Gift Cards

Gift Cards can be used to sign up for any class that takes place in the shop. Predetermined and custom values are available. The cards never expire.

Greenwood Chairmaking and Willow Baskets

July 28 - August 3, 9AM - 5PM — Tuition $1600

Full Class - Join the Waitlist!

Instructors: Eric Cannizzaro, Jes Clark

In this class students will use just a few hand tools to make a greenwood ladderback chair in the style of Jennie Alexander (Make A Chair From a Tree, 1978). Starting with an ash or oak log, we will spend the first three days working together to split, shave, and bend enough chair parts for everyone.

On day four, we will put our chair parts aside to dry and spend two days weaving willow baskets. We will learn and practice traditional weaving techniques while creating beautiful and functional harvesting baskets. Students will also learn about the cultivation and processing of this historically important natural material. Our baskets will be built from a round base with weaves mostly in the European tradition, including pairing, waling, randing and woven borders. Every student’s basket will be different! This class is suitable for beginners wanting to learn a base of weaving knowledge or intermediate weavers looking to improve skills and control. Care and use of finished pieces will be discussed in class. Willow is a stronger more tension-y material than many other basketry materials, strong hands are a must for this course. 

The last two days of class will be spent back at the workbench and shaving horse, final shaping and assembling our chairs. This class is a lot of work and a lot of fun, and offers a unique opportunity to build skills with a few core tools. Seat weaving will be demonstrated in class and resources will provided for students to weave at home.

Contemporary Barstool

September 1 - 5 - Tuition: $1600

Instructor: Eric Cannizzaro

This class starts with splitting and shaving our crest rails and spindles from an oak or ash log. The next couple days are spent drilling reaming and carving white pine seats, followed by two days of making joinery and assembling the chairs. Turnings are provided by the instructor - we will apply a spokeshave finish to them in class. There won’t be time for painting or finishing in class but resources will be provided for students to complete those processes at home.

Black Ash Baskets: Log to Back!

September 18 -21  —  Tuition: $400

Full Class - Join the Waitlist!

Instructors: Penny Hewitt, Eric Cannizzaro

Make your own pack basket and in the process learn one of the oldest crafts in human history.  For thousands of years baskets served as indispensable objects in every culture. Carry on the tradition and take home a beautiful, durable and useful basket crafted from local and responsibly harvested, hand pounded black ash logs.  

Midday on Thursday, we will start with a discussion outlining the process of selecting, harvesting and processing a tree.  Following will be an afternoon of pounding black ash logs to prepare material to use in the workshop. It is an essential and large part of the making of ash baskets and we are excited for you to experience it.  Folks will have varying degrees of capability around this skill, as it takes a fair amount of physical strength and stamina. No worries! We will all work together to produce what we need as a group. 

Friday, we will spend the day carving a handle and rim. The material will be riven out of a white ash log and carved with the drawknife and spokeshave. After carving, steam will be used to bend them into shape, and a small light bulb kiln to set the bends.

Saturday and Sunday will be full days of weaving an, approximately 18" tall, Adirondack style, pack basket with cedar runners and base and an adjustable webbing or leather harness.  This basket is made to last and be used! Note: Included in the price of the class are cotton straps for the harness. Leather straps are available for an additional $50.

Democratic Chair

October 26 - November 1 — Tuition: Side Chair $1500, Arm Chair: $1600

Instructors: Eric Cannizzaro

A Curtis Buchanan design, this chair is all hand work and a deep dive into the drawknife. The class starts with four days of splitting parts out from a log and shaping them on the shaving horse with the drawknife. Mortises will be drilled and reamed by eye and seats will be carved with the drawknife and scorp. This class is a lot of work and a lot of fun, it offers a unique opportunity to build skills with a few core tools. Resources on painting and finishing will be provided for students to do at home.

Birch Bark Ornaments

Nov. 24th, 1PM - 5PM — Tuition: $135

Instructor: Penny Hewitt

Enjoy the simple pleasure of creating a decoration or gift from materials responsibly harvested in VT.  Utilizing techniques common to the Scandinavian and Russian style of basketry, you will craft birds and stars using strips of inner bark from the paper birch tree. Included is a discussion on how these materials are harvested and prepared. Everyone will leave with three ornaments.

Boggs Ladderback Rocking Chair

December 7 - 13 - Tuition: $2100

Instructor: Eric Cannizzaro

Build an iconic ladder back chair designed by Brian Boggs. Routed slat mortises and drill press mortising, combined with lots of hand shaped parts. Included in the tuition is a copy of Jeff Lefkowitz’s manual on building Boggs ladder backs, detailing every step of the process. Note: Students will purchase their own seating material and bring it with them to class, see my resources page.

Green or Dry Windsor Chairmaking: Contemporary Side Chair (6 days)

February 9 - 14

Tuition: $1800

Instructor: Eric Cannizzaro

This six day class will introduce a wide range of  processes and can be tailored to suite your style of chairmaking. Parts will be shaped by hand with the drawknife and spokeshave (no turning) and you will have the option  to work straight from the log, or from dried boards. You can choose to make your chair with hand tools with a focus on building skills with your hands and eyes, or you can opt for jigged-up processes with a focus on precision and repeatability - or a little bit of both. Students can carve a pine seat, or a hardwood seat. At the end of the six days each student will leave with their own assembled chair. Note: There will not be time to apply finish to the chairs in class, but resources will be provided for students to complete these processes at home.

Reflection Side Chair (6 days)

March 8 -13 — Charlotte, VT

Tuition: $1900

Instructor: Eric Cannizzaro

This class covers a wide range of processes relevant to Windsor and ladder back chair making. Much of the week will be spent on the shaving horse shaping parts with the drawknife and spokeshave. Steam bending with and without compression straps will be covered in detail. Mortises will be drilled with the brace and bit, cordless drill, and the drill press. At the end of the six days each student will leave with their own assembled chair. Note:There will not be time to apply finish to the chairs or weave a seat, but we will discuss these topics in class and resources will be provided for students to complete these processes at home. Sign up for Seat Weaving 101 bellow on February 18th if you’d like to stay an extra day to apply a simple finish and weave your seat.

Seat Weaving 101: Shaker Tape

March 14, 9 AM - 5PM — Charlotte, VT

Tuition: $150 (materials not included)

Instructor: Eric Cannizzaro

This one day workshop will provide all the resources and skills needed to start weaving chairs and stool seats with shaker tape. After a few initial demonstrations, this will be a work-at-your-own pace environment with individualized instruction as needed. Students will bring in their own chair (or two!) that need re-seating (craigslist has plenty if you need one), along with the appropriate amount of shaker tape - see my resources page for where and how to order the material. Note: Student’s should expect to complete their seats anytime between 1pm - 5pm, depending on their pace and how many seats they choose to weave.

Greenwood Chairmaking: Windsor or Ladderback (7 days)

April 19 - 25 , 9 AM - 5PM — Charlotte, VT

Tuition: $1750

Instructor: Eric Cannizzaro

This community oriented workshop is a deep dive into Greenwood chair making, and an opportunity to get exposure to the fundamentals of Windsor and ladderback chairmaking simultaneously. Students each choose to make one of two similar projects -a ladderback or windsor chair - and then we work together as a class for the first 3 or 4 days to split, shave, and bend all our chair parts from an Ash log. The second half of the workshop will be spent on joinery, carving or weaving seats, and assembly. All demonstrations for both projects will be open to the entire group. This class is a lot of work, a lot of fun, and a great way to build skills with the drawknife.

Each students choose to make:

Appalachian style 2-slat ladderback (A design I originally learned from Andy McFate, who in turn learned it from Drew Langser, both of North Carolina)

Or

Curtis BUchanan’s democratic Windsor chair (the ultimate project to push your drawknife skills, and your eye)

Important: Painting, finishing and weaving will be a part of of the class for those making ladderbacks. I have a large variety of milk paint colors available to use if you wish. You must purchase and bring with you to class the shaker tape to weave your seat - 25 yards of 1” tape. Th resources page on my website has links to two websites with a large variety of shaker tape colors to choose form. For those making Windsor chairs, demonstrations and resources will be provided but you will have to paint/ finish at home due to time limitations.

Green Week (5 days)

April 6 -10

Florida School of Woodwork, Tampa, FL

Instructor: Eric Cannizzaro

Through a series of projects this class explores wood’s fundamental properties, and how you can use those properties to your advantage by soaking, steaming, and drying. An emphasis will be placed on how material selection and preparation can complicate, or simplify each project. This class aims to provide a helpful lens through which to view any woodworking project, green or dry

We will start by weaving a small berry basket, using material in its simplest form - whole willow rods. Through out the week we will incorporate more tools and processes ending with making a bent wood box from sawn and milled stock. Additional projects include stool making, broom tying, and spoon carving. Materials include willow, maple, ash, pine, and cherry, and range from split to sawn stock.

More Information and sign-up at the Florida School of Woodwork website:

Fan Birds

Ladderback Chairmaking: Brian Boggs Side Chair or Arm Chair

May 17 -23 — Charlotte, VT

Tuition: Side Chair $1650 Arm Chair $1800

Instructor: Eric Cannizzaro