James Krenov (1920-2009) was an inspiring furniture maker, teacher and writer. In his workshop he used sawhorses that were at the same time beautiful and practical. Many furniture makers use this basic design and add their own variations. The sawhorses are sturdy, durable, and can support a lot of weight. They are also lightweight and can nest easily. This is great for storing the horses when not in use. In addition to being sawhorses they can be used in a living space. With a nice top on them they can form a beautiful table.

In this course you will learn how to make a pair of sawhorses out of ashwood. We will work with traditional hand tools, without electric machinery. The basic materials will be provided. We will focus on the lay-out, the making of the joints, the shaping of the form, the assembly and the finishing. It is a course for beginners. Each student can work at his or her own pace. Although you will learn to work efficiently, much attention will go to precision and a fine finished product, rather than speed. The course is individual and by appointment, on a schedule that suits us. We will use tools from my workshop.  You will learn two kinds of mortise and tenon joints, as well as a joint with notches. The course will include an introduction to the use of several tools regularly used in traditional furniture making, such as chisels, marking gauge, Japanese saws, finishing planes, spokeshave…

Completing a project with hand tools is a good introduction to woodworking because you learn to understand the techniques. Working with hand tools can also be relaxing because they produce less dust and noise than machines. For those who would like eventually to use machines to work on a larger scale, the ability to use hand tools is still interesting and foundational. Although machines are helpful and efficient, they are not perfect, and there is always a need to correct or finish something with hand tools.

The average time a student needs to finish the sawhorses is 58h.The price is 1500€ for the course, materials included.

I’m happy to answer your questions about this course. You are also welcome to visit the workshop.