The Furniture Institute of Massachusetts

The router has become a very important power tool in the shop. This class will give you the practical experience in the set up and operation as a hand held tool. With the aid of simple jigs, you will bring home with you the use and understanding of how to make simple but effective jigs for routing mortises and cutting accurate dados. The router table is another way in which you can utilize the router. Using the router upside down in a table takes some special safety consideration. This workshop will give you the confidence to select the correct bits and Level ~ Beginner Course Length –Two Days Saturday & Sunday 9:00AM ~ 5:00PM


 Learn the techniques commonly found in veneer work.  Building a small box will give you a chance to prepare book matched and four way matched veneer panels.  We will also use stringing and banding borders, which we will make in class.  Techniques you will learn include sharpening and using a veneer saw,  joining and taping seams, as well as making and using a scratch stock for straight and curved stringing.  We will glue up parts using both traditional curved cauls and the modern alternative, vacuum bagging.  All of the methods you learn for this project can be adapted to other veneered pieces.  Veneering is a traditional form of embellishment that can add dramatic effects to your work.  This short class will get you started by teaching you many of the typical applications. Level ~ Beginner Course Length – Two Days Saturday, Sunday, 9:00AM ~ 5:00PM

The art of polishing wood with shellac became fashionable in the 18th century with the arrival of the federal furniture. This weekend will cover the various materials and the mixtures used for polishing as well as the proper method for making a polishing pad and grinder. In polishing, following a systematic and regimented application of material in various motions is the key to success. Knowing when to introduce oil, which aids in the application, and when to use a grinder will assist in the quick application and filling the grain. Spiriting off and the rubout will bring results that will dazzle everyone. Level ~ Beginner Course Length ~ 2 Days Saturday & Sunday 9:00AM ~ 5:00PM

Face plate turning is a great way to turn table tops, trays, circular moldings and much more. This class will get you to understand the designing and gluing up of a segmented lamination that will be sawn into a circular form. You will also learn the proper way to make a face plate, center the glued up lamination and the means to fasten it. Learning how to grind and sharpen the tools, is a large part that will make you successful turning this beautiful frame, and will open up a multitude of faceplate turning possibilities Level: Beginner / Intermediate Course Length: Two Days Saturday ~ Sunday 9:00AM ~ 5:00PM

Dovetails are one of the most attractive, strong and useful woodwork joints. Hand cut dovetails are also recognized as one of the hallmarks of hand-made craft world. Enhance your skills by learning how to successfully layout and cut a variety of dovetail joints including half-blind, through, and dovetails with a mitered edge. This is a great class for those who have never cut dovetails or those that are looking to find out how to make them fit without gaps. Level ~ Beginner / Intermediate Course Length –One Day Saturday 9:00AM ~ 5:00PM


This is a great opportunity to spend time learning from a master upholsterer who describes himself as having “been spitting tacks for 50 years”. Over the two weekends Joseph Karagezian will discuss the tools and materials necessary for simple upholstery and the students will upholster a simple slip seat using webbing, burlap, horsehair, cotton and muslin. In the latter part of the class the more advanced technique of spring tying and complex fabric cutting and advanced sewing techniques will be practiced. If you have a simple chair with a slip or spring seat we encourage you to bring it along to work on. Make sure the frame you bring is stripped of its upholstery when you arrive and it is structurally sound. Don’t miss this class as it isn’t offered that often. Level: Beginner / Intermediate Two Weekends 4Days Saturday & Sunday 9:00 AM ~ 5:00 PM

Make your own veneer! In this two-day class, we will make veneer from solid stock. Because of its thickness it can be planed and joined like solid wood, and the same board can be used for edging and veneer. We will discuss and explore tuning up a band saw specifically for this purpose; setting and adjusting guides and bearings; and finding and setting a fence up for “drift”. Stock will be prepared for sawing, then each student will saw their own veneer, learning to feel the correct speed for feeding the stock. Having made our own veneers, we will edge-glue them together to make sheets and adhere them to a substrate. Various approaches to edge banding will be discussed.