carving with wood
Chip Carving Essentials with Marty Leenhouts
Level: Beginner and above
Date: Saturday, October 29, 2011
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Registration deadline: October 22, 2011
Location: Milan Village Arts School
Learn the essential skills of chip carving in this class. Tools will be provided for your use along with a practice board and materials to chip carve a card box (shown below). If you already have some chip carving tools, bring them along. The main item to bring with you is an attitude ready to learn! You will learn how to draw and chip carve 3-corner chips, various borders, and a rosette. Proper technique will be emphasized and encouraged throughout this class. Knife sharpening will also be taught and demonstrated.
Please bring: quality compass, mechanical pencil
Tuition: member $70 non-member $85
Supplies: $29 (card box and practice board)
Please visit www.MyChipCarving.com to see more examples of Marty’s work.
For questions, please contact the Milan Village Arts School at 320-734-4807 or mvas@fedteldirect.net.
Click here to register.
Read Marty Leenhouts's bio.
Wood Spoon Carving with Tom Dengler and Fred Livesay
Level: Beginner and above
Date: Saturday and Sunday
Class 1: Tom Dengler, November 12 & 13, 2011
Registration deadline: October 30, 2011
Class 2: Fred Livesay, March 3 & 4, 2012
Registration deadline: February 18, 2012
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location: Milan Village Arts School
Scandinavia and other countries have folk traditions of carving spoons for home use and as gifts. The two day class is about continuing this art and craft. Spoon carving opens the door to a host of other woodcraft skills using axes and knives. The focus of the class is to develop the student's confidence in the use of a knife for roughing and finishing of a beautiful, durable and usable wooden spoon. Butter spreaders will be carved during the first morning session to learn the various carving strokes. The afternoon session and following day will be devoted to carving an eating spoon. Other aspects of the class will cover sharpening design, decorating and finishing. Beginners and experienced carvers are welcome. Please bring your own old and new spoons to share with the class. Tom and Fred will assist returning students with additional techniques to improve their skills. Get ready for Christmas and make hand crafted gifts during the November class.
Tuition: member $140 non-member $155
Supplies: Included. Instructors will have some tools for student use, and tools and traditional spoon blanks for sale.
For questions, please contact Fred Livesay at 651-224-2898.
Click here to register.
Read Tom Dengler's bio
Read Fred Livesay's bio.
Scandinavian Flat Plane Carving with Harley Refsal
Level: Beginner and above
Date: Friday, Saturday & Sunday, February 10, 11, & 12, 2012
Time: Friday & Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Registration deadline: January 28, 2012
Location: Milan Village Arts school
In this course, open to beginning as well as experienced carvers, students will complete a figure (or two) of their choice, rendered in the Scandinavian flat-plane style. Special emphasis will be placed on carving facial features, hands, etc. After painting the figure, a final finish will be applied. All participants, even fresh beginners, ought to be able to have at least one figure completely finished and shelf-ready by the end of the course. The instructor will supply band-sawn wooden cutouts for sale and a supply of basic carving tools for sale to students who do not have their own tools. One basic carving or whittling knife is the principal tool; feel free to bring along whatever carving tools you might already own, but only one knife is really necessary.
Tuition: member $150
non-member $165
Supplies: Whatever carving tools student might already own. Instructor will have along a supply of basic tools for sale. Finishing materials (paint, wax, etc.) furnished by instructor.
Click here to register.
Read Harley Refsal's bio.
Scandinavian Flat Plane Carving with Bill Jaeger
Level: Beginner and above
Date: Saturday & Sunday, March 24 & 25, 2012
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Registration deadline: March 10, 2012
Location: Milan Village Arts School
Bill provides carving students with carving designs for this class that highlight the historical and unique aspects of traditional Scandinavian-style figure carving. Students will practice the particular knife strokes and techniques to achieve the look of the old carvers.
A good carving knife is the only tool needed, but students should bring their palm gouges. Carvers with some experience should be able to carve and paint a figure in this weekend class.
Tuition: member $125 non-member $140
Supplies: Students should bring their carving tools. Bill will provide band-sawn blanks out of basswood and Pinewood Forge Knives for purchase. Finishing materials such as paint and Danish oil will be supplied by instructor.
Click here to register.
Read Bill Jaeger's bio.
Acanthus Carving with Hans Sandom
Level: Beginner and above
Date: Monday through Friday
Class 1: March 12, 13, 14, 15 & 16, 2012
Registration deadline: March 1, 2012
Class 2: August 13, 14, 15, 16 & 17, 2012
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Registration deadline: August 1, 2012
Location: Milan Village Arts School
Both novices and accomplished workers meet in this class to carve beautiful, ornate, leaf designs in wood. Students learn to work with the wood grain, basic elements of design, and the use and care of wood carving tools. The Acanthus technique dates back many centuries and can be used to add beauty to both structural and decorative woodwork.
Tuition: member $250 non-member $265
Supplies: Students are responsible for their own carving tools, paper, pencils, etc.
Click here to register.
Read Hans Sandom's bio.
Carving with a Slöjd Knife with Jim Sannerud
Level: Beginner and above
Date: Saturday March 10, 2012
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Registration deadline: February 25, 2012
Location: Milan Village Arts School
The Slöjd knife (pronounced sloyd) is a common knife in Scandinavia that is used for carving spoons, decorative items and coat hooks from a crook of a tree. It is also used as an all-purpose utility knife.
Through repetition we will focus on learning a variety of safe and efficient Slöjd knife cuts with "stops" so you can carve with confidence. After practicing these cuts you will make a spreader and a hook to take home. We will also cover sharpening the knife.
No experience necessary, the instructor will provide the knives and materials used in class.
Tuition: member $45 non-member $60
Please visit www.jsannerud.com to view examples of Jim’s work.
Click here to register.
Read Jim Sannerud's bio.
Intro to Bowl Turning for Women, 2-day with Jim Sannerud
Level: Beginner
Date: Thursday & Friday, March 8 & 9, 2012
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Registration deadline: February 25, 2012
Location: Milan Village Arts School
This is a class solely for women who are interested in the art of bowl turning. Learn to throw ribbons of wood over your shoulder! In this class you will make multiple bowls while learning the nuances of how to hold the tools to make a variety of cuts in green, freshly cut wood. Students will learn basic and advanced sharpening techniques including swept back grind. We’ll also cover how to select and prepare wood specifically for bowl turning.
Tuition: member $160 non-member $175
Supplies: $50. The supply fee is paid to the instructor at the conclusion of class.
Please visit www.jsannerud.com to view examples of Jim’s work.
Click here to register.
Read Jim Sannerud's bio.
Bowl Carving with Axe, Adz and Gouge with Jon Strom
Level: Beginner
Date: Saturday - Monday, June 9, 10 & 11, 2012
Registration deadline: May 26, 2012
Location: Milan Village Arts School
Scandinavian carving techniques are used to split a birch log in half, shape for carving with the small axe and secure in a carving bench for hollowing. The inside is done first with the bowl adz and smoothed with the gouge. A long, graceful shape develops from the swing of the tools . The outside is then shaped with the axe using the inside as a guide for the finished shape. The wood is still green and wet at this point, which makes the cutting easier and enables the carver control thicknesses and drying. The traditional methods of decorating and finishing are covered and each student will carve his or her personally designed bowl.
Tuition: member $225 non-member $240
Supplies: Everything is supplied by the instructor, but students are encouraged to bring any tools they have, including a carving axe (hatchet size), bowl adz, and round gouges.
Click here to register.
Read Jon Strom's bio.