Name: Stereotomy – Moore End Table
Instructor: Patrick Moore
Skill Level: Beginner
Prerequisites: None

Format: Weekend in-person course

February 15th & 16th, 2025

Class Description:

Traditionally, when the young woodworking journeyman on the ‘Tour-de-France’ arrived at a new woodshop, he would build a pair of sawhorses for the obvious practical reasons, but also to indicate to the owner where he stood in his tour. The more complex he built it, the more time he had been studying Stereotomy – Art du Trait. This would in turn dictate to the owner the journeyman’s position in the company and the level of complexity that could be delegated to him. It would help the journeyman fix a suitable position in the company based on his skill, experience, and knowledge and understanding of Stereotomy.

In this two-day workshop students will build their own French Trestle; a specific design called The Moore End Table. Students will learn to create 2D stereotomical drawings using the visuospatial part of the brain, a drafting square, a pencil and a ruler. Each student will be taught how to use this part of their mind to visualize in 3D, draw in 2D, and then construct their trestle. It is of the utmost pleasure for the instructor, Patrick Moore to share this very special and rare skill, known to very few North Americans. The knowledge of stereotomy is so important to human civilization that UNESCO has classified it on the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as of 2009. A prerequisite of the course is to have knowledge, understanding, and use of hand tools (i.e. chisels, hand saws, layout tools).

Topics and skills covered will include:

• Basics of drafting
• How to develop a set of stereotomical drawings: plan view, elevation view, net view
• How to use the drawings to layout the trestle
• How to cut compound angles
• How to layout, cut and assemble the Moore End Table
• The voyage and experience of a journeyman
• What is Stereotomy?
• How Stereotomy was used in the past & relevant today

What you’ll need:

• Safety glasses and ear protection
• Notepad, pencil or pen
• Eraser
• Eraser guide or shield
• Clear plastic metric ruler
  • 75 cm or 100 cm
  • Recommended – Blundell Harling
• Set of sharpened bench chisels
  • Any brand of bench chisels
• Fine Tooth saw
  • Recommended – The Woodboy Folding Kataba
  • Or – A Ryoba Saw
• Large drafting triangle
  • Recommended – 14” or 18” by Alvin
• Exacto or marking knife
• 0.3mm mechanical pencil with extra 2H lead
• Fine tip (0.3mm) colored markers 
  • Recommended – Set of 10 by Steadler

Students may also find the following optional tools useful:

• Wooden Mallet 
  • Any brand
• Bench Brush
• Large Compass
  • Recommended – 16” Heavy-Duty Compass
• Three or four Sliding T-bevels
  • Recommended – Shinwa Sliding T-Bevel
• Block Plane
  • Recommended – Lie Nielson Rabbet Block Plane
  • Or – Stanley Block Plane
• Magnifocuser
  • Recommended – Binocular Magnifier & Visor Light
• Trammel Points
  • Recommended – Veritas Beam Compass

Austin School of Furniture has the right to cancel this class at anytime if the minimum amount of students is not reached.

See our Refund Policy here