructor-led project. Participants must bring materials for their independent projects.
Learn how to design, lay out, and mark dovetail joints and how to cut them accurately and efficiently using hand saws and chisels. Also learn tricks to getting them to fit perfectly.
There won't be enough time in this class to complete a project, but you will go home with one or two completed corners, which you can use to refresh your memory later about which parts to cut and which to leave. It's surprisingly easy to get that mixed up if you haven't cut dovetails for a while, so having a reference piece can save you a lot of grief.
Wear closed-toe shoes.
Learn the basic features of VCarve Pro, a popular program used to make signs, engravings, intricate inlays and imported 3D shapes and models on computer-controlled routers.
VCarve Pro is easier to learn than Fusion 360, the other 3D design program taught at BARN, and can be used for projects on both the large CNC router in the Woodworking Studio and the small CNC router in the ETA Lab.
Session 1 is in the ETA studio so you can use the VCarve Pro software to design an 8x16" sign and prototype your design on ETA's laser cutter. In session 2, we meet in the Woodworking Studio to carve it on the CNC router.
Please note: To take this class, you need a laptop computer with a mouse and a working copy of VCarve Pro 11 already downloaded to that computer (you can download a free trial at www.vectric.com). The software requires a PC or a MAC that has Windows installed. There is no time during class to download the program. If you have questions or run into problems downloading the program, please email the instructor for help. If you don't have a laptop you can bring to class, you may use an ETA Studio desktop computer with the software already loaded.
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.
Al Ebken - Al is a retired ocean engineer with many years of computer and computer-aided design experience. In the picture, he's using the Woodworking Studio's CNC router to make parts for face shields to protect against coronavirus infection.
Learn to sharpen the tools you need to turn spindles, bowls, and other projects on the wood lathe.
To turn wood effectively and enjoyably, you need sharp tools with high-quality profiles.
Learn to sharpen gouges according to BARN protocol and gain an understanding of how to sharpen other tools (e.g., skews, parting tools, scrapers).
If you would like advice on your own tools, you are welcome to bring them.
This class is strongly recommended for students who have completed Intro to Woodturning or are enrolled in Intro to Bowl Turning. The class is required for any turners who wish to use BARN turning tools on an ongoing basis.
This is a skills class focused on sharpening tools needed for the wood lathe.
Any needed materials will be provided.
None
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.
BARN is committed to accessibility. Tuition assistance is available. Fill out the application before registering
Jamie Straw has been turning wood for several years, working on both spindle and bowl projects, and has taught woodturning at BARN since July 2017. She also serves as coordinator of BARN’s woodturning classes. She is past vice president for education and training for the local chapter of the American Association of Woodturners. Her focus is on helping students build skills progressively as they design and create their projects.
Learn how to use hand tools skillfully in this four-session component of BARN's Beginning Woodworking series.
Once you've taken Orientation to the Woodshop, join us to build a two-compartment tote, handy for storing or carrying silverware, garden tools, or other items. The project was specifically designed to give you experience with the most common hand tools.
You will learn to use:
All students must wear a mask to this class.
Orientation to the Woodshop (multiple sessions are listed on the Woodworking Calendar)
Tom Leurquin has been a BARN member since its opening and specializes in projects involving hand tools. After taking several hand tool courses at BARN and the Port Townsend School of Woodworking, he fell in love with the intimacy and meditative aspects of working wood by hand. His civil engineering background has helped him achieve a critical eye for detail and precision that enriches the art of hand tool woodworking.
At this month's free woodworkers' presentation, learn about some intriguingly different wood stains and finishes from wood flooring expert Tom Salisbury.
This presentation will focus on two types of products:
The monthly woodworkers' presentations are usually held in the Great Room, but this meeting will be in the main shop so that attendees can try out the stains and finishes on different types of wood.
These monthly meetings always offer an informative presentation on various aspect of woodworking, plus a short business meeting. It's a good opportunity to meet other woodworkers of all skill levels, learn what's new in the shop, and share your thoughts on class offerings and studio operations.
As usual, we'll have coffee and nibbles. Free and open to all - no need to register.
Get checked out on the Woodworking Studio’s major power tools not covered in the Tool Safety Checkout 1 class.
Jeanne Huber
This introduction to our Woodworking & Small Boatbuilding Studio is required for anyone who wants to work in the studio.
This free orientation covers policies and etiquette in a community workshop, safety, and the studio’s leadership structure.
The Open Studio experience is discussed as well as what the studio contributes to support members’ learning and project work.
Learning opportunities to help the studio run smoothly are provided. Volunteer jobs range from serving as safety monitors, assisting on community service projects, and helping on Monday Maintenance.
If you are new to woodworking, a basic series of classes is explained to help you begin your woodworking experience while using natural and sustainable materials to create with your hands.
You will learn how our studio works and fulfill the orientation prerequisite for further use of the studio and classes.
Any materials used will be provided.
Jeff Williams
Charles Sharpe
Dovetails started out as a practical solution to keep drawers from coming apart as people tugged and pushed them in and out. Today, when there are machine-assisted ways to join wood at right angles and mechanical drawer slides, hand-cut dovetails have become a code for fine craftsmanship. This class covers all the steps involved in making boxes plus the exacting details needed to create tight-fitting dovetail corner joints.
This class is open to students who have taken Orientation to the Woodshop, Woodshop Tool Safety Checkout 1 and Woodshop Tool Safety Checkout 2. Multiple sessions are listed on the Woodworking Calendar. Hand tool experience is helpful but not required.
Paul Kury - Paul studied woodworking at Lonnie Bird’s School of Fine Woodworking in Dandridge, Tenn., and has been an active woodworker for more than 40 years. His preference is 18th-century furniture. Paul also volunteers as a woodworking safety monitor at BARN.
Learn the fundamentals of the powerful and versatile table saw - the cornerstone of every shop.
We start this introductory class with the anatomy of the table saw and how to calibrate it to achieve precise cuts every time. Then we move on to skills like ripping wood, making miter cuts, and learning to make rabbets and dados.
By the end of this class, you'll have covered most of the cuts you'll ever make with a table saw. You'll have the skills and confidence to change blades, the know-how to ensure that your cuts are straight and square, and understand how to cut pieces to size accurately and repetitively.
This class focuses on learning techniques, not building a class project.
You must first complete Orientation to the Woodshop and Woodshop Tool Safety Checkout 1. Multiple sessions are listed on the Woodworking Calendar. Log in to your BARN account and click on "My event registrations" to confirm that you have completed these prerequisites.
Dave Roe
Practice your woodturning skills or work on a project you need help with under the guidance of a woodturning instructor.
Everything from simple bead-and-cove sticks to handles, boxes, goblets, and bowls are appropriate for this guided studio time.
Whatever you're working on, whether that be a specific project or your woodturning skills.
Bring stock or notify the instructor in advance of stock you need, but do not have (paid for separately).
Bruce Claiborne
The 36” Northfield is the Wood Studio’s “Big Boy” and requires separate user qualification from the other bandsaws.
Successful completion of this class, plus some supervision in your first studio use of the Northfield, will qualify you to use it independently in Open Studio.
You will learn important safety guidelines, how to inspect and tune up this big saw, how to resaw boards and how to safely cut irregular or unstable stock.
Mastering the Northfield so you may use it independently in Open Studio.
Any needed material will be provided.
This class is open to those who have completed Orientation to the Woodshop, Woodshop Tool Safety Checkout 1, and Woodshop Tool Safety Checkout 2. Multiple sessions are listed on the Woodworking Calendar.
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.
Jamie Straw. Jamie has been woodworking for more than 20 years and has experience on all of the standard stationary tools of a wood shop. Her first floor-model tool was a bandsaw, which she uses for both sawing large woodturning blanks and processing dimensional lumber.
Make two bowls as you build woodturning skills and learn some special techniques and insights needed for this craft.
Turn two green-wood bowls (using green wood for blanks being the best - and most fun - way to hone your bowl-turning skills), working on smooth and efficient cuts, to create two bowls six to seven inches in diameter. In the first session, you learn the best bowl shape for a novice turner, how to safely mount the blank on the lathe, and how to use a scroll chuck and bowl gouge. You also learn how to maintain even wall thickness, and how to treat the bowl to prevent cracking while it dries. In the second session, in addition to turning a second bowl, you learn the basics of balancing grain and which Northwest woods are best for turning.
By successfully completing these two sessions and turning two bowls, you will have a good understanding of the process and techniques, and be qualified to turn bowls of this size independently during open studio in the Woodworking Studio. You will be provided with a third bowl blank to turn during open studio.
While this class is oriented to novice turners, it also is appropriate and useful for experienced turners who have predominantly used scrapers and wish to acquire or improve their gouge skills.
Open to students who have taken Intro to Woodturning or demonstrated equivalent lathe safety and turning skills during a private studio session, which you can arrange by contacting Jamie Straw, (360) 551-9233, at least 10 days before this class.
Students must also have completed Orientation to the Woodshop, Woodshop Tool Safety Checkout 1, and Woodshop Tool Safety Checkout 2. Multiple sessions are listed on the Woodworking Calendar. Please login to your BARN account and click on "My event registrations" to ensure you will have completed the required prerequisites before this class begins.
Bowl photograph by Joy McCallister Photography.
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.
David Kaplan
