Fundamentals of Furniture Making

This studio course provides extensive hands on technical training by safely learning to use hand tools, portable power tools, and stationary woodworking machinery. Free hand sketching, technical drawings, and pre-production planning skills are also integral to the class. Live demonstrations augmented by videos will be provided.

Uma Kamat with her Bar Table

Students learn to make sound practical, well-informed decisions, regarding the thought processes, and procedural steps that go into the designing and making of furniture. The skills gained in this class are ultimately focused on wood furniture, however they are also intended to be transferable to the design and making of all kinds designed objects. 

For the first half of the class, students complete a series of 5 skill building “warm up” exercises, resulting in completed and well-crafted objects. These exercises are intended to inform the student and prepare them for the final project.

The remainder of the class is spent putting to test the students newly acquired drawing and woodworking skills in order to make a small table with a drawer of the student’s own design. The earlier a student takes this class, the better and more skilled they will be at making their art for the duration of their studies at SAIC.

Photo (Above): Uma Kamat with “Bar Table”