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Week-end 1 on 1 woodworking classes
Week-end 1 on 1 woodworking classes (post #123866)
citrouille on Tue, 10/20/2009 - 13:51
I am offering week-end one on one woodworking and furniture design classes in central Massachusetts.
Classes will be tailored to fit your skill level and your aspirations.
Member of the NH Furniture Masters Association.
www.aurelio-bolognesi.com
B.
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(post #123866, reply #1 of 15)
How offten do your have your classes and whats the cost
I'm in philadelphila pa.
(post #123866, reply #2 of 15)
Hi Kit,
Thank you for your interest.
The classes are one on one so when I get a student I will stay with him/her as long as he/she wants or needs. For the moment I offer only week-end classes.
Please e-mail me through the web site for more information.
A.B.
(post #123866, reply #3 of 15)
I can do that what's your schedule and your location again
(post #123866, reply #4 of 15)
If you want to do it, it would be on your schedule.
Remember these are week-end classes.
I am in central Massachusetts.
A.B.
B, Your website shows (post #123866, reply #5 of 15)
B,
Your website shows beautiful furniture. But you already knew that. I would recommend using a larger font on much of your website. The small font size is very elegant but difficult for the eyes of the mature reader.
About your upcoming weekend courses, I am wondering what skills you expect to work on with students. I read your message carefully and fully understand that you will work with each student individually to give them just what they need for as long as they need help. My experience with that is that many students could use many months of guided practice on just about everything. I also feel that most newer woodworkers could learn how to fettle and use handplanes, sharpen and use hand saws, chisels and gouges, and do marking and measuring on their own. None of those skills is in the class of brain surgery. I find that almost all new woodworkers fail to understand how much practice is necessary to become proficient at these basic skills. On is not a master at making dovetails after making four boxes with through dovetails.
Which leads me to the point of my message? You are a master woodworker and have seen many newbies. What skills do think a newbie can profit most from taking instruction such as what you plan to offer?
I get frustrated in dealing with a student who wants to learn to make dovetail drawers in a one day class when he has no experience with a backsaw or a chisel. When I offered to give lessons at the local Woodcraft, the manager said that would be fine, except that if I don't guarantee that the student will walk out of the class with a box, no one will take the course. He said that no one wants to pay money just to learn to saw to a line and chisel to a mark, etc. For the folks who sign up for classes at the store, he is absolutely correct. Unrealistic expectations.
That is the reason for my question to you. A student with realistic expectations is so much easier to work with, if one can find them. When I read your message, I tried to figure out what a prospective student would expect to get out of your class, given your message. But your message doesn't help the student with that. It merely says that you'll work with him on whatever he needs for as long as it takes. It might be good to give some examples of what might be expected in some specific cases.
This is a very interesting conundrum - what to teach in classes? I have noticed many excellent woodworkers setting up classes to teach something like "making a Chippendale desk". They generally take up to six students at a time and charge about $1000 for a week of class time. I have talked to a number of people who have taken such courses, and the answer is: everyone ends up with the desk, regardless of the skills they came to the class with. How is this done? Very easily. The teachers do what the students cannot. A friend recently took such a class, and one student had very little woodworking experience, but finished the class with a beautifully made desk -- made mostly by the teachers. BUT, and this is important. The student was thrilled with the result.
I think that class time is best spent on SKILLS, SKILLS, SKILLS, but I don't find that my idea is popular these days. I am coming to the conclusion that there are many who like to play around at woodworking, but there are very few willing to put in the learning time and effort to climb the long staircase.
It sounds to me like you are planning to focus on skill building - A GREAT THING. Good luck with your work and your teaching.
Mel
Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
a very interesting conundrum (post #123866, reply #6 of 15)
I may be alone but I would love to find a class that wasn't based on walking out the door with a finished product that one could claim to have made to admiring friends.
Woodcraft's problem, " if I don't guarantee that the student will walk out of the class with a box, no one will take the course" is so sad. I wonder if they, or any instructor for that matter, could market a course that promised "You will not walk out the door with anything except new skills". Be up front with it. That would sell me.
For years I thought it would be great to take a Windsor chair class. In retirement I can now find the time and money to do just that, The classes by Rendi and Dunbar and the like seem to have the same set up... walk out the door with one. I'm not sure that is a bad thing if you are selling the idea of a week long class to your wife by telling her that the $900. fee is going to get her a new chair too, but for some reason I have not taken one of these classes and I can't quite put my finger on why. I just might try to make one on my own, I do have a shaving horse and a froe, and then after I have spent a month or two doing it wrong, or not quite right, taking a course for a week to iron out the problems I have discovered. Somewhere in the shop library I have a book by Rendi on windsor chair making step by step.
The Chippendale example, " BUT, and this is important. The student was thrilled with the result. " leads me to wonder what the result was. Was it the desk made or the skills learned. I get the feeling it was the desk, but I could imagine taking a class like that and learning what skills I lacked or needed to work on, and by hands on building, at least the parts of the project I could do, get a better feel for making Chippendale desks and then work on my skills. Or maybe decide that I don't ever want to make a Chippendale desk again. Now I'm starting to ramble. I found your post food for thought.
Swenson, You must be (post #123866, reply #7 of 15)
Swenson,
You must be Italian since it seems that you and I were twins, who were separated at birth and are now just discovering each other. Your ideas on classes and mine are identical. It is the skills that are important. I can make stuff in my shop. But I am afraid that you and I are in the MINORITY out there in the Woodcraft world.
The lady who was happy with her Chippendale piece that was mostly made by the two instructors is not, IMHO, interested in woodworking at all.
I have yet to find skills that I can't learn by myself, using books, videotapes and DVDs. I find that there are three important types of things to learn in wooworking"
1 - facts ( eg pine is a soft wood. Basswood is good for carving.)
2 - skills (eg. - how to hand plane a flat, smooth surface, how to cut dovetails, how to cut veneer on a bandsaw)
3) attitudes (eg how to be safe in the workshop).
I can learn facts by reading, and put them to use in the shop. I can learn skills via books, but seeing them done makes it easier and faster. There are plenty of folks in the Guild and closeby who can demonstrate anything skill that I think I need. I also have access to DVDs and other videos. The way to learn skills is practice practice practice practice practice..... and more practice. The most difficult to learn are "attitudes" such as a good attitude towards safety, towards just buying the tools you need, towards enjoying the process of woodworking and not becoming overly concerned with trivialities.
In other words, by meeting with other woodworkers every once in a while, by reading and watching videos and watching others, and with lots of practice, I have learned to do everything I have tried to learn to do -- Please don't take that to mean that I have achieved Frank Klausz's level of competence at any of them. That will come when I have as much practice as he has had.
I have talked to a number of folks who teach "classes" and asked how they come up with the material that can be done in the available class time. I have gotten the feeling that too often, things get too contrived. The problem they face is: how can I get a group of people with varying skill levels to do virtually the same thing in a given period of time. It can become very contrived.
HOWEVER, I find that that the people I know who love to take classes from well known woodworkers don't care about this. They love to spend a few days with Chris Schwartz, or to spend a few days with Lonnie Bird. I know one guy who has taken over 15 classes at Marc Adams school. I estimate that the cost of a working man taking 15 classes at Marc Adams' school to be at least $30,000. Although it could be done for less. This guy is looking forward to taking more of these classes.
I have come to the conclusion that we have developed a set of rich old woodworking hobbyists who love to pay big bucks to spend some time, usually making something with a well known woodworker. They always say that they learned a lot. I never find these guys to be unhappy with their class experiences. There is a guy whose latest class cost about $8000 if you include the materials. His classes fill up!!!!!!!
So there is nothing wrong with the world. We have folks who teach these classes. We have folks who are happing taking these weeklong classes. Then there is me. Every time I see a guy who teaches these classes, I asked if he learned by taking classes. In every case, the answer is no. Most learned by themselves.
Would I like to work in Klausz's workshop for a few months. You betcha. I have a lot to learn, and access to someone with god skills is a great way to learn. The nice thing about woodworking is that we can all enjoy it in our own way.
Have fun. Whatever you do, have fun.
Mel
Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
Classes (post #123866, reply #8 of 15)
I had forgotten that I did spend some time in a class or two. Many years ago I spent a week with David Ellsworth down at Arrowmont. There was no project to be finished by the end of the week. What you turned out was what you turned out and was judged each day by David on several levels. We started out on day one making our tools and the rest of the week was spent on our feet in front of a lathe. Sometimes we went from early morning 'till midnight, and you got an idea of why trade unionism got started after a long day like that. The feel and rhythm of "dancing with the lathe" was of great value and would be hard to teach in a book I think.
I also spent an hour with a guy at a woodworking show in Richmond. I sat three feet away from him in the front row of his demonstration and we talked a lot. He gave me the piece he made during the demo. Later people kept coming up and asking him for his autograph. I had never heard of him but others seemed to know him. His name was Frank Klaus, and he was a delightful character, not the droll and much younger man you see on his dovetail DVD. His approach to cutting dovetails, no marking out except for depth across the ends, cutting everything by eye, spacing out by eye, made dovetails look so easy and fun I lost my fear of them and went home and started cutting them on every little scrap and cutoff I had. When you said of Klaus, "access to someone with god skills is a great way to learn" I'm not too sure if you meant god or good... both words work for him.
S, I meant "good", but (post #123866, reply #9 of 15)
S,
I meant "good", but "god" works too, as you said. Frank is my idea of a woodworker. I agree with you. I love his approach to dovetails.
No doubt, the best way to learn "skills" is with someone skilled who can demonstrate to you, and then give you feedback on how you are doing. Much better than trying to learn by a book.
But, to me, the most important characteristic of a good woodworker is a sense of independence. A good woodworker, IMHO:
1) feels like he can figure out anything, and if he gets into a problem, he is confident he can figure a way out.
2) feels confident that he can make masterpieces using someone else's tools.
3) has no need of looking down on others. His confidence does not depend on making others look or feel bad.
4) can leap tall buildings in a single bound.
5) is faster than a speeding bullet.
On well, at least the first three. Ha ha. Frank gets a good grade on these metrics.
Have fun.
Mel
Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
Gregory Paolini (post #123866, reply #10 of 15)
I just commented on a post by Paolini and his explanation of a subject that I had no interest in but found interesting anyway. I went to his site and some of his classes seemed to come closer to what we were talking about earlier, skills rather than projects.
Something else about teaching you might find interesting. A friend of mine that I shoot with gives hand gun instruction at a local range. His full time job is a cop. There is a test at the end of the course. When he gets back the "rate the class" sheets, they always give the course glowing reviews, even those students that flunk the test and fail to get a completion certificate. He just can't understand this. Perhaps some students just enjoy the new experience and don't care if the instructor made most of their woodworking project or care if they failed to learn the most simple gun safety rules.
It just might be that Woodcraft customers fall into two groups: self taught craftsmen with their own shops who come in for a new carving tool, or folks who see all that cool stuff on the shelves and think they might want to give it a try. Keep getting feedback from fellow instructors, its a good thing.
S, Nice post. I saw (post #123866, reply #11 of 15)
S,
Nice post. I saw Paolini's writeup. His work is excellent. Of course, I have no way to judge his teaching abilities. He may be excellent.
To me, the best way to learn is by doing. The purpose of a teacher should be to teach you to teach yourself. Your job is to take responsibility for your own learning as soon as possible. All the woodworkers I know are learning all the time. That is the nature of life. Some people feel the need to be taught. Some teachers, the really bad ones, are the ones who try to convince you that you couldn't possibly learn without a teacher, which is probably how they learned.
If there is something that I want an introductory lesson to, it is easy to get - free. Go to your local woodworking guild, and check who has that skill, and ask them to give a presentation on it. Our guild dues are about $30 a year, and it is difficult to find a skill that someone in the guild doesn't have.
Most are retired. Many will be happy to have you over to their shop for a lesson. Most woodworkers that I know are hobbyists, and most love to help others who want to learn something. So if there is a guild near you, then there is a cheap, easy, fun way to pick up any skill you desire.
Pick a skill that you might want to learn -- marquetry, sharpening carving gouges, making bent laminations. etc etc etc. I can't think of any that one couldn't teach oneself with a little bit of research and practice practice practice.
When you teach yourself, you get into "discovery learning". It takes longer but it sticks better.
Remember what Yoda said in the movie, "Do not 'try'. Do!" or something like that. The Nike slogan is "Just do it".
There are some people who are dangerous in the workshop. They should try another hobby. I have known a handful of them. They seem to have little sense of what is dangerous. And that is dangerous. They seem to have little feel for making a tool do what you want it to. DO YOUR REMEMBER the silly writeup that FWW had of the guy who wrote to them saying that he could not learn how to do dovetails, so they brought in Rogowski to teach him. They had photos of him holding a chisel and holding a saw. If I were Rogowski and I saw this guy, I'd suggest that he take up walking as a hobby, but suggest that he walk slowly, lest he trip. I was not cut out to be an opera singer. I am a bit tone deaf. Some people are not cut out to be woodworkers.
The good woodworkers that I know are good problem solvers. They seem to love the challenge of figuring things out. They are loners who like to control their woodworking world. They have an engineering bent. They are clever. If you hand thm a tool that they haven't used before, they will not grab it by the wrong end. :-)
Remember the guy who cut off his fingers and sued Ryobi and won millions because they didn't use SawStop technology. He wasn't using a fence!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One should not require training to figure out that you should not freehand on a table saw.
I used the word marquetry above. I don't do it, and have no interest in it. However, I have no doubt that I could become proficient in it (not up to Patrick Edward's speed) and teach introductory classes in it in a few months -- or any other woodworking skill. I believe most woodworkers could. I just have no interest in it.
As I said in a previous message, there are three things to learn in woodworking: facts, skills, and attitudes. The most important is ATTITUDES. The most important attitude a woodworker can have is INDEPENDENCE - the feeling that I can figure out how to do any woodworking problem safely, and to get out of any problems that I get myself into. When you achieve that ATTITUDE, and you are justified in believing that you can do that, then IMHO, you have made the grade. Teaching and learning skills is TRIVIAL. Teaching and learning attitudes is a challenge but it is ESSENTIAL.
My message and $4 will get you a coffee at Starbucks. This is fun stuff. Glad you enjoy it. Gotta get back to the shop.
Have fun. and Non illigitemi carborundum (or however you spell it) Next week we'll do "faux Greek".
Mel
Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
Guilds. (post #123866, reply #12 of 15)
There is a guild nearby. The website looks good. I just spent thirty years working 2pm to midnight so there was no way I could ever make evening meetings of any kind of club for any of my interests. Now that I'm retired things are different. I just found out that the Washington Woodworkers Guild doesn't meet in DC at all, but in VA. When soneone at a LN tool event mentioned joining the guild I didn't know this and Just didn't feel like running down to DC after doing that every day since 1960. I understand that they don't meet this month at all but I plan on a visit in September. I always thought guilds were like unions but I guess that the meaning has changed since I was young. I'm already in too many unions... AFTRA, IATSE, NABIT, CWA,
marriage. I've been out of the shop for two weeks, weeding beds and mulching, almost done. Take care.Classes and goals (post #123866, reply #13 of 15)
I've kept quiet as I've read this thread, but it seems as though I've been included in it, so I figured I give my two cents. I won't promote my classes here, but I will share my observations, experiences, and philosophies
Just my opinion - There is nothing that someone can't learn on their own, given enough time, patience, tools, and materials. They may not get it right, but they may find a way. There's a professional bowler, I think his name is Mike Webber. Well, Mike does everything completely wrong from a technical standpoint. Rather than approch, let the ball fall with it's own weight, and aim at the closest dot to project to his target, Mike just powers the ball down the alley lightning fast, and obliterates every pin.
Mike does EVERYTHING wrong - But he does it consitantly, bowling 50 sets a day, and has figured out a way. A way that would not work for me, unless I could bowl 50 sets a day for a few years as well. But I bet a good bowling coach, teaching me the fundamentals, could get me to a respecatble average in short order, by helping me understand what I can improve upon.
As far as woodworking, I can't make anyone a master woodworker. I don;t think anyone else giving classes or instruction could either. The only one who can make you a master woodworker is the person you see in the mirror - I can help people learn new skils, and see where they're fouling up, and share my mistakes, so that they don't make them but that's all I can do.
Skills vs projects - Well, for group classes, I have skills based classes, and project based classes - And then I have project based classes that introduce new skills. And skills based classes where we also make a piece of furniture - I hope this makes sense. When we're doing group classes, everyone one is on the same bus, and we're all heading the same place. You can't change the bus router.
When I have private classes on the other hand, it's like flagging down a taxi, or renting a limo, we can direct our destination, or even decide to change direction mid course. I start all of my private and one on one classes by identifying the goals of the student. Some people want to make a chair, other people want to learn HOW to make a chair. For the people who want to make a chair, we make one. For the people who really want to focus on a skill, we focus on the skills, and if we finish the chair, we finish it; and if we don;t, we don't, that's their choice as identified on the first day when we set goals. The same for a book case, a table, and so one.
Just my thoughts - Hope they shed light
Best,
Gregory
Gregory Paolini
www.GregoryPaolini.com
Private & Small Group Woodworking Classes in the Great Smokey Mountains
Scoring a woodworking goal (post #123866, reply #14 of 15)
This is an interesting discussion.
practical learning is best imbibed when it has context (post #123866, reply #15 of 15)
I agree, but that context could be a project of your own choosing, alone in your own shop after the class that taught nothing but proceedures was taken. We all learn in different ways. The social aspect of a week long class surrounded by folks with the same interests as you sounds like fun but I think I prefer the "alone in my shop" route, with no time constraints and the ability to sit and think things through. Many many years ago I built a tall case clock in my spare time. It was the first real piece I had ever tried making. I must have spent a year on it, but I learned much more than I would have in a one week class in clockmaking. I could do it this way because I wasn't making a living in the field of woodworking. But I was making a living in a field in which drastic changes in proceedure were taking place. We reinvented the wheel several times during my career as a film editor. In 1964 I was cutting film in pieces and gluing them together again. By 1977 we reinvented editing by dubbing video tape shot by shot onto an edit master. A few years later computers were doing the tape handling. Then digital editing changed everything. A 30 minute instruction film I edited for the NRA in 1965 took us ten months to complete. I now think I could have done that same edit on an Avid in less than a week. But my point is this... during each major change we were given a ton of instruction on the new technology, but no ammount of practice was worth anything to me until I sat down with a real script, real footage, real narration and sound bites, real music and all the other raw materials needed for a real piece. Without that context I felt I did not have a real handle on the new system. Without a producer making changes in the script, or research making changes in the facts, or the network making changes in the time I felt as if I was just playing at editing.
Geeeeze hanging around with you guys has made me long winded.