Looking for a project

Hello everyone,

I recently signed up for a voc. school course called "woodworking for profit." Figured it would be a classroom sort of situation, but it turns out that I've essentially bought 30 hours of shop time for $50 (a hell of a deal, if you ask me!) I've got a couple of projects on the burner right now, but they are all geared towards my personal tools, and I'm planning on just continuing them at home.

So, as a happy accident, I need to figure out what I'm going to do with a fully equipped shop and an instructor (with all his fingers, no less).... The overall goal is for me to eventually become adept at general furniture making, focusing mainly on tables and chairs of various sorts. I'd like to make full use of the opportunity, so does anyone have any suggestions? I was thinking of building the bent-arm morris chair in the latest edition of Woodsmith, but the project needs to to fit into ten 3-hour shop sessions, and I'm wondering if anyone has made one of these, and if so, is thirty hours long enough for an intermediate woodworker to do this?

Of course, if there is a challenging piece that will provide a better learning experience, I'm more than open to suggestions- Steam-bending or extensive dovetail cutting is out, but pretty much everything else is fair game.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Reply to
Prometheus
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I think your chair idea would be an excellent use of the situation ... not necessarily the Morris Chair, but perhaps a straight back, dining table type chair.

Chairs take some special skills and techniques and having someone to help you, and the equipment necessary to do it with, would put you way ahead of most working solo out of their own shop.

Another good project would be something with a curved front ... perhaps a demilune table, with or without a drawer.

Go for it.

Reply to
Swingman

Prometheus wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Blanket chest coordinated set of end tables + sofa table + coffee table headboard for a bed, with coordinated nightstand(s)

More will occur to me later, I'm sure.

Patriarch

Reply to
patriarch

Prometheus wrote: snip>Figured it would be a classroom sort of situation, but it

Reply to
Tom

lapstrake boat ?

Reply to
Gregory McGuire

Small table/night stand can always be usefull around the house, plantstand, vases, phone stand, bedroom etc,

Reply to
dteckie

Small table/night stand can always be usefull around the house, plantstand, vases, phone stand, bedroom etc,

Reply to
dteckie

Small table/night stand can always be usefull around the house, plantstand, vases, phone stand, bedroom etc,

Reply to
dteckie

You said it yourself:

Focus on tables and chairs (use this time to make one of an eventual set) of various sorts to get hands-on assistance with. If you look at small tables and single chairs, you'll learn the imporatnt techniques from your class that you'll be able to use in your shop at home to tackle bigger projects.

Michael Latcha - at home in Redford, MI

Reply to
Michael Latcha

Of course- They have three unisaws (compared to my delta 10" benchtop on a homemade stand) Four full sized lathes, two 8" jointers, a 24" surfacer, and three bandsaws, the largest being a Rockwell 20" (I plan on doing all my resawing as my 9" delta will not handle much!) I've got a few things they don't (dovetailing tools, cabinet scrapers, etc.) but overall it's much better stocked than my shop. The most interesting one is the "wood welder"- that sucker will tack up a joint to working strength in 5 minutes or less.

Reply to
Prometheus

I've done many of these things, and my shop is mainly sufficent for your basic tables and nightstands.

Reply to
Prometheus

Not the Morris chair, eh? Any particular reason why a dining room chair would be more useful? It would give me a chance to try out turning some spindles, and see if I like working on a wood lathe. (I've only used engine lathes and CNC lathes in the past)

I've not seen any plans for these- are they usually coopered and then veneered, or bent into shape? I agree it would make a slick project in any case, and I'll definately consider it.

Reply to
Prometheus

That is a great deal!

I think that if I had your situation (opportunity), I would go for chair design/construction - if your instructor is adept enough that is. Nightstands and such are relatively simple IMHO.

I've been plugging away as one of those "home enthusiast/woodworker/fix-it-up types" for 15-20 years now and have often thought that constructing a great looking dining room chair would show real craftmanship - haven't arrived on my own yet.

I probably need a class!

Lou

Reply to
loutent

The tables I have in the works in my own shop- I'm doing all hand-carved cabriole legs, so they may not be the best use of my limited time there. The wife suggested the headboard, so that one is still in the running for sure.

It always does! That's why I figured I'd ping you guys before I rush off to start something before carefully considering the options... many of which I'm sure have not yet crossed my mind.

Reply to
Prometheus

Now that would be truely awesome, no doubt about that! If we end up moving to the coast like the wife wants to, I'll be looking really hard at that one. Might be a little ambitious for this situation, though... :)

Reply to
Prometheus

I know several of the guys in the class take it every year, just because they like having the access to the tools. :) No doubt there are plenty of classes around, I just happened to fall into this one because my wife saw it in the paper, and she seemed to think I should make money from woodworking, rather than just spending money on tools and wood (foolish, huh?)

Reply to
Prometheus

Wed, Sep 29, 2004, 7:58pm (EDT-1) snipped-for-privacy@business.org (Prometheus) wants to know: Hello everyone, I recently signed up

I haven't read all the responses. But, I think what I might do is, sit down and figure out one or two rather complicated, specific, projects you'd like to know how to do. Chair, table, whatever. Then talk with the teacher, and find out which you would (or should, probably) have time to complete in the time allowed - not the sanding, finish, etc., just the woodworking part.

Than I think I'd shoot for that. With a set time, you're going to be more focused, and concentrated, than you'd be at home. Then at home, you can duplicate it, taking more time to do it.

Way I figure, better to start a 20 hour project, and finish it, then start a 40 hour project, and not.

On the other hand, if you start something, say a table, get the top done, learn how to do the legs, and only get one leg done in class, and run out of time, then you'll know how to do the other three legs at home. In a case like that, running out of time isn't so important.

JOAT We will never have great leaders as long as we mistake education for intelligence, ambition for ability, and lack of transgression for integrity.

- Unknown

Reply to
J T

It's not so much a problem of learning how to lay out or assemble the parts, it's more a matter of making full use of the superior facilities while I've got the chance. I'm almost tempted just to buy a year's supply of lumber and do all my resawing and surfacing while the doin's good (I've got only a little 9" bandsaw and no planer or surfacer), but that seems like a least a little bit of a waste.

Reply to
Prometheus

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