This class is going to be a great opportunity to learn the fundamentals of hand skill work from sharpening to primary joinery used in traditional woodworking. Students will learn to use saws, planes, chisels and scrapers as well as how to hand cut dados, dovetails and mortise and tenons–all by hand. Frank draws on 37 years of woodworking experience. Having trained under a traditional apprenticeship, Frank will share what he has learned over three decades of building furniture day in and day out. Students will leave with the confidence to hand cut joinery as well as tune up and use a hand plane to its fullest advantage. Using hand tools will help take your work to a new level. They can give a craftsperson the ability to finesse joinery, improve efficiency, and make complex tasks safer. Today, most woodworkers are project oriented with a focus on just getting the project completed, instead of focusing on the actual skills used in making the project. Rushing through a project often restricts the maker from the learning process, which is why Frank spends so much emphasis on the techniques. Although this class will be technique based with lots of practice, students will make some simple projects utilizing the skills they have learned in the process. Essentially, the project is merely a vehicle in which to learn the skills. By the end of the week, students will have the skills to make and fashion a simple dovetailed box. This class will be extremely beneficial to anyone, even if you are not a hand tool woodworker.