Description:

Everyone needs a bookcase or several, so what better way to hone your woodworking skills than building your own? In this class, you will learn to build dado joints, using a dado blade set on the table saw, to construct a sturdy and beautiful bookcase.  

In the first class, we will take a look at the provided plans, and discuss any customizations you want to make to them. We will also begin working on jointing and planing down your wood. Sessions two and three will consist of cutting and joining the wood, and session four will focus on sanding and finishing. Please note that you may need to come in to work on your bookcase some between class sessions. Students are responsible for purchasing their own wood prior to the first class (more detail in the Materials section).

Class Goals:

Students will learn both how to make dados, and their practical application as a joining method. Students will also learn how to change blades on a table saw. The key outcome of this class is producing a functional and aesthetically pleasing piece of furniture that students can be proud to display in their homes.

Prerequisites:

Students who do not have table saw, jointer, and planer experience are welcome to take the class, but must purchase the Pre-session: Tool Training ticket and attend that evening as well as all class sessions. Students who have already been signed off to use the table saw, jointer, and planer at the Asylum do not need to purchase this additional ticket.

Materials Provided:

Glue and sand paper - no extra cost to students.

What to Bring:

Students must bring their own wood to class, and provide the desired finish material for the final class.

There are roughly 3 size book case options:

• 24" wide by 30" tall by 1' deep with 2 shelves (requires 14' of 1x12" stock, plus one 24" x 30" piece of 1/4" or 1/8" plywood or Lauan) 
• 24" wide by 4' tall by 1' deep with 3 shelves (requires 18.5' of 1x12" stock, plus one 24" x 4' piece of 1/4" or 1/8" plywood or Lauan) 
• 24" wide by 6' tall by 1' deep with 5 shelves (requires 26.5' of 1x12" stock, plus one 24" x 6' piece of 1/4" plywood or Lauan) 

Instructor Biography:

Carolyn Emberley has a BFA in Studio Art from UMass Amherst, taught in the Student Union Craft Center for most of her time there, and took woodworking classes in the art department.

Carolyn has been observing and building in her Dad's workshop since before she can remember. She built her first toolbox as a wee lass with her Dad's help when she was probably 8 or 10. Her personal projects tend to range from jewlery stands to boxes to small furniture. She comes from a family of professional builders and remodelers, and has helped frame, drywall, trim, paint, etc. many a structure, including her parents' home improvement projects, the construction of an addition to a family summer cottage, volunteering on several Habitat for Humanity sites, and supervising and teaching 14-18 year olds in week-long trips rebuilding houses in the Gulf Coast for three summers post-Hurricane Katrina. Teaching a 15 year old girl to cut and hang crown molding and seeing her amazement and the homeowner's gratiture in her results has been one of her most rewarding teaching experiences.