About

Transform a piece of western red cedar into a traditional bentwood box carved with Salish design elements under the guidance of a Suquamish Tribe elder.

This one-week, full-day Handwork class will start with a discussion about the wood and which planks from a log are likely to work for bentwood boxes. You'll receive a piece of locally milled, old-growth cedar, lay out your box, and cut V-shape kerfs for each corner. Then you'll put your prepared plank in a steam chamber to make the fibers pliable enough to bend without breaking, but only for a few minutes as you quickly fold the sides together to form a box.

You'll use wooden dowels, a modern version of the traditional hand-carved pins, to secure the only joint, where the beginning and end of the board meet. You'll also make a lid and a base for the box and attach the base. The final days will be devoted to embellishing your box by carving a traditional design suggested by the instructor or your own design.

Woven into the whole class will be a discussion about Salish design, how boxes were used, and other woodworking traditions. Salish designs were developed by people from the Columbia River north through Puget Sound and up to about the middle of Vancouver Island along its east coast. Salish designs aren't as well known as the styles used by more northern, coastal indigenous groups.

Details

Skill level: Beginners.

Materials

• The class fee covers all materials and use of all tools needed to complete your box. 
• If you opt to purchase the key carving tools as part of your registration fee, you'll go home with a J-shaped knife   and what instructor Randi Purser calls a "not-so-crooked" knife, both traditional Salish tools that she made. To make a bentwood box, you also need a straight knife, but you can purchase that from any carving-supply company or use BARN's.

Project

You'll make a box from western red cedar that is  about 8 inches by 8 inches, and 10 inches tall. 

Class Policies

• Ages 14 and up are welcome.
• You must wear safety glasses and closed-toe shoes, tie back long hair, and avoid dangling clothing and jewelry. We recommend bringing your own safety glasses.