About

After a two-year hiatus because of the pandemic, the Woodworking Studio is resuming free monthly presentations about different aspects of the wide world of woodworking. First up, beginning at 9 am on Saturday, April 2, in the Great Room upstairs: an intriguing presentation by the two luthiers who have just started hosting monthly get togethers at BARN for stringed instrument makers and players.

Clay Levit, a fiddle player and maker who used to own the Fiddler's Green Music Shop in Austin, and Wayne Johnson, owner of Irvin Guitars and a maker of hand-crafted acoustic steel-string guitars, will discuss some of the woodworking challenges faced by luthiers. They’ll have samples of wood and show how to evaluate pieces for sound quality and show how the bracing hidden within a stringed instrument affects sound and stability. They will also discuss aspects of their craft, such as inlays and shaping curves, that have wide application in other types of woodworking.

In future months, these presentations will be on the second Saturday of each month. The kickoff event, though, is on the first Saturday of April.

We’ll have coffee and nibbles ready around 8:30. The program will begin at 9 and will include a short update on studio news. No registration is required, and everyone — BARN member or not — is invited.

For the monthly get-togethers of people interested in making, repairing or playing stringed instruments, we do ask for registration so we know how many people to expect. These sessions are on the second Wednesday of each month, beginning at 6:30 pm in the Bench Room. To sign up for the next session, on April 13, please click on this link.

Please click here for BARN's current COVID-19 health & safety protocols.