Registration is now open for all 2012 courses. Winter Tutorials are limited to 4 students. Tuition includes materials, meals and your private room. Specialized tools are provided for all of these classes. Drew Langsner is the instructor. Spring Weekends are similar to our Tutorials. Students arrive Friday evening (for move in and supper) and class runs Saturday – Sunday. Summer workshops with guest instructors average 8 students. Tuition includes materials, meals and a shared room. (Private rooms are also available.) Specialized tools are provided for all courses, with the exception of Japanese Woodworking and Toolmaking for Woodworkers.

Learn to build a corner cabinet with wooden hinges and latch.

Enrollment can be by phone, post or e-mail. A printable registration form is on our web site at: www.countryworkshops.org/Registration.html
If you have questions about our classes please don’t hesitate to phone Drew and Louise. (828 656 2280 Mon-Sat 9-6 EST).

Winter Tutorials

December 5 - 9: Carving Bowls and Spoons - Full

January 16 - 20: Ladderback Chairmaking
January 30 - February 3: Rustic Windsor Chairmaking
February 13 - 17: Carving Bowls and Spoons - 2 openings
February 27 - March 2: Making the Hearth Chair
March 26 - 30: Making a Corner Cabinet
April 9 - 13: Rustic Windsor Chairmaking

Spring Weekends

April 28 - 29: Spoon Carving (Drew Langsner)
May 5 - 6: Bowl Carving (Drew Langsner)
June 2 - 3: Willow Basketry (Louise Langsner)

A classic flatiron rowing skiff will be the project in Wooden Boat Basics.

Summer Workshops with Guest Instructors

June 11 - 16: Ladderback Chairmaking (Drew Langsner)
June 25 - 30: Japanese Woodworking – Making A Shoji (Carl Swensson)
August 13 - 18: Coopering (Carl Swensson)
August 27 - 31: Toolmaking for Woodworkers (Hans Karlsson)
September 10 - 15: Wooden Boat Basics (Douglas Brooks)

Knives from Del Stubbs. FROM THE COUNTRY WORKSHOPS STORE Del Stubbs makes some of the best knives for wood carvers. For several years we have been fortunate to offer his engraving and kolrossing knives. This last summer Del halted production to build an all-new workshop. It wasn’t surprising that this longer to complete than originally expected -- Del is a perfectionist and an idealist. Then, just as production resumed (in the not quite complete building) Del experienced a serious hand accident. After many months of therapy and healing Del is once again producing his beautiful, unique and very functional carving knives. For now we are holding prices that appear in our 2012 catalog. The DS-07 kolrossing knife is a Norwegian-style, used for single stab cut engraving that is traditionally filled with a mixture of linseed oil and powdered bark. The kolrossing knife can also be used for double pass, V-cuts. The finely turned pen-like handle is comfortable and greatly appreciated for small details and curved cuts. The DS-08 engraving knife is a stout little beauty, intended for double pass, V-cut decorative incising. Both knives have beautifully turned, hardwood handles and are shipped extremely sharp. DS-07__Stubbs kolrossing knife__$27.50 DS-08__Stubbs engraving knife__ $32.50 Mike Abbott’s most recent book, Going With the Grain, is now available at a reduced price. This came about because the book now has a US distributor. Sending a large quantity from England shaved expenses that we can now pass on to our store customers. Mike Abbott's Going With the Grain. In this book Mike has focused on post-and-rung chairmaking, and he has set aside his pole lathe in favor of making a drawknife shaved chair, utilizing rung tenons made with a Veritas tenon former. Mike shares myriad tricks and insights from the past 25 years or so. The book features a variety of post-and-rung designs, including his “perching stool” with a forward tipped seat that encourages better posture than the conventional drop towards the back. He also showcases a variety of seat weaving patterns that tackle the dog-ear triangles at the front corners of many post-and-rung chairs. It’s all in metric dimensions; but maybe this is a good time for us to start making the conversion. The book is loaded with color photos. 190 pages, soft cover. MA-02__Going With the Grain__$30.00

MORE ABOUT STUMPS WITH LEGS

Mike Clarkson's chopping stump with legs.

In our last e-newsletter we ran a story about our newly upgraded chopping stumps. (Used by bow and spoon carvers, and of course for splitting firewood.) Adding legs increases stability and greatly reduces the weight of these heavy, but coveted workshop companions.

One bit of feedback came from Mike Clarkson, who was our summer intern in 1998. Mike sent us this photo of his stump with legs, which he likes because it’s easy to transport to craft shows where he is often a demonstrator. It’s interesting because Mike came up with an altogether different way of attaching the legs. The advantage is that you don’t need to carefully shave or turn round tenons or drill large mortises into engrain oak at compound (sighting and resultant) angles. Also, the legs needn’t be thoroughly dry before assembly, something that is necessary with the mortise and tenon construction. I’m not sure if Mike used heavy screws or lags for attachment; either would work.

THE BUTTER KNIFE PROJECT

NEW - INCLUDING A SPREADER FROM ITALY

Butter knives by Elmore Holmes.

When Drew and Louise are away from home they have been very fortunate to have Elmore Holmes and Martha Kelly staying here as home/farm/shop sitters. Elmore is a woodworker who specializes in chairmaking and bowl carving. Martha is an artist who works with oils, watercolors and block printing. You can see her print of the CW workshop on the back cover of our 2012 class and store catalog.

While the Langsners were on vacation (in southern Italy) during October Elmore completed 5 hand-carved bowls. Elmore also left us with 3 butter knives for our on-going collection. About the same time our friend Norman Stevens acquired 2 spoons and a butter knife that were made in northern Italy by Erminio Scortegagna. Norman has contributed the butter knife to our collection. I’m not sure who wrote the following bit of text; possibly it’s the craftsman talking about himself.

An Italian butter knife.

“I can tell you that he was born in Monte Magré (town of Schio near Vicenza) in 1952. It always lived in this village [of] a few people on the slopes of the Alps of Veneto. He had the privilege of putting to good use the knowledge of his grandfather and father who taught him the names and characteristics of trees and wood with their employment opportunities. Today, after many years of relationship with this raw material alive, he finds himself in the same places of his childhood with increased experience to create furniture and objects of daily use -- ergonomic and durable, the intrinsic beauty, dealt strictly with natural products. “

Norman tells me that the wood is legno della luce. ‘Wood of the light.’ For us it’s Staghorn Sumac (Rhus Typhina.) This is a large shrub or small tree. The wood is very light, and the pith was incorporated into the piece. There was a small chip missing when we received this, at the junction of the blade and handle. This has been repaired with a dab of epoxy.

Our design/study collection now has 43 butter knives. You can see the full collection at Country Workshops’ Spreader World Gallery. We are always happy to receive further contributions.