Hand Tool Class

Posted on October 20, 2017 by Norman Pirollo

– over 4.4 hours with extra $28 in plans
– 29 video lessons from workshop basics to critical hand tools skills
– lessons are followed in any order and stopped + repeated any time
– all lessons are included in single price
– printable reference material included
– Dovetail Jig Plan + Tutorial ($14 value) included in purchase
– Shooting Board Plan + Tutorial ($14 value) included in purchase
– Bench Hook project included

The video lessons include step by step hand tool sequences. Each lesson guides you through the learning process to develop the hand tool skills you are seeking. This Hand Tool Class is derived from twenty years of woodworking and furniture making expertise. The class is based on skills developed and used in a fully functioning furniture making studio. The class features separate modules on the following topics:

– setting up a workshop for woodworking
– up to date info on workshop safety
– hand tool overview
– lessons on handplanes and chisels
– lessons on clamps, handsaws
– lessons on marking tools
– dovetail jig + shooting board plan $28
– make handmade dovetails using jig
– dovetail class
– learn to make + use a shooting board
– learn to make + use bench hooks
– Bench Hook project included
– intro to Moxon Vise
– Thicknessing Sled (workbench jig)
– workbench sequences
– Knife Hinge Install
– hand tool class will get you going with hand tools

START WOODWORKING (eBook, 115 pgs., $15) included with this course

29 video lessons included with purchase of Hand Tool Class. 29 HD Video modules + Dovetail Jig Plan + Shooting Board Plan for $40

Hand Tool Class $40

Norman maintains a blog of ongoing projects in his studio at Pirollo Design Blog as well as having written and published four books in the past year. Some of the books and magazines where authors furniture, work methods and philosophy have been featured:

Quiet Woodworking (New Art Press)
Hand Tool Woodworking (New Art Press)
Start Woodworking (New Art Press)
Craftisian Interview (Norman Pirollo)
HackSpace Magazine – Make With Wood April 2020
Woodworking: From Design To Making (New Art Press)
The Wood Artist: Creating Art Through Wood (New Art Press)
From Hi-Tech to Lo-Tech: A Woodworker’s Journey (NAP)
Start Your Own Woodworking Business (New Art Press)
Rooted: Contemporary Studio Furniture (Schiffer)
IDS15 (Studio North)
Canadian Woodworking magazine Jan. 2015
Our Homes magazine Fall 2014
IDS14 (Studio North)
NICHE Magazine Winter 2013
Fine Woodworking Magazine 4 Bench Jigs for Handplanes
Fine Woodworking Magazine Essential Shopmade Jigs
Woodwork magazine
Wood Art Today 2 (Schiffer Books)
500 Cabinets ( Lark Books)
Studio Furniture: Today’s Leading Woodworkers (Schiffer)
Canadian Interiors Design Source Guide
Ottawa Life magazine (Profile,work) 2012
Panoram Italia magazine
Our Homes magazine

Course Overview (short, lo-res) below.

Cabinet Build Class

Posted on October 14, 2017 by Norman Pirollo

I have recently compiled a series of 16 videos into an online class. The subject was a recent display cabinet. The design and build of the striking Krenov-inspired display cabinet seen above is discussed and demonstrated. The contemporary styled display cabinet features veneered sides and doors. The veneers selected are highly figured although they can be substituted with alternative veneers. The frame and panel back adheres to the Krenov principle of properly finishing the back of the cabinet. James Krenov is widely known for his classic cabinets on stand as well as the incredible attention to detail he brought to furniture making. He also brought a unique philosophy and vision to furniture making of which I heed and practice. A large part of this veneered display cabinet has been created using an assortment of hand tools although some machinery is used in the initial wood preparation stage. Follow me as I describe the steps involved in creating a masterpiece veneered cabinet on stand.

The following topics are covered in detail in this 16 part design and build class:

Inspiration and design of the display cabinet
An overview discussing components of the cabinet
Wood selection and resawing veneers used in cabinet
The advantages of using veneers over solid wood
Detailed information on creating and using resawn veneers
The process of applying veneers to the sides and doors
Implementing bake-ins to create panels with hardwood edges
Hardwood edging and the veneer press
The veneer press and joinery used in the cabinet
Card scrapers and the use of a shop-made drilling guide
Dowel drilling guide in-depth
The case construction process
Frame and panel construction of the back panel
Back panel detail and installation
Final case assembly of the display cabinet
Installation process of knife hinges for the doors

Each video segment addresses one aspect of the cabinet build. The design process as well as the methodology behind the build are addresses. This is not simply a class on how to build a cabinet on stand. The class will inform you of a similar design process that James Krenov used in his own work. Since I am an ardent follower of James Krenov, the practices I use in this cabinet build closely follow those of James Krenov. Discussions and demonstrations describe how the design of this display cabinet originated and the design considerations in its build. Information on wood selection and preparation as well as the joinery used in this cabinet is covered in detail. Tips and techniques acquired over several years of creating this style of cabinet are shared in this class. The process of creating and applying veneers is covered as well as information on the installation of knife hinges. More info in the Tutorials section.

Woodworking Course

Posted on October 13, 2017 by Norman Pirollo

The WoodSkills Woodworking Course will dramatically improve your woodworking and furniture making skills. The course is based on skills developed and used in a fully functioning furniture making studio. Learn from an expert in woodworking. Norman Pirollo has been woodworking for over 25 years, his work published in magazines and books and established four woodworking businesses. Norman has also written and published the From Hi-Tech to Lo-Tech: A Woodworker’s Journey book, chronicling his exciting journey into woodworking. Most recently, Norman has authored the Woodworking: From Design To Making book.

The woodworking course features separate modules on these topics:

– how to select and prepare wood
– how to design and set up a workshop
– up to date information on workshop safety
– modules on hand tools and power tools
– learn joints and how to create them
– learn to make handmade dovetails
– learn mortising with hand and power tools
– working in a hybrid environment of hand and power tools
– how to use a jointer, planer, router, tablesaw, bandsaw
– choosing + applying finishes
– intro to veneering with veneering basics
– intro to bench hooks
– bench hook project included
– intro to the shooting board
– intro to Moxon Vise
– dovetail class
– workbench sequences
– over 6 hours in total

– 41 video modules (wood selection, tools, joinery, veneering, finishing)
– modules can be followed in any order and stopped or repeated
– 41 modules included in single $40 price
– printable reference material included for each module
– Woodworking Fundamentals Certificate available upon completion

The video modules include step by step woodworking sequences. Each module guides you through the learning process to develop the skills you are seeking. The Woodworking Course is derived from 25 years of woodworking expertise.

START WOODWORKING (eBook, 115 pgs., $15) included with this course

Jorge R. Perez of Flushing , NY says this about Woodworking Course
“It helped me improve my woodworking skills considerably ”

Steve Vidal of Throop, Pennsylvania says this about Woodworking Course
“All woodworkers, novice or professional, will benefit from this course “

Bruce Holden of Cut Knife High School, Saskatchewan says
“Congratulations on an excellent woodworking course! I teach woodworking in a rural Saskatchewan high school and recommend your course to my students.”

James Cowell of Glendale, Utah says this about Woodworking Course
“I wanted to learn woodworking but didn’t know where to begin. The course helped me out”

Purchase Woodworking Course course with 41 HD Video lectures for $40

Woodworking Course $40

Norman maintains a blog of ongoing projects in his studio: Pirollo Design Blog as well as having written and published three books in the past year. Books, magazines where authors furniture, work methods and philosophy have been featured:

Quiet Woodworking (New Art Press)
Hand Tool Woodworking (New Art Press)
Start Woodworking (New Art Press)
Craftisian Interview (Norman Pirollo)
HackSpace Magazine – Make With Wood April 2020
Woodworking: From Design To Making (New Art Press)
The Wood Artist: Creating Art Through Wood (New Art Press)
From Hi-Tech to Lo-Tech: A Woodworker’s Journey (NAP)
Start Your Own Woodworking Business (New Art Press)
Rooted: Contemporary Studio Furniture (Schiffer Publishing)
IDS15 (Studio North)
IDS14 (Studio North)
Canadian Woodworking magazine Jan. 2015
Our Homes magazine Fall 2014
IDS14 (Studio North)
NICHE Magazine Winter 2013
Fine Woodworking Magazine – 4 Bench Jigs for Handplanes
Fine Woodworking Magazine – Essential Shopmade Jigs
Woodwork magazine
Wood Art Today 2 (Schiffer Books)
500 Cabinets ( Lark Books)
Studio Furniture: Today’s Leading Woodworkers (Schiffer)
Canadian Interiors Design Source Guide
Ottawa Life magazine (Profile,work) 2012
Panoram Italia magazine
Our Homes magazine
Craft Journal

Furniture Design Course

Posted on October 11, 2017 by Norman Pirollo

In this new course, I cover the furniture design topic. Good design is essential in a quality furniture piece. Good design also minimizes wasted resources and provides a furniture maker with essential feedback and pause when creating furniture. Loosely translated, the design process keeps the maker from rushing into a potentially flawed furniture design. The checks and balances give pause to the process as well as streamlining the build. Developing your own furniture style and aesthetic is covered. Selecting the right woods for a furniture design is critical in determining the appeal of a furniture piece.

As with most woodworkers, I was anxious to build furniture early on. With the passage of time and several furniture project completed, the anxiety of simply creating work had passed. It was far more important to create a well-designed and striking piece of furniture. So I delved into furniture design, studied with a few renown furniture makers. and used this knowledge to establish a furniture design process that works.

With the limited time we have available today, it becomes critical to use it productively and efficiently. Developing a good furniture design saves time and resources and provides a more rewarding furniture build. Getting the proportions right is also essential in establishing the appeal of the furniture piece. So I am passing on my knowledge of furniture design in this new course and hopefully establish a dialog of furniture design with participants in the course.