Project - Making a Danish Corded Stool
About the course
This is another great follow-on course from ‘Skills Week’ or ‘Skills Weekend’ but will also happily stand alone if you have at least a little woodworking experience.
All furniture Making starts with an idea and perhaps a ‘fag-packet’ sketch which can then be developed into a proper well thought out design. So, with all this in mind, we’ll start by looking at the thought-process and considerations that were made during the design of the stool to give it a crisp, contemporary styling, and look at how the modern and traditional joints were selected.
One of the main design features of this stool is the Twist to the legs. This design element needs careful laying out and a strategy for keeping track of the shape as it develops, to maintain a consistent looking twist. There’s lots of hand work in this part of the stool, which will really help you to develop your Hand-Skills.
The main structural joint for this stool is the Mortice & Tenon. Perhaps thought of as a very basic woodworking joint but which is, in practice, a very tricky joint to get right. We’ll look at the design considerations and rules for setting out this incredibly strong, versatile joint and give you some fool-proof techniques for cutting them with confidence, predominantly by hand. Having said that, we’ll also look at the benefits of what has become one of the most-used power tools in any professional workshop, the ‘Domino Jointer’. Dominos will be used to joint the Stretchers.
The DrawBored and Pegged Mortice and Tenon is a very traditional joint used extensively on early Oak Furniture and still provides an excellent way of assembling a frame without the need for clamps, and also adds a nice, discreet design feature. Layout is important for the Drawbore to be successful and we will also look at making the pegs in a contrasting wood.
The Seat Rails will have to be shaped to allow the Danish Cord to work nicely. Danish Cord, which is actually just strands of twisted paper, can create a lovely contemporary look to any seat. We’ll look at the important considerations when laying out the weave, set out the pattern, including fitting the special nails, and weaving the seat.
What You Will Learn
Mortice & Tenons, Legs with a twist, Danish Cording
• DESIGN – design considerations including: Structural Strength; Aesthetics; Joint selection
• MARKING OUT – Using Gauges, including the Mortice Gauge and the clever Continental method of keeping track of which component goes where.
• MORTICE & TENON JOINTS – Structural considerations and design rules; Cutting accurate Mortices and Tenons by hand and with a little help from the Morticer .
• THE MODERN MORTICE & TENON – setting up and using the very clever DOMINO JOINTER
• LEG TWISTS – Laying out, and strategies for controlling the cutting of the Leg Twists to maintain a consistent shape, using only hand tools.
• USING a FINESSE TOOL – How to make friends with a spokeshave – used as part of the shaping process for the legs.
• SHARPENING and USING a CABINETSCRAPER – Such a simple and versatile tool – but it’s only of any use if you know how to sharpen it.
• DRAWBORED PEGGED JOINTS – Such a clever Traditional method of pulling joints together without the need for clamps. Laying out the joint to ensure success and Making the Pegs
• POLISHING THE FRAME – Preparing the wood and a couple of ideas, traditional and modern, for a quick, good looking finish.
• DANISH CORD – Not surprisingly used extensively on some of those iconic Danish Chair Designs. Design considerations when using Danish Cord and how to lay out and weave this wonderfully good looking seat.
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.”
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