Robert Van Norman – Canada
Yvonne Van Norman – Canada
Caroline Woon – Singapore
Gary Kent – Canada
Nondas Iacovou – Cyprus
Marchand Van Rooyen – South Africa
Jose Alberto Perez Gonzalez – Spain
Fei Shi – China
Vanessa Cruse – New Zealand
Eli Mara – Canada
Robert Whelan – Canada
It has been a year since we changed the format of our program, enabling our students to take our Impractical Cabinetmaker program a session at a time. Our Impractical Studies program, a foundation in the teachings of James Krenov, maybe taken a week at a time or as a complete ten-week program, and is a prerequisite to each of the other three ten-week programs. The Upward Spiral program is an exploration of the solid wood construction of an established piece, and serves as a prerequisite to our Composing program, where students have the opportunity to compose a piece from a plank to a cabinet under the guidance of the Resident Craftsman and Teacher, further exploring the many subtleties of our craft including the use of shop sawn veneer, curves and glass. Vidar’s Chair program is a comprehensive lesson in grain graphics, increasingly complex joinery and shaping. This fine chair, originally made in Jim’s little basement shop in Bromma Sweden, in 1970 by his dear friend Vidar Malmsten. At the same time as we changed the format of our program, we reduced our class size by over forty percent. In just three weeks we will begin our tenth year of offering craft education for the aspiring amateur in a supportive and creative environment located in the quaint seaside community of Robert’s Creek on the beautiful Sunshine Coast of British Columbia.
back row from left: Yvonne, Brad, Russ, Kelly, Kevin, Nondas, Chris & Gary
front row from left: Gavin, John, Robert, Caroline & Tom
Caroline Woon, who recently completed her second year of study and is undertaking a residency at the school will begin her training as a teaching assistant in the coming program. With a student enrolled in Vidar’s chair program, she will be making a chair along side him, as she guides him through the process. Having recently completed the chair, she has proven herself as one of the finest craftsman to come out of our small school. Yvonne and I are very grateful to have such a fine young craftsman join us in providing craft education, in the Krenovian tradition.
Yesterday the final Elephants of this session, took place at our home just down the road from the school. We began with a tour of my little shop and listened to a farewell address lecture Jim had given at the school back in 2007. Students then had an opportunity to see first hand some of my work, the work of my students and of course one of JK’s cabinets that grace the floor of our home. I also brought out some of Jim’s archive to share with the students. We had a bon fire where in keeping with tradition, I burned my Wabi Sabi exercise cabinet. It was a night of good food and wonderful people including alumni from our first year. I was filled with a deep sense of gratitude for all the wonderful people in my life.
This past week, after spending nearly two months dismantling, cleaning, lubricating and setting up Jim’s Stenberg table saw and mortiser, I decided to set aside the restoration of his remaining machines for a while and make some shavings. I installed the phase converter and all the machines are up and running except the tablesaw and mortiser, which is awaiting a part for the switch. The following is from my notes of the past two months: Jim often said “make sure they know you’ve been there.” While he was referring to our work, I have taken this approach with their restoration. Each machine would need to be disassembled, cleaned, lubricated and tuned. Twenty years of salty sea air had taken its toll on them and while, they had been cleaned before their arrival, I wanted to get to know them better, to prepare them for another lifetime of use. I began with the tablesaw and mortiser. After dismantling the machine, I removed all surface rust, despite a little pitting no parts required machining. All paint is original, with two exceptions, the motor for the table saw had been rebuilt about six years ago. When it returned from the rebuilder, it had a paint inconsistent with the original Stenbergs green. The dust bin had also been modified and fitted with a dust collection port. In an effort to return them to as they were in Jim’s little basement shop in Bromma Sweden, I made a minimalist patch for the dust bin, neatly covering the hole and attached it using the same screw holes. The patch and motor were the painted to paint carefully tinted to match the rest of the machine. In preparing the motor to repaint, I located and uncovered the motors specification plate. Once completely dismantled all surfaces where thoroughly cleaned and lubricated and I began to reassemble. I began with the arbor assembly, it which pivots on two bushings. The photograph below shows one cleaned with surface rust removed prior to lubrication, the other is as the machine arrived.
When the machine arrived, the raising and lowering of the arbor and chuck, which run on the same shaft, was a bit rough. Cleaned and lubricated, it works beautiful including the micro adjustment which is smooth and a delight to use. Each of the machines, are built with simplicity in mind, but built for many lifetimes of use, like our work. I then attached the saw casting and trunions. The tilting table had not seen much use so when it arrived, the trunions were nearly seized. After a lot of cleaning and sensible lubrication, they are as smooth as the day they left the small family run factory. The pulley was then cleaned and reinstalled on the motors shaft. With one grunion attached to the top, the top was carefully lipped into place and was reattached, and the table tilt stop set pretty close for the time being. The tilting of the saw is smooth in both directions and the locking mechanism solid.
I began work on a pair of chairs underway in narra. With mortising of the legs complete, I turned my attention to the tapers on the front and back legs. I brought down a couple of Jim’s planes, ground the irons and put on a fresh edges. I could have cut the tapers on the bandsaw first, but decided to set on of the planes for a heavier cut to plane in the tapers and the other set very fine to take the tapers down to final dimension and surface. I was reminded of the following quote as I made the first shavings in my little shop.
“ I stand at my workbench. Shavings curl from the plane in my hands, swish-and-slide, as I rock to the motion of work. The smell of fresh cut wood, a slick, silvery yellow surface gleaming under the tireless plane, and a feeling of contentment. Nothing is wrong. Here I am, here is my work-and someone is waiting for the fruits of these fleeting hours. My contentment is bound by the whitewashed walls of my little cellar shop, by the stacks of long-sought woods with their mild colors and elusive smells, by the planked ceiling through which I hear the quick footsteps of a child- and yet it is boundless, my joy…” – James Krenov A Cabinetmakers Notebook
We will be launching our new website in the coming weeks. Our new website, was built on simplicity and will enable weekly Journals, even for a luddite like myself. I will be sharing my personal work and thoughts on teaching, and Caroline, who will be completing a residency at the school, will be sharing her work, and the work of the students. The rest of the site will be a work in progress, your patience is very much appreciated.
Over the next few days we will be saying goodbye to a few very special people. We will be preparing the school, and ourselves for our tenth year of offering craft education for the aspiring amateur founded on and dedicated to the teachings of James Krenov. Yvonne and I would like to thank the over three hundred alumni from over thirty five countries who have entrusted our school for their craft education, and are reminded that this school not only exists for you but because of you.
Be well and enjoy your work,
Robert
Over the past few weeks at the school, in the Impractical Studies program, students have completed their grain graphics and shaping exercise, made three planes including a jointer, smoother and a curved bottom plane. In doing so have sharpened and dialled in their handtools. Last week they have begun cutting carcass scale through dovetails and begun making more shop specific tools for their task at hand. This week, they have moved onto Joinery & Surfaces. In the Upward Spiral and Composing programs, joinery and surfaces and edges treatment are well underway. Our Resident Craftsman Caroline Woon, has returned and has just completed the upper rear assembly of her chair. Several visits from alumni in the past few weeks including Fergal Spain and family from county Sligo Ireland, always nice to see so many familiar faces around the school. In my own shop, I continue with my work, dismantling, cleaning, lubricating and tuning of each of Jim’s old machines, and getting myself organized. This past week, I moved my chair parts home from the school and more of my personal wood. My shop is 165 square feet in size, so when I bring something in it needs to have a place. The bandsaw and jointer are connected to power and have been looking at the options for connecting the shaper, table saw and mortiser, which are three phase machines. When the jointer arrived, it’s simple guard was in need of repair. The metal base was bent, and the wooden sole of the guard was cracked and was attached to the metal base with duct tape as the holes for the brass machine screws were stripped. I dismantled and cleaned and straightened the base, then repaired the sole and reattached it as shown below, maintaining all original paint. The restoration work is slow, but steady and very gratifying.
This coming week, I will return my attention to the tablesaw trunions and the sliding table. I have waited for more than a decade for a shop of my own again, and a place to continue with my work. In the Fine Art of Cabinetmaking, Jim wrote “The best shop for you is one in which you can do good work and feel happy doing it.” I am happy, and enjoying the work very, very much.
Be well and enjoy your work,
Robert
This week at the school, we began the spring intake of the Impractical Cabinetmaker Program. We have students joining us from Canada, United States, Singapore and Cyprus enrolled in Impractical Studies, Upward Spiral and Composing. In the first week of Impractical Studies, Graphics & Edges, we have just completed the Gumby exercise. The exercise focuses on preparing our tools, careful selection of wood, and shaping including surface preparation and edges treatment. In the Upward Spiral program students have rough milled the stock for their solid wood piece and have moved onto dovetails. In the Composing program, students have selected the wood, mocked up, rough milled the stock for their pieces and have joinery underway. Our resident craftsman, Caroline Woon, who has just completed her second year of study, is taking a well desired break, joining her family in Europe for a few weeks.
A little over a week ago, JK’s original machines arrived in my home shop. I have spent the last week dialling in the placement of each and am awaiting the electrician to come by to connect them. I have begun the process tuning up each of the machines. I suspect this process will take several weeks, but will give me the opportunity to become familiar with the subtitles of each machine. This week, I began with the tablesaw and mortiser. I dismantled the chuck on the mortiser, cleaned and lubricated it which now runs freely and takes bits from 0-15mm.
This coming week I will remove the table and clean and lubricate the trunions which have not been moved much in the last decade. I will then turn my attention to the sliding table. I have included a few photographs of my little shop. The main shop is approximately ten by twelve feet and the adjacent wood room, which is also home to Jim’s old eighteen inch bandsaw measures about nine by five feet. His hand tools, hang above the bench and old mechanical press sits next to his old Italian shaper. Before he passed, he said he wanted his tools used. It was based on this comment, and a conversation I had with Yvonne that I have decided that the hand tools I have collected, pampered and used for more than twenty five years will remain at the school. As I sit in my shop writing this I am filled with a deep sense of gratitude, as I begin the return to my work.
Be well and enjoy your work,
Robert
I have been away a while. It seems, that since the fall of 2009, I have been at a loss for words. In the coming weeks I will begin to bring you up to date with the exciting developments at IPSFC. In a few months we will be entering our tenth year of providing quality craft education for the aspiring amateur. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the many people from across the world who have joined us over the years and are reminded that this school not only exists for you, but be cause of you.
This past week we moved my bench, JK’s hand tools, wood to my new home shop. Yvonne and I are anxiously awaiting the arrival of a few very special machines, which we will share with you in the coming weeks on the Journal. Every time I walk through its doors, I am reminded my partner in life and work who has been with me my entire life as a craftsman. Without my soul mate, none of this would be possible.
Be well and enjoy your work,
Robert
I always thought of myself as a woodworker, but spent most of my life not really knowing what was possible in this craft. The Artisan Program changed all that. Studying the fundamentals for six intense weeks at Inside Passage broadened my perspective. I learned a new way of working that opened my eyes to all kinds of possibilities. I had to go back for more!
So, I enrolled in the Craftsman Program. It was a major commitment of time, energy and resources, but definitely worth it. Every day I was pushed to my limit, and then some, but that’s what helped me grow. The support of Robert and Yvonne, and of my fellow students created a welcoming atmosphere at the school that made it a great place to learn. Robert’s teaching, and the James-Krenov-way-of-working that is the foundation for this fine school, brought me to a place of confidence in, and enjoyment of, this craft that I don’t think I could have found anywhere else.
Most recently, I had the opportunity to make a reproduction of Vidar’s chair in the Journeyman Program. This was just what I needed to push my skills to the next level. Chairs are challenging to make, and this chair was no exception. It presented studies in grain graphics, shaping and fitting of complex joinery that demanded my full attention.
Robert, thank you for generously sharing your expertise and for helping me see what was possible. My work will always reflect the huge influence that you and the school have had on my woodworking career. In the beginning, I had high expectations of Inside Passage. Now, I’m happy to say they were all exceeded!
Inside Passage School of Fine Cabinetmaking is proud and grateful to present a sampling of work from this years Craftsman and Resident Craftsman Programs. It should be note that the work was done by students with little or no experience in the craft prior to attending classes at IPSFC.
I completed the artisan program in 2012. I have always been someone who was interested in woodworking but had never spent enough time practicing to get really good at cabinetmaking. I was also alone in my craft and wasn’t aware of what was required to get the kind of results I achieved at the course at Inside Passage. I have a busy job in Australia as the director of a charity helping children and young people in Sydney and after many years in the position decided to take an extended break to follow that passion. I searched online and found Inside Passage; I emailed Yvonne the schools administrator to find out more about the program. I was worried about whether I would qualify for the course. She assured me that I would be fine and that there were people at different skills level attending and I would be able to complete the work. She was right and I felt very confortable in the classroom.
Yvonne also sent me an accommodation list of people in Roberts Creek who are happy to rent a room, I contacted a local and stayed in a beautiful house at a very reasonable cost that was two minutes from the College. I am still in contact with some local people; two visited me in Australia recently.
Robert Van Norman the Resident Craftsman and Teacher made me feel valued and respected as a student and was always willing to help me fix mistakes Id made, “not that I made that many mistakes”.
The course changed my understanding of the craft and I learned so much about how to sharpen tools, appreciate timber and its qualities, use hand tools and machinery and produce a beautiful piece of furniture. It was intensive and very instructive with Robert demonstrating every step of the way. As I said other students were at different skills levels and we often worked in teams, this helped me to build confidence in the work.
Apart from the new skills I learned I also made new friends in the course and am in contact with some of my fellow students to this day. Robert and Yvonne made me welcome and I am deeply indebted to their kindness support and friendship. Roberts Creek is a beautiful place in the forest and on the sea. The experience did change my life and I know that I will return to the School one day for further study.
Now that I’m back in Sydney I have begun to build a number of pieces of furniture including a side table and two chairs. I am also designing a series of pencil cases in Jarrah a native Australian timber.