Name: Hand Tool Smorgasbord
Instructor: Vic Tesolin
Skill Level: All Levels

Format: 7 Day in-person course

Date: June 16th to 22nd, 2025

Class Description:

Get ready for an unforgettable woodworking adventure with furniture maker and author, Vic Tesolin! This course offers a unique chance to dive deep into hand tool skills while crafting your own tools and jigs. With Vic’s expert guidance, you’ll breeze through various hand and power tool processes, all leading up to creating a charming small dovetailed box. This workshop is designed to be as fun as it is educational.

Projects and Exercises:

• Japanese Style Smoother Plane
• Wooden Mallet
• Shooting Board
• Dovetail Saw Guide
• Elegant Dovetailed Box

Day 1: Kickoff with a Japanese-Style Smoother Plane and Mallet
Start your journey by crafting a unique Japanese-style smoother plane using the sandwich method popularized by James Krenov. This plane, designed to pull rather than push, offers enhanced control. By the end of the day, you’ll have your own East Meets West (EMW) plane ready for action. While the glue dries, you’ll whip up a simple yet essential mallet for those precise adjustments. Skills you’ll learn:
– Accurate milling of stock
– Precision measuring and marking
– Precise glue-up techniques
– Adding simple decorative details
– Safely working with small parts using power tools
– Incorporating brass into woodworking projects
– Sharpening and setting up your plane
– Maintenance and care for long-term use

Day 2: Fun with Fixtures
Start the day by making a shooting board that perfectly complements your new plane. This handy fixture also doubles as a saw hook for Japanese saws. Next, you’ll build a precision dovetail saw guide—think of it as training wheels for sawing straight and plumb. You’ll love the simplicity and effectiveness of these tools.

Days 3-7: Crafting Your Own Dovetail Box
Now, it’s time to put your new skills and tools to the test! Over the final days, you’ll create an elegant dovetailed box, sized to fit your newly minted wooden plane. Not only will this box look great on any desk, but it will also put all your newfound techniques to work. Here’s what you’ll learn:
– Introduction to dovetail joints
– Using simple tools to mark pleasing dovetails
– Sizing components accurately with hand saws and planes
– Sawing and refining tails as the pattern
– Transferring tails to the pin board with precision
– Cutting and fitting the pin board for a snug fit
– Plowing a groove for the box bottom
– Stress-free glue-up techniques
– Final tuning and surface preparation

This course is packed with valuable learning opportunities that will elevate your woodworking skills. Designed to teach you essential techniques transferable to any project, it’s all about working accurately at every stage. Vic believes that your woodworking journey should be enjoyable, so he runs his classes to be stress-free and fun. Join Vic Tesolin for a week full of helpful tips, solid techniques, and loads of fun. You’ll leave with the confidence to tackle any woodworking project you can dream up!

What you’ll need:

Required

• Combination square
• Pencil / paper
• Bevel gauge
• Scratch awl
• Marking knife
• Measuring Tape

Optional (If you don’t bring your own you will have to share the school’s limited quantity)

If you have done some woodworking, and have some tools you think would be useful, feel free to bring them. It does not hurt to bring more than you need.

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