By Hammer and Hand: The Dovetailed Schoolbox

Christopher Schwarz

Schoolbox by Chris Schwarz, eastern white pine, 2009

July 16-20

Chris takes participants to “a joiner's shop in 1839 England” as they learn to build a dovetailed schoolbox using only their muscles, their minds, and finely tuned hand tools. With thorough instruction and one-on-one guidance from Chris, students learn to process stock with handsaws and bench planes; to cut through-dovetails, dados, miters, hinge mortises and basic moldings with marking tools, chisels, planes, and saws; and to properly choose, drive, and set nails. The right nail in the right place is a revelation!

In building their projects, students construct jigs that make handwork easier: a bench hook, a shooting board, and a 17th-century double-screw vise that simplifies dovetailing. Chris shares forgotten or lost ways of working that make modern handwork more accurate and enjoyable. Participants can expect these skills to make them more efficient and detail-oriented, whether or not they plan to keep their woodworking machines afterwards. (And Chris certainly plans to keep his!)

Christopher Schwarz is a woodworker, writer, and teacher in Fort Mitchell, KY. He is a passionate advocate of handwork, having promoted it for the past 15 years as an editor at Popular Woodworking and as founder of the Lost Art Press. Chris’ books include The Anarchist’s Tool Chest (Lost Art Press, 2011), Workbenches: from Design & Theory to Construction & Use (Popular Woodworking Books, 2007), The Workbench Design Book (Popular Woodworking Books, 2011), Handplane Essentials (F&W Media, 2009), and The Joiner and Cabinet Maker (Lost Art Press, 2009). He also has produced six DVDs on handwork for Lie-Nielsen Toolworks. His website is lostartpress.wordpress.com.

Open to all skill levels except absolute beginners.

Tuition: $695

Sign Up Now