Wooden Boat School at the Hudson River Maritime Museum Announces Remaining 2024 Class Schedule

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

          PR Contact: Kirsty Gaukel:
Press & Marketing Manager
[email protected]

Program Inquiries: Dan Nelson
Wooden Boat School Manager 
[email protected]

Kingston, NY (5 September, 2024)– The Hudson River Maritime Museum’s Wooden Boat School is pleased to announce their latest offering of woodworking courses for adults in October, November and December. Taught by professionals in the fields of woodworking and carpentry, the Wooden Boat School offers a variety of introductory and intermediate courses for adults interested in expanding their skills in woodworking and traditional crafts. Projects include furniture restoration, and skin-on-frame canoes. Registration is now open at www.hrmm.org/adult-classes.html. All HRMM members receive discounts on class tuition. 
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The Wooden Boat School’s woodworking programs are perfect for adults who want to work with their hands and learn new skills. Participants will work on-site in the museum’s wood shop to create take-home projects with the help of skilled instructors. Some courses require some woodworking and/or machine tool experience.

For a detailed line-up of the Wooden Boat School’s classes for adults, please see the schedule to follow:

Foundations of Woodworking: Understanding Wood
Mon., Sept. 30, 6-9 PM
In this first course of the series, students will explore the nature of wood as a material and the unique qualities it has. The class will cover different common and exotic wood species, and the properties that make each of them suited to different applications, whether for furniture making, cabinetmaking, carpentry, or boatbuilding. The instructor will also cover how raw wood is dried to become a usable material, how to prepare lumber for projects, how to store and treat wood, and more.
Tuition: $90
Level: Beginner

OCTOBER

Foundations of Woodworking: Hand Tools: Use & Care
Session A: Tues./Weds., Oct. 1-2, 6-9 PM
Session B: Tues./Weds., Oct. 8-9, 6-9 PM
In this second class of the series, students will learn about the hand tools in a basic woodworking kit including layout and measuring tools like the combination square and marking gauge, Japanese and western-style saws, chisels, and several types of block plane. Each tool will be examined, its use and proper handling demonstrated, tool maintenance including fine tuning and sharpening, and where to find good tools. Students are encouraged to bring their own tools for examination and to get hands-on practice sharpening and honing.
Tuition: $195 
Level: Beginner

Foundations of Woodworking: Machine Tools & Shop Safety
Session A: Tues./Weds., Oct. 15-16, 6-9 PM
Session B: Tues./Weds., Oct. 22-23, 6-9 PM
In this third class of the series, students will learn how to safely handle tools and machinery in a shop setting. The class will include information on the different types of machinery and their uses, safe shop practices including: use of eye and ear protection, emergency protocols, and advice for setting up a home shop. This class is perfect for anyone looking to get basic safety certification with wood shop machinery or looking for the best practices to take home to their own workshops.
Tuition: $195
Level: Beginner

Splint Weave Stool Workshop
Saturday, Oct. 5, Noon - 4 PM
In this class you will learn the basic weaving patterns that are applicable to Shaker tape, ash splint, vinyl splint and reed chairs and stools. Using a pre-assembled footstool as a base, you'll weave the seat with all natural fiber splint material. The class includes all the materials necessary to leave with a beautiful hand-woven footstool.
Tuition: $87 + $35 materials
Skill Level: Beginner

Wood and Resin Jewelry Making
Sat. & Sun., October 12 & 13, 10 AM - 4 PM
This is a multifaceted class on making jewelry using a variety of techniques. Students will have an opportunity to experiment with a scroll saw and lathe, mixing and pouring epoxy resin, and gluing up thin pieces of wood and hand turning wooden rings and bracelets. Students will also learn some rudimentary techniques for assembling jewelry. The object of the class is that students will be exposed to enough processes on day 1 that on day 2, they will be able to design and create one or more pieces of jewelry of their own design.
Tuition: $220 + $50 materials
Skill Level: Beginner


NOVEMBER

Make A Cheese Slicer & Charcuterie Board
Fri., Nov. 1, 6–8 PM & Sat., Nov. 2, 11 AM – 3 PM
Create a small cheese cutting board  9" x 6" and a larger charcuterie board 9" x 18" made of different species of wood. This will be a two day workshop in which the first day will be picking out your wood, designing your pattern, squaring up the pieces and gluing them overnight. The next day will be trimming, sanding, finishing and adding hardware. 
Tuition: $155 + $40 materials
Skill Level: Beginner

Build a Stool
Sat. & Sun., Nov. 2-3, 9 AM to 5 PM
Build a full-size stool in this two-day weekend woodworking class. Using a variety of power tools and hand woodworking tools, you'll create a stool with your personal touch while practicing tool techniques and getting real time feedback from an expert woodworker.
Tuition: $410 + $45 materials
Skill Level: Intermediate—Foundations of Woodworking course, or equivalent shop experience required.

Adirondack Backpack Weaving
Sat., Nov. 9, 8 AM - 5 PM
Learn how to weave the basic shape of the Adirondack Backpack with instructor Sue Muldoon. Keep things hands-free while carrying your items in this lightweight backpack. We will make a medium-sized pack about 11” tall that is perfect for daily use, farmers markets and more. The backpack shape was established to fit in the curve of a canoe for stability and space-saving.
Tuition: $180 + $70 materials
Skill Level: Beginner

Basket Weaving with Invasive Plants
Sat., Nov. 16, 9 AM - 5 PM
This one-day workshop is an introduction to weaving techniques. It starts with a walk around the neighborhood of the museum to identify invasive plant species. You’ll learn how to prepare plant fibers for basketmaking, and weave them into a medium-sized functional basket. Beginners are welcome for this introduction to weaving techniques that you can use with any fiber types.
Tuition: $167
Skill Level: Beginner

Furniture Restoration and Repair
Sat., Nov. 16, 10 AM - 4 PM; Sun., Nov. 17, 10 AM - 4 PM
This class is your chance to bring a cherished piece of furniture back to life and learn techniques so you can restore furniture yourself. It includes a survey of materials and applications, examples of common wear, deterioration and mishandled prior repairs, and cleaning procedures. The instructor will also guide students in troubleshooting problems with pieces that they bring in to restore.
Tuition:$230 + $20 materials
Level: Beginner

Needle Felting: Right Whale
Sun., Nov. 17, 10 AM - 1 PM
Come and learn how to create your own needle felted right whale in a supportive and relaxing environment. In this beginner-friendly workshop, you will be guided step-by-step as you create a three-dimensional form by felting wool.
Tuition:$116
Level: Beginner

Holiday Group/Family Build: Easy Rope Wreath
Sat., Nov. 23, 1-4 PM
Join us for this group/family build style class where you will braid rope to fashion a wreath that can be decorated to your taste. Your handmade holiday wreath will be made of natural jute fibers and makes a lovely gift, or just a unique decoration to stand out in your home. Students will learn to do a complex braid that is based in the nautical tradition.
Tuition:$72
Level: Beginner

Intro to Joinery: Make a Tool Box
Sat./Sun., Dec. 7-8, 9 AM - 5 PM
Build your own tool box with your choice of the joints you learn: dovetail, miter, box, and half-lap joints. Using joinery rather than fasteners provides strength and sturdiness to produce a long-lasting box.
Tuition: $364 + $35 materials
Level: intermediate—Foundations of Woodworking: Hand Tools and FoW: Machine Tools, or equiv. experience required.

How To: Shaker Tape Weaving
Sun., Dec. 8, Noon - 4 PM
Come join us for this class to explore the historic art of building furniture and weaving the seat. Using a stool you bring to class, you will weave the seat with 100% cotton Shaker tape.
NOTE: you will need to bring your own stool. This class is designed as a follow-up to the Build A Stool class on Nov. 1-2, so students can finish the stool they built. Alternately, you can either bring a stool that needs a new seat, or bring a stool-only kit that you have purchased
Tuition:$110 + $35 materials
Level: Beginner

Build A Picture Frame
Sat., Dec. 14, 9 AM - 5 PM
In this course, you will learn how to cut, assemble and finish wooden picture frames to your specifications using a sturdy and beautiful technique called corner spline joinery. Frames are intended to be wall-mounted, and will include turnbuttons that allow the media to be changed or adjusted, thereby making these great gifts for people to add their own photos or art.
Level: Intermediate
Tuition: $243+ $50 materials

How To: Fiber Rush Weaving
Sun., Dec. 15, Noon - 4 PM
In this class you will learn the basic weaving pattern called fiber rush weave. The class starts with assembling a small stool, followed by making a seat of rush weave using an all natural, paper-based fiber rush. Students will learn to make tight, square corners, and perfect a figure eight weaving pattern. The class includes all the materials necessary to leave with a beautiful hand-woven footstool.
Tuition:$110 + $35 materials
Level: Beginner

For details about classes and registration , contact Dan Nelson, Wooden Boat School Manager at [email protected] or visit the Wooden Boat School online at https://www.hrmm.org/adult-classes.html or text or call (845) 532-6295.

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The Hudson River Maritime Museum is located along the historic Rondout Creek in downtown Kingston, N.Y. HRMM is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries, and related industries. The Museum opened the Riverport Wooden Boat School in 2016 and the Riverport Sailing School in 2017.

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