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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!

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.