Project - Making a Box with a Curved Lid - Laminating
About the course
If you have any sort of urge to move on from straight lines and get a few curves into your woodworking designs, LAMINATING is going to be the vital technique that you will need to master.
In essence, laminating is a pretty simple concept, after all it’s just combining thin bits of wood with glue and holding them in the desired shape until the glue has set. As with most simple things though, there are tricks and techniques that will give you a head start and guarantee success.
MOULDS & LAMINATES
Moulds for curved work can be made in many different ways and after many years of creating curvaceous pieces of furniture we have quick and fool-proof solutions for ‘in-house’ mould making. What should you use for your laminates? Constructional veneer, Flexible Plywood, Laminates cut from the solid on a band-saw? It’s important the you get the choice of material correct, this will vary depending on what you’re making, a door, a drawer front, a box lid…… so we’ll look at the options and the pros and cons so that you can make an informed choice about what’s most appropriate for a particular project.
EQUIPMENT
Inevitably there are some specialist tools and pieces of equipment that will make the process of laminating easier and we will look at low tech solutions which might involve lots of MDF and many cramps. Every time I use a Vacuum Press I think it must surely be something to do with the dark arts, it’s certainly as close as any woodworker’s going to get to a magic trick. This is an incredibly simple system and perfect for the small workshop, no need for huge hydraulic presses, just a small box of bits a bag and a pump. You’ll be amazed at what a Vacuum Press can do, it can certainly be a real game changer, we’ll look at how to set up and use this amazing piece of kit for creating curves and look at the other things it can do for you. We’ll also look at some other systems for persuading flat things to become a little more voluptuous.
GLUES
Laminating is all about sticking things together so it’s vital that you pick the right glue. Different glues have different properties, we’ll look at the glues that are available at the moment, some old favourites and some new innovations. Which are the best behaved glues for laminating work? We’ll also look at all the technical stuff like shelf-life, open-times, press times, mixing ratios, solvents…. Just choosing the right glue can be the difference between a pleasant, successful experience and a nasty sticky nightmare. Surprises can often be nice things, but when making laminated components reliable predictability is really what we need.
BOX PROJECT
Having made friends with the various processes, creating a curvaceous test piece which might become a ‘banana stand’, it will be time to try out your new skills by making a small box. This project will be a chance to practice some woodworking skills too; preparing some nice, accurate, flat components, there will be techniques and jigs, including a ‘Donkey’s Ear’, for cutting crisp mitre joints by hand, letting in some hinges and, of course, laminating, veneering and fitting the curved lid.
What You Will Learn
Laminating
LAMINATES – how to choose laminate materials for a particular project
GLUES – types, properties, solvents……
MOULDS – types, materials and techniques for accurate home-made moulds
EQUIPMENT – Tools, cramps, routers… used for making moulds and laminating
VACUUM PRESS – options, types, bags – tried and tested methods for using this cunning piece of equipment in a smaller workshop.
VENEERING – adding veneer to a curved surface using a vacuum press.
CABINETMAKING SKILLS – accurately preparing components, hand-cutting mitres, using shooting boards and jigs, cutting grooves with a router table, letting in and fitting hinges
Read what our recent students say about the Skills Week Course
“John unlocks the little details that are never quite answered when being self taught by YouTube. Learning ‘the knack’ of doing things properly is so much easier and faster face to face.”
“I found the course very informative and educational. The tuition was broken down into manageable sections and all bought together in the making of a small tray which I thoroughly enjoyed.”
“An excellent course. An excellent teacher. Wasn’t taken too seriously, but equally we learnt a lot.”
“The course was comprehensive, thorough and well structured. John has a very methodical and clear approach when explaining and instructing. I think the course had a good balance of theory and practical application.”
“I had a great time on the course. The tuition is really good and I came way understanding how to do the tasks we looked at. I will need. Lot more practice to become proficient but that is part of the learning process.”
“Perfect combination of hand plane, chisel, and dovetail saw skill building. Exactly what I was looking for.”
“From the outset we were made to feel welcome and the course was delivered in a no pressure environment.”
“As a complete beginner I was a bit apprehensive at the start of this course but John’s enthusiasm, knowledge and clear teaching skills meant I need not have worried. It was an excellent course in a beautiful setting with delicious afternoon cake. What else could we ask for?!”
“I Particularly liked John’s concise methods and tips and tricks.”
“There were clear explanations and demonstrations and time to practice.”
“Spacious workshop, ability to use tools of a greater quality than my own. John’s ability to show us how to do the various tasks.”
“John was very patient, had a great sense of humour and the was amazing, I was very surprised that i managed to turn out a half decent cheeseboard and cracker box – definitely the result of good teaching as I had little woodworking experience beforehand.”
“Small numbers and personalized tuition”
“I would just like to say a big thank you for the fantastic course that you ran last week, i can honestly say i haven’t learnt that much in years and along with that had such fun.
“You truly have an exceptional environment to learn and the camaraderie is second to none. Again many, many thanks and hopefully i will get myself along to the long course in the not to distant future.”
“It was excellent, I liked everything. Really. The people, the equipment, the course content, John’s expertise, Sara-Jane’s cake. It was all Brilliant.”
“The course was taught at the right pace and the tuition was very good.”
“Well thought out. A good pace. Excellent venue. Beautifully laid out classroom. Good workbench. Very good explanations about tools and the different brands.”
“Lovely atmosphere, beautiful surroundings, great teacher and fantastic cake!”
“Very good clear and staged instructions to allow skills to develop. The content was challenging but never to the extent that it’s outcomes could not be achieved.”
“Thanks for another great week. I’ve been fettling my box today and it’s starting to look like something I can be just a little but proud of. Only another ten years and I’ll be able to make the perfect dovetail (and win Wimbledon).”
“I also want to say thanks again for such a fantastic week, I learned more than I thought I was capable of and feel much more confident about taking my first steps into a career in carpentry. I know I’ve still got a long way to go but I feel much better about the future now. Hopefully, I’ll be back again next summer, if not before!”
“Absolutely enjoyed every minute. Went to the tool sharpening and beginners cabinet making course. Looked forward to every morning and hated leaving lol. Worst part of the course was its too short!!! Thanks ever so much to John and his patience with my caffeine fuelled jitteriness! Hope to be back as soon as possible!”
“The knowledge and the way information was put across by John standout but the all round atmosphere was excellent. Please move to Carlisle so you are closer. To be honest it is the best week I have had.”
“Even with the bar set so high for beginners, the instruction was presented in such well organised and digestible bite size chunks, one was able to absorb and implement the information without feeling overwhelmed or too confused. The course and instruction far exceeded anything I could have reasonably expected.”
“John is a great teacher and the course content was spot on. Its also a great location for me and the home made cakes are a very nice plus!”
“Very informative and we gradually progressed through important stages. Informal and relaxed with good interaction between tutor and all participants.”
“John is a very good teacher. I really liked the attention to detail, the focus on technique, and the comprehensive approach to understanding the tools and how they worked. The projects were well-judged, with the right balance of challenge and achievability.”
“Well paced, comprehensive and built skills through practical experiencing. I enjoyed the teaching style.”
“The course was structured – everything we did led into another activity. It was almost like someone had thought about it. Although we didn’t necessarily create anything for the first few days there were ‘goals’ along the way. The methods were taught in a way that was easy to follow (though not always to put into practise!). Tools provided were great, and we got the opportunity to try other variants. Nice cakes as well.”
Structured and good pace. Very thorough build up of the fundamental skills. Feel like I could completed the projects independently now using the skills covered.”
“Well explained and always there to help.”
“A Professional level of instruction.”
“I would recommend the course to anyone seeking to improve their basic skills in cabinet Making,in particular the dovetail saw.”
“I liked the practice of dovetail marking & cut outs, nice to have an early piece finished ( cheese board) recommend YES.”
“Skills Week is well-designed, well-organised, well- resourced and great fun – I learned a lot!”
“This was an excellent choice of course for me as I work with hand tools, and I felt that my skills levels and knowledge had really been raised enormously after the week with John.”
“Excellent instruction in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The quality of the tools was top notch which made a huge difference.”
© 2024 · John Lloyd Furniture & John Lloyd Furniture School