NINE-MONTH COMPREHENSIVE
The bench room of the Satterlee Building, where the Comprehensive takes place.
Second-project toolbox built by Nine-month Comprehensive student Christopher Fair in 2004.
Work by Comprehensive students in their booth at CraftBoston in 2008.
September 6, 2010 – May 27, 2011
Curriculum
The Nine-month Comprehensive is designed for aspiring professional furniture makers and dedicated amateurs who seek in-depth training at the highest standard of excellence. The hands-on, project-oriented format includes the full range of furniture making skills. Eleven sequential projects take students from the fundamentals through the fine points of design and craftsmanship.
The eleven projects, in order, are:
- Our Basic Woodworking curriculum, which introduces the full furniture making process from drafting up to finishing, and gives students a solid foundation in hand joinery skills and safe use of machines for stock preparation. (2 weeks)
- Finishing From A to Z, which covers all aspects of finishing, from hand-applied coatings to professional spray lacquers. (2 weeks)
- Machine joinery, which explores the use of power tools in the construction process. Each student builds a tool cabinet that involves a myriad of machine cut joints and shaping techniques using the table saw, router, router table, slot mortiser, shaper, and other equipment. (3 weeks)
- Case piece construction, in which each student designs and builds a solid-wood case piece with a door and a drawer, employing both hand and machine skills. (7 weeks)
- Veneering, where students learn to work with veneer and inlay by making tabletops. (1 week)
- Marquetry, which introduces the decorative use of veneer to create images and patterns. (1 week)
- Bending, in which students explore steam and laminate bending, as well as other curve-forming techniques. Each student designs and builds a project with curved components. (5 weeks)
- Turning, where students learn spindle work for making furniture components and faceplate turning for making ornaments, bowls, and platters. (1 week)
- Multiples, for which the assignment is to design, make, and sell a multiple object within a set price range. This emphasizes real-world concerns such as speed, efficiency, and marketing. (4 weeks)
- Carving, where students learn relief carving and other techniques suitable for furniture and architectural ornamentation. (1 week)
- Chair & Table, where each student pursues an extensive design process to create a prototype chair and companion table. (9 weeks)
Additionally, time is set aside for sessions with guest instructors on specialized topics such as drawing, furniture history, and business practices.
Audience
We teach furniture making for the joy, growth, and satisfaction it brings, whether you are pursuing it professionally or as an avocation. We expect students to graduate with the confidence and skill to design and build fine furniture on their own, and to be qualified for employment by other fine furniture makers.
The audience for the Nine-month Comprehensive includes: (1) college-age people who want to become professional furniture makers; (2) men and women of any age who are exploring woodworking as a potentially more fulfilling, second career; and (3) individuals of all ages who want to learn furniture making as a life-enhancing skill.
Many of our students come with the dream of self-employment as fine furniture makers in one-person shops. In all fairness we advise applicants that, while the rewards of such a career are many, it is a challenging way to make a living.
Faculty
The Lead Instructor for the course is Aled Lewis. For each project, Aled is joined by a co-teacher who specializes in the relevant skills. The following list is subject to change. Most of the instructors have web sites which you can visit for more extensive views of their work. See list of instructors here.
Application Process
The only prerequisite is that applicants have enough prior woodworking experience to be sure that they can sustain their commitment to a nine-month course.
To apply please submit the following:
- A letter explaining your interest in furniture making and your goals
- Up to eight digital images of any woodworking or other artwork you have done previously
- Names and telephone numbers of three character references such as teachers, employers, and business associates
Applications should be emailed to cfc@woodschool.org by March 1, 2010 for priority consideration. Notification will be sent by March 19. After March 1, we will continue to review applications on a rolling basis as they arrive and as space is available. Please feel free give us a call with any questions.