About
In the world of woodworking, Japanese-style carpentry is often considered the pinnacle. Projects hold together with intricate, interlocking joinery, rather than nails and glue, and surfaces are silky-smooth because the finished wood is planed, not sanded.
This class will introduce you to Japanese tools and ways of working wood, which are very different from those that evolved in the West. The emphasis is on learning to use the tools, rather than building a specific project. All of the work will be on sample pieces.
Japanese-style chisels and planes never arrive ready to use; they always require fine-tuning first. If you want to learn how to set up your own tools, you can also do that through this class.
You will learn:
- how to sharpen the chisels and plane blades, by hand on water stones.
- how to dress a wooden plane body with a scraper plane and set the blade with an octagon hammer.
- how to lay out parts and joinery using Japanese squares and marking tools.
- how to use Japanese pull saws and efficiently and accurately.
- How to flatten and square a piece of wood and give it a beveled edge with hand planes.
- how to use Japanese-style chisels.
Details:
- This class is open to beginners 14+ years old, but it is also designed for seasoned woodworkers who want to explore these tools and methods.
- BARN will supply all of the necessary tools, but you are also welcome to bring and use your own tools. If you wish to purchase your own tools, you can use this form to contact the instructor for recommendations.
Tuition assistance is available. Click here to apply.
Instructor: Gary Bella grew up in western Pennsylvania. After college and art school, he moved to the Bay Area in California and began working in Marin County with several firms in residential construction. Later, he specialized in finish carpentry while developing a design/build business. He took classes with traditional Japanese teahouse carpenter Makoto Imai and later worked primarily with Makoto building traditional houses and tea houses in California, New York and Washington. After he moved to Bainbridge in 2003, he continued to build Japanese-inspired projects for private clients. He was among the craftsmen who restored the Japanese guest house at the Bloedel Reserve.
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Please wear close-toe shoes. Long hair must be tied back.
