Give Thanks

Dear friends of the school,

Today I am writing to thank each of you for sharing in our collective journey in wood. Thank you for all your offerings of creativity and dedication, the hopes and intentions that connect you to our tradition. 

To our most recent alumni, I have been honoured and humbled to work with such inspired folk as you. We are very grateful to have had you as students and friends this last session. 

To JK, our ascended master, friend that I never met... thank you for being with us, through the wisdom and teachings that echo on. We are with you too through our journeys in this craft. 

Be well!

An evening with Juan Carlos Fernandez

Friday January 20, 2017 5pm

Inside Passage School of Fine Cabinetmaking is proud to present a slide show and talk with Juan Carlos Fernandez. Juan Carlos, a three year graduate of the program, who went onto assist with the teaching following his time as a student. Juan Carlos is not only one of the finest craftsman to come out of the school, but is one of the most creative souls I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Juan Carlos continues to work with wood, in its many forms and resides in Roberts Creek with his wife Beatriz. The talk is open to students, alumni, family and friends. Join us as we celebrate the work of this very talented and inspirational craftsman.

Wood Run

Last weekend our class journeyed to West Wind Hardwood on Vancouver Island in search of wood.

Here we go! 

It was an epic trip entirely on public transport from Roberts Creek to Sidney - bus, ferry, bus, Skytrain, bus, another ferry, bus... 

Morning tea with Spencer, Robert and Danielle

I very much enjoy seeing my shop mates outside the shop and away from the Creek!

Here we are

We were greeted by this glorious sign out front.

We started off with a short talk from Robert on lumberyard etiquette and purchasing wood.

Robert's selection

"You can never have too much wood." 

We came away with a nice stack of wood, including Narra, Kwila, Teak, Goncalo Alves, Padouk, and some extremely tight-grained Fir.

It was a great time with all of you and we are already looking forward to our next wood run!

Spring Session / Grain Graphics

Early spring Greetings from Inside Passage!

We have just finished our first week of the new spring session at the school. With five returning students in the advanced programs, collectively known as the Apprenticeship program, it is shaping up to be an exciting term with many different projects in the mix.

Jesse and Danielle on their Perfect Boards

For the Upward Spiral students, this week has been focused on reacquaintance with their hand planes, flattening and squaring a piece of Eastern Hard Maple by hand in the Perfect Board Exercise. It is a challenging and often frustrating task, but pays off with a deeper understanding and skill with our most essential of hand tools.

Jesse scrubs a piece of English Walnut for his cabinet

 At the same time, material for projects is being pondered and selected, with the graphics of grain and colour the foremost consideration. It is a very exciting time with boards being opened up, first cuts being made. I am so looking forward to seeing these beautiful woods transform.

Rotating the grain - "Impractical Millwork"

As a central focus in our work, we introduce the concepts of grain graphics to our Impractical Studies students in their very first week at the school - how the different cuts of wood display their grain in various ways, and how to rotate the grain to yield graphics that work with our intentions for each piece. 

Grain following the curve of the Gumby Leg

In the Gumby Leg exercise, the students straighten and rotate the grain of their leg blank, then cut the curves on two faces. The resulting grain lines flow with the curve, gently accentuating its shape. The leg is now ready for shaping with spokeshaves and chisels, a story all of its own...

Robert rotates the grain for a crest rail

Robert topped off the graphics lecture with a demonstration on the Vidar's Chair crest rail. This part, though slender, curves up and back simultaneously, and was thought to require 12/4 stock. Several years ago, a spark of ingenuity led Robert to discover in his own shop that he was able to obtain the crest rail with just 8/4 stock while preserving ideal grain graphics - a moment of great creative triumph, the fruits of which we are very lucky to enjoy!

Thank you all for a great first week back in the shop!