The Garage: Project Four

This is Jeff Ellis.  He is the camera man, the editor and the producer of the TV show " The Garage"  Yesterday we started shooting our fourth project, a rustic chair with a fabric seat.  We cut the mortises and the tenons on the red maple sticks.  We'll continue shooting next week.  Today I continued working on

  Quinn's toy box.

The Toy Box

Yesterday I started building a toy box for my son Quinn.  I initially went in to work on a project I've been working on for a while but when I've been away from the studio for a while I like to work on something that is less difficult and more fun too make.  It's like a stretch before the run, you get the kinks out'

I like to use leftover material or pieces in the scrap bin.  For this project I used Tongue and groove pine bead board.  I like to use materials that were intended for a different use.  On some of the boards I cut off the tongues and on other I cut off the grooves.  I had to cut tenons on the boards and grooves to match the existing grooves on the pine The panels are from cut offs of bead board sheets that were around the studio. The top and bottom will be of plywood that will have a solid wood edge around it. The bottom feet will have a slight curve cut out of them. I might paint the box.
 .

The Island

Here are the components that the class made.  The cabinets are made from 1/2 inch plywood wrapped with a 1/4 inch bead board.  The poplar face frame was joined to the cabinets by a rabbet joint.  The face frame construction was done with lap joints.  The bead board was turned on the horizontal to give a barn look.  The doors and drawers are added later and the base has a decorative moulding around its perimeter.

Building at Yestermorrow

Here is the class, who had no prior experience, building the components for the kitchen island.

The Class of Cabinets and Built-Ins

Here's the gang' The class I taught was called Cabinets and Built-Ins.  Here are Lisa, Joe, Dave, Ron and Karen .  Missing is Rons' wife Cassandra, she didn't make it until Wednesday. Here are some images of the wood shop.  The shop had a lot of natural light.

The Cabins

Here are some of the cabins that are at Yestermorrow.  Students can stay in these cabins.  There is a solar powered shower and they have started construction on a fiber based dwelling.

The Tree House

Scattered around the 33 acres that is Yestermorrow are many incredible small dwellings.  This is the tree house.  It's awesome.  There is a walkway leading up into the house.  The tree house has a home made hammock in it and handcrafted furniture.  The view from the house is great'

The Artisans Gallery

This is the Artisans Gallery on Bridge Street in Waitsville, VT.  My friend Jim Gallagher from Montpelier, VT is part of an exhibition on masks at the gallery.  Here are some of Jim's stone masks.

Waitsville, VT

The next town over from Yestermorrow is Waitsville, VT.  Waitsville is a very picturesque town with many cafes' and galleries.  This is bridge street.  This is a beautiful wooden covered bridge.  These are some views

 from the bridge.



Around Yestermorrow

These views are from the main building, the parking lot and from my dorm room.  The area is fantastic.  There are many incredible buildings on the campus that have been design build projects. There are solar panels everywhere.  The school is off of the grid and totally self-sufficient.



Vermont and Yestermorrow

On Sunday October 31st I headed up to Warren Vermont to teach a five day workshop in cabinet-making at the Yestermorrow Design Build School.  The trip up was amazing.  Most of the leaves were off of the trees but the scenery was still great