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Woodturning

Students and instructors from all over the United States and beyond are drawn to Brookfield Craft Center’s state-of-the-art Turning Studio. Each of the 6 student stations is equipped with a top of the line Oneway lathe with task lighting and dust collector, turning tool set, face shield and smock. The studio contains a ban saw, drill press and 2 sharpening stations. Additionally, a demonstrator’s lathe boasts a vacuum chuck and multi-angle video feeds to LED monitors for detailed visual learning. Weekends are busy in the Turning Studio with short Sampler Workshops for beginners, foundation-level courses in bowl and spindle turning, intermediate technique- and project-based workshops and demonstrations from legendary master turners.

Click here to view PAST WOODTURNING CLASSES

Turning a Bottle Opener and a Wine Stopper

Tuition $240.00

Beginner , Experienced Beginner
Unsure if this class is appropriate for your skill level? Contact us and find out.

Joshua Friend

WT1513 June 8 & 9, 2013 (10am-5pm) Saturday (Turning Studio)

Join contributing writer for American Woodturner, Joshua Friend, for this two-day class and learn to turn beautiful and useful items - both a bottle opener handle and a wine stopper. This is a great class for beginners who want to expand their basic skills at the lathe or for people who are brand new to woodturning. Various methods of holding the wood on the lathe will be covered, including turning between centers, using a four-jaw chuck, and using a screw chuck. We will cover design considerations; several different spindle turning cuts for roughing and forming beads and covers; sanding at the lathe, as well as drilling using the tailstock. Students can expect to go home with two bottle openers and two bottle stoppers. They make excellent gifts, especially for that wine or beer lover in your life! A studio/materials fee of $55.00 is due at time of registration.

VISITING MASTER SERIES: 10 Essential Cuts

Tuition $240.00

All Levels (Beginners welcome)
Unsure if this class is appropriate for your skill level? Contact us and find out.

Keith Tompkins

WT2013 July 13 & 14, 2013 (10am - 5pm) Sat/Sun (Turning Studio, Railroad Building)

Turning pro Keith Tompkins designed this specialty course to eliminate the trial-and-error method of learning to turn, thus dramatically shortening a student’s learning curve. This course will benefit new turners as well as those with some experience. Over the weekend, students will explore the cuts that should be an essential part of every woodturner's skill set—this includes spindle turning as well as bowl-turning cuts. Tools covered will be the bowl gouge, spindle gouge, and the infamous skew chisel. Students will first learn to sharpen these tools, and then master the ten most important cuts that will solve many common woodturning problems, such as torn grain and catches. By learning and applying these essential cuts, each student can expect to experience a large boost in their confidence level, as well as an immediate improvement in the quality of their work. Students can expect to bring home at least two completed projects, including a spindle turning and a bowl form. A studio/materials fee of $25 is due at time of registration.

Woodturning Intensive

Tuition $385.00

Beginner, Experienced Beginner
Unsure if this class is appropriate for your skill level? Contact us and find out.

Buster Shaw

WT2213, July 24 -27 (10am - 5pm) Wednesday thru Saturday (Turning Studio, Railroad Building)

This class includes something for everyone, whether a new turner or someone wishing to build and improve upon their woodturning foundation. You will have your own lathe and plenty of hands-on time to work on a wide range of projects. The class begins with a detailed discussion of lathes, tools, sharpening, wood selection, and safety. Special emphasis is given to developing skills with shaping, sharpening, and honing woodturning tools. You will be coached and encouraged to produce pieces in three areas of woodturning. The first is spindle turning, which includes such items as tool handles, furniture parts, spinning tops, rolling pins, wine stopper, etc. The second is facework, which includes bowls, platters, plates, drawer and cabinet pulls (for screw mounting), stool seats, etc. This selection will include discussions and demonstrations relating to working green and dry wood, cutting blanks for bowl work, mounting techniques, methods of reverse chucking for bowl bottoms, and optional grinds for deep-flutted bowl gouges. The last area to explore will be end-grained hollowed items such as lidded boxes, goblets, endgrain bowls, toothpick holders, scoops, etc. Emphasis in this class is placed upon cutting and shear scraping techniques, Methods of sanding and finishing all projects will be covered in detail. Key points: safe lathe practices; fundamentals of sharpening all lathe tools; exercises for developing tool control and good forms; creation of several between center projects;basics of chucking techniques for bowl/plate turning; methods for making turned boxes; suggestions for finishing a variety of turned objects.

Bowl Turning 102

Tuition $240.00

Experienced Beginner, Advanced Beginner
Prerequisite: Bowlturning 101, Intro to the Lathe, Beginning Bowl Turning or other lathe experience
Unsure if this class is appropriate for your skill level? Contact us and find out.

Jim Degen

WT1713 August 3 & 4, 2013 (10am - 5pm) Saturday/Sunday (Turning Studio, Railroad Building)

Take your woodturning skills to the next level with well-designed and beautifully shaped bowls. Bowl Turning 102 picks up where Bowl Turning 101 or Introduction to the Lathe leaves off. After a review of basic skills and concepts, students will proceed at their own level and pace with individual assistance and coaching. All phases of bowl turning will be covered, from wood preparation to final finishing. This course is designed for students who have completed a foundation-level woodturning course at BCC, have some lathe experience, or would like to exercise some rusty skills. A studio/materials fee of $35 is due at time of registration.

VISITING MASTERS SERIES: Art of the Finial

Tuition $240.00

Experienced Beginner, Advanced Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Unsure if this class is appropriate for your skill level? Contact us and find out.

Keith Tompkins

WT2113 August 10 & 11, 2013 (10am - 5pm) Saturday/Sunday (Turning Studio, Railroad Building)

A well turned finial can be the finishing touch to turned boxes and hollow forms, and are considered by many tobe the epitome of the turning craft. The class will cover the cutting techniques required, as well as proper sharpening techniques, for creating visually exciting finials. This hands-on class will cover traditional spindle turning techniques such as creating beads and coves using the spindle gouge and skew chisel, and will reveal methods for turning long, slender turnings. The class will also explore design concepts, and will help remove the mystery of turning great finials. Students can expect to leave this class with several elegantly turned finials, suitable to enhance their very best work. The techniques learned can be applied to their other turned work as well. A studio/materials fee of $20 is due at time of registration.

Harvesting Turning Stock from Logs

Tuition $240.00

Advanced Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Unsure if this class is appropriate for your skill level? Contact us and find out.

Joshua Friend

WT1813 August 17 & 18, 2013 (10am - 5pm) Saturday/Sunday (Turning Studio, Railroad Building)

Join American Woodturner writer Joshua Friend for this two-day course. Kiln Dried Lumber is expensive and can limit the possibilities of what can be turned on the lathe. Take your woodturning to the next level by learning how to harvest your own stock from logs in this class. Starting with a whole log, the class will cover chainsawing, bandsawing, and rough turning, and air drying. We will discuss blank orientation within the log, pith considerations, as well as drying techniques for both bowl and spindle blanks. Students can expect to take home at least one rough-turned bowl and some spindle- turned bowl and some spindle turning blanks for air drying and future use. Bring your own log or use one that will be provided. A studio/materials fee $25 is due upon registration.

MASTERS SERIES: Spend the Day with Ashley Harwood

Tuition $75.00

All Levels
Unsure if this class is appropriate for your skill level? Contact us and find out.

Ashley Harwood

NEW DATE! WT0813 Oct 13, 2013 (9am - 5pm) Sunday (Turning Studio, Railroad Building)

We are pleased to welcome rising star Ashley Harwood to our turning studio for a full-day demo on Sunday October 13th. Ashley comes to us from Charleston, South Carolina, traveling all over the US to teach and demonstrate her turning techniques, which include sharpening tools by hand. She demonstrated at both the 2011 and 2012 American Association of Woodturners National Symposiums, and we are excited to have Ashley make a stop on her tour at BCC. Lunch is included during a mid-day break. Space is limited to 25 participants for this unique experience. Don't wait to register...we expect a sell-out.

Spinning Tops

Tuition $120.00

all levels
Unsure if this class is appropriate for your skill level? Contact us and find out.

Joshua Friend

WT1913 October 12, 2013 (10am-5pm) Saturday (Turning Studio)

Join Joshua Friend for this one-day class on making simple spinning tops on the lathe. These old-fashioned toys make fantastic stocking stuffers - and they do not require Wi-Fi connection or batteries! The class is appropriate for turners of any skill level, as making tops is a great way to learn or practice spindle turning skills. Students will learn how to mount a spindle blank between centers, turn a tenon, and then mount in a four-jaw chuck before making the actual top. Wood selection and design considerations will also be discussed.Expect to take home several tops, which are sure to be enjoyed by children of all ages!

Introduction to the Lathe

Tuition $240.00

Beginner, Experienced Beginner
Unsure if this class is appropriate for your skill level? Contact us and find out.

Buster Shaw

WT1613 October 26 & 27, 2013 (10am - 5pm) Saturday/Sunday (Turning Studio, Railroad Building)

Join us for a 2-day introductory workshop in the art of woodturning. You’ll discover the joy of turning a block of wood into a wooden bowl…and that’s just the beginning. This class will provide you with a solid understanding of the fundamentals of woodturning in a fun, open and sharing atmosphere. Whether you’re a rank beginner or need to improve your current skills, you will benefit from the many techniques and tricks revealed in this hands-on woodturning workshop with Buster Shaw, one of the Craft Center’s most popular instructors. Expect to realize the many possibilities of turning, as you’re guided through proper tool selection, sharpening, and safety techniques. The sky is the limit as we pay homage to the trees, combining technique with imagination, to create wondrous works of wooden art. A studio/materials fee of $25 is due at time of registration.

Click here to view PAST WOODTURNING CLASSES