Classic Casework

Students deepen their understanding and refine their skills for building durable casework of the highest quality. From underlying principles, such as accommodating wood movement, to meticulous craftsmanship for making piston-fit drawers, Tim focuses on tried-and-true techniques that are too often disregarded in the rush of the present. Topics he covers through lecture and demonstration include, among others:

• Appropriate joinery for flush-corner and overhung carcasses, and for interior dividers such as web frames and muntins;
• Accurate and efficient cutting of dovetails (through, half-blind, mitered, sliding, and drop-in) and all flavors of mortise and tenon with both hand and power tools;
• Designing, making, mounting, and fitting inset drawers, and frame-and-panel doors with solid-wood or veneered panels;
• Resawing and working with shop-made veneer; and
• Installing knife and butt hinges, and door and drawer stops.

Each student designs and builds a small, solid-wood, free-standing casepiece with close attention to attractive proportion and detail. Doors and drawers are optional. Designs are kept within reasonable parameters for size and complexity to maximize students’ time for hands-on exploration of new skills and techniques.    

Tim Rousseau divides his time between building furniture on commission in Appleton, ME, and teaching at the Center. After completing our Furniture Intensive in 1998, Tim worked in a multifaceted group shop in Hoboken, NJ, before returning to Maine to set up his own business in 2003. Since then, he has been a lead instructor for the Furniture Intensive, in addition to teaching the chair project for the Comprehensive. Tim is a frequent presenter of how-to and project videos for finewoodworking.com and TauntonWorkshops.com, including the series “Making a Small Cabinet” and “Build an Asian-Inspired Hall Table.” His website is timothyrousseau.com.

Open to solid intermediate and more advanced woodworkers.

Tuition: $1,410

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