Specialty & Weekend Classes

Stop making compromises with your router. Stop getting “close enough”. Learn how to use some of the most abundant molding planes of the past to get the exact profile you are after.

Learn the Basics of Windsor chair making- build a Windsor Style Live Edge bench or a Perch Stool- either project has all the skills needed for other Windsor projects!

This is a great course that will broaden your work possibilities. In this class, we will look at several traditional forms of joinery that take more than a look or two to sort but, nonetheless, should be a part or your arsenal.

Professional Furniture maker and educator, Andrew Hunter will spend the day discussing the history of furniture making in China with an emphasis on what made Ming style or Classical Chinese furniture so special.

In this two-day class Frank will guide you through the process to create his signature houndstooth dovetails.

Join professional woodcarver, Mary May, in learning to carve the traditional "Greenman".

In this 3 day introductory class, Frank will teach you some of his favorite techniques and methods, including packet cutting and double-bevel sawing, as you discover that you, too, can create this timeless art.

Did you ever look at a piece of wood and wonder what wood it is? And why it looks the way it does? Were you ever confused about which wood it is: mahogany or walnut, cherry or poplar, especially if you are looking at an antique that has an aged finish on it?

This new weekend class with well known Furniture maker Tim Coleman encourages students to jump into the exciting world of making dynamic patterns using shop-sawn veneers.

This class will be a combination lecture, demonstration and hands-on session which will provide an overview of the history, tools, techniques and materials of upholstery.

What seems like a simple tool, a blade and a block of wood, the Japanese plane (Kanna) is actually a very complex instrument with many subtle qualities. At the end of this three day course, each student will take home a fully operational Japanese hand plane and have the know how to keep is working right.

This class is an introduction for woodworkers interested in learning how to sharpen their own handsaws and backsaws.

Greene & Greene furniture represents some of the best work ever done in the Arts & Crafts Style and west coast furniture maker, Darrell Peart indulges his passion by working and teaching primarily in the style of these two California designers who so successfully blended some of the best features of the Arts & Crafts movement with some of the subtleties of Asian furniture.

In this two day class, students will make a Darrell Peart designed 14” X 22” Tahoma mahogany frame. Learn about pattern Routing and the Shaper Origin

This class has been specially created for students who want to learn the basics of upholstery while taking home a rewarding and challenging project. If you are new to upholstery or have taken some of Mike's classes before- you will get more out of this class than you thought possible,

The idea of making jigs and fixtures for the tablesaw is always one that creates a lot of debate. Some people insist that they are not worth it and “just do it by hand” while other people love coming up with intricate fixtures that do a specific job really well. This class is Not a beginning tablesaw class. Participants must have some working experience with Tablesaws & routers.

In woodworking- like a lot of things- there is no one “right” way- there are bunches of different ways to accomplish the same thing and that is what this class is all about. I will not be telling you what I think is the "best" way- that is for you to decide- and you will have the opportunity to learn a number of different methods.

The cabriole leg is a graceful and essential form in most Queen Anne style furniture and we are fortunate to have Chuck Bender, an expert in this furniture style, hosting this unique two-day hands-on class.

The use of hide glue and hammer veneering goes back thousands of years. The walls of ancient Egyptian tombs portray craftsmen sawing veneers, mixing glue in a pot and laying those veneers down with the same hammer techniques which are just as effective today as it was back then.

Join us for the latest new class with Fine Woodworking Editor Mike Pekovich. Mike’s design sense really shines in this new project, and it will look great in any home.

Have you ever imagined a figure or seen a design that you wished you could incorporate into a project that you were visualizing?

Learn the basics of a mitered box and try your hand at kumiko while building a really nice little tea box that, not coincidentally, would make a great holiday gift.

Handplanes can be one of the most useful and rewarding tools in the workshop – or they can be one of the most frustrating! Learn how to effectively use handplanes in your work with Ct. Valley School of Woodworking director, Bob Van Dyke

Join nationally known furniture maker, Tim Coleman for this fascinating look into various techniques to create visually exciting textures and patterns to furniture surfaces. In this class with Tim students will explore two primary techniques to embellish surfaces with patterns and texture using a few simple tools and a scroll saw.

Join nationally known furniture maker, Tim Coleman to learn how to saw your own veneer on the bandsaw and use it to create visually exciting patterns and textures.

In this three-day class Andrew will introduce students to Classical Chinese Furniture and the joinery that has made it endure all these years. Being completely fascinated by the furniture of the Ming and Qing dynasties in China, Andrew will speak to the sophisticated execution of both the exterior and interior construction. 

In this class we jump into the world of electric guitar construction. Students will each build their own guitar based on the world famous Fender Telecaster (yeah- that’s the one Bruce Springsteen plays!) or the equally famous Fender Stratocaster.

Japan boasts some of the oldest wooden buildings on earth. Their longevity relies on intricate joinery that not only can withstand years of exposure to the elements, but are also reversible for the inevitable repairs.

Sharing a cup of tea with friends is a nice way to spend an afternoon or end a meal. The experience is made even better by serving up tea selections in a handmade chest.

Sharing a cup of tea with friends is a nice way to spend an afternoon or end a meal. The experience is made even better by serving up tea selections in a handmade chest.

Lets take a deeper dive into Japanese hand planes!

If you have ever done any re-sawing then you know how cool a book matched panel can be. When you incorporate veneers into your work the possibilities for creating spectacular patterns are almost endless!

Mike South will introduce students to the basics of cutting and inlaying various types of shell products and other materials into musical instruments and other flat surfaces.

Take a weekend and begin to learn the ancient trade of blacksmithing- and - make a useful and unique marking knife that you can use in your woodworking projects!

Many of you have expressed the desire to accompany CVSW director Bob Van Dyke on one of his frequent visits to the Yale Art Gallery’s Hume American Furniture Study Center in West Haven, CT.

Join furniture maker and educator Andrew Hunter and spend three days learning the Japanese approach to joinery while working exclusively with handtools.

Designed for furniture makers, restorers, collectors, homeowners, and dealers alike, this exciting two day hands on class will focus on the restoration and conservation of gilded surfaces including frames, furniture, and architectural elements.

This project packs a big punch when it comes to lessons in case, door, and drawer construction.

Carving a ball & claw foot is easier than you might think and with the right instruction anyone can do it!

An important part of the weekend will include examining joinery strategies that will add accuracy, speed and efficiency to your work. It will be a full weekend with lots of valuable information to digest and use in your own shop.