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Optimizing Your Time at Ebanista School

First, we recommend you go as far in the Core Class series as you can. Becoming a fine woodworker is not something one learns overnight, nor even in a year. But with all the experience of our instructors, we have seen all our students progress at a very accelerated pace. For most students that will mean starting with the two-part Beginnings I and II classes. Then progressing on with Intermediate I, II, and III.

In addition to the foundational learning of our Core Classes, we recommend supplementing your learning with our workshops. I can’t overemphasize the benefits of learning to sharpen your tools and highly recommend our Sharpening Workshop. We offer a variety of other workshops such as veneering, and finishing, which will make the student a more complete woodworker.

Finally, a class you will not find at many other woodworking schools is our Design Studio. So many people, even those having made a living at this for decades, bemoan the fact that they have little or no background in this important facet of being a woodworker. It is not true by a longshot that everyone can design. But it IS true that everyone can learn.

Students who already have a background in woodworking and are joining Ebanista to raise their skill level further are welcome to contact the school and discuss starting in a class after Beginnings I.

For those who have schedules that don’t allow them to be at Ebanista School over a multiple week period, we are offering 5 day furniture build classes. These were originally intended for the people who have contacted us from around the U.S. and Canada, but they are also becoming popular with people in the Seattle area as well. The 5 day classes, due to time constraints cannot delve so deeply into every aspect of woodworking as the longer classes, but instead focus on a very hands on building process where students ambitiously build a complete piece of furniture.

Core Classes

Beginnings I

$650.00

Update: Summer and Fall 2023 classes are now sold out. If your preferred class is sold out, you can request to be placed on our waiting list by emailing assistantebanista@gmail.com. Beginnings I cancellations, however are rare.

 

Winter 2024: (4 weeks)

  • day: T/Th 1:30pm – 4:30pm, February 13 – March 17
  • eve: M/W 6:00pm – 9:00pm, January 3 – January 29
  • Saturday: 11:00am – 3:00pm, January 13 – March 2 (6 weeks)

Fall 2023: (4 weeks)

  • day: T/Th 1:30pm – 4:30pm, October 17 – November 14
  • eve: M/W 6:00pm – 9:00pm, September 6 – October 2
  • Saturday: 11:00am – 3:00pm, September 16 – October 21 (6 weeks)

Summer 2023: (4 weeks)

  • day: T/Th 1:30pm – 4:30pm, July 13 – August 8
  • eve: M/W 6:00pm – 9:00pm, May 29 – June 21
  • Saturday: 11:00am – 3:00pm, June 10 – July 15 (6 weeks)

Skill level: Best place to begin. All levels

Tools required:  Mask, Ear phones (not plugs), eye protection, 10′ or 12′ tape measure,

6″ metal rule.  optional: apron, tool tote (also available at ebanista w/ school logo)

Also recommended:  Sharpening Workshop

Beginnings I is a 4 week class with over 24 hours of instruction designed to crack open the door to the amazing world of woodworking. We will help you become skilled, and SAFE, and confident with two of the major tool groups. Machines, including the all-important table saw, and the joiner, drill press, planer, band saw, and disc sander. And hand power tools such as the drill, router, sander, plate joiner, and amazing new Domino. We will also go through an introduction to the most satisfying and versatile group of woodworking tools: hand tools.

Each student will build a handsome serving tray. See photo. A set of good quality chisels will be required by the 3rd class. Ebanista has some very nice Japanese chisels for sale, or can advise students who wish to purchase on their own.

 

*Please visit the Details tab to review our refund/cancellation policy.

 

SKU: BeginningI Category:

Beginnings II

$1,030.00

Prerequisite: Beginnings I and Material Layout and Prep. Workshop or permission from the director

UPDATE: If your preferred section is not available, you can request to be placed on our waiting list by emailing assistantebanista@gmail.com.

Winter: (6 weeks)
day: T/Th 1:30pm – 4:30pm, January 2 – February 8
eve: M/W 6:00pm – 9:00pm, January 31 – March 11
Fall: (6 weeks)
day: T/Th 1:30pm – 4:30pm, September 5 – October 12
eve: M/W 6:00pm – 9:00pm, October 4 – November 13
Summer: (6 weeks)
day: T/Th 1:30pm – 4:30pm, May 30 – July 11 (no class on 7/4)
evening: M/W 6:00pm – 9:00pm, June 26 – August 2

 

Skill level: All Levels (students must have completed Beginnings I and Material Layout and Prep. or been given permission from the director)

Project:  handmade jewelry/valuables box

Tools required for class: ear and eye protection, tape measure, set (6) of good chisels. Low angle block plane ( Most of the following tools are available at Ebanista).  6” adj square, layout tools, low-angle block plane, Japanese saw. plus many others. Call w questions.

Also recommended: Design Studio; Sharpening Workshop; Veneering Workshop

In this 6 week class, we will go more into depth on hand tools, including proper care and techniques and strategies for their use. You will learn why a planed finish is superior to one that is sanded. Why a marking knife is superior to a pencil for laying out joinery. Why accurate use of layout tools such as a combination square and a marking knife are so critical to superior woodworking. Why we believe that an intimate understanding of your chisels will start to reveal what you are capable of doing with wood. We will also start learning some of the joints that are the foundation of building furniture and cabinetry. In Beginnings II we will focus on the splined miter joint and frame-and-panel construction and include them in the class project: a handmade jewelry/valuables box.

There will also be consistent short practice sessions with our new hand planes and sharpening with Japanese water stones. Sharpening is perhaps the most important skill in all of woodworking and one you will continue to improve on and come to love throughout the years you work in wood. Even many people who have worked wood a very long time skip past learning this essential skill and are forever limited in what they are capable of. You should finish this class with a thorough exposure to hand tools and a very solid foundation to begin mastering them and incorporating them into your work. They will be emphasized and practiced in every subsequent class at Ebanista.

Please note: the Material Layout and Preparation workshop is a prerequisite for the Beginnings II class. If you have questions about this requirement, please email assistantebanista@gmail.com

 

*Please visit the ‘Details’ tab to review our refund/cancellation policy.

 

SKU: N/A Category:

Intermediate Classes

$1,803.00

Winter 2024:

  • day: M/W 1:30pm – 4:30pm, January 3 – March 11
  • eve: T/Th 6:00pm – 9:00pm, January 2 – March 7

Fall 2023: 

  • eve: T/Th 6:00pm – 9:00pm, September 5 – November 14 (no class on 10/31)

Summer 2023:

  • day: M/W 1:30pm – 4:30pm, May 29 – August 2
  • eve: T/Th 6:00pm – 9:00pm, May 30 – August 8 (no class on 7/4)

 

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Beginnings II level class at Ebanista and Wood Prepping Workshop or permission of instructor

In this 10 week course, students will benefit from each other’s experience and the breadth of topics being taught while focusing on their own level-appropriate project. Each level builds on the skills developed in previous levels and projects are designed to provide opportunities for new skill acquisition as well as practice and mastery of the previous.

Either section is open to both IM I,  IM 2, and now, IM 3 level students

Projects:

Level 1 – Small Table w/Mortise-and-tenon joinery, spokeshaved/curved legs

Level 2 –  Hall/SofaTable of the director’s design employing bent lamination techniques

Level 3- Tool Cabinet w dovetailed drawers, F&P doors. A cabinetmaking tour de force!

Level 4- CHAIRS!  ( whew. ‘Nuff Said)

*Please visit the ‘Details’ tab to review our refund/cancellation policy.

SKU: N/A Category:

Design Studio

$1,390.00

Update: Enrollment is now open for Summer 2023 and Winter 2024 Design Studio. This course has a major advantage over all our other courses in that it is taught remotely.

Dates:

Winter: Fridays, January 5 – March 8, 4:00pm – 7:30pm

Summer: Fridays, June 2 – August 4, 4:00pm – 7:30pm

 

Skill level: All

Instructor: Jonathan Cohen

Introduction to design and design studio experience. Principles of design, sketching/rendering, mockups, and participating in and learning the value of critiques. Design is by far the most common part of woodworking that even longtime woodworkers will tell you they lack and wished they had a chance to learn. It is one of the signature classes here at the Ebanista School of Fine Woodworking, as almost no other schools even offer a design course. Building your own work, work that came from your own ideas, rather than from a magazine or a set of plans, is, in our opinion, one of the best reasons to become a woodworker. It really is exciting to see your own ideas reach fruition.

Both visual design and structural design as it pertains to woodworking are covered. Instructor has a degree in design and over 45 years of design experience. This class is one of the most relaxed and fun here at Ebanista.  Also available to non-woodworkers (such as interior designers) – who want a better understanding of furniture design. Class hours were designed to not interfere with workweeks, give a Friday afternoon transition time, and still leave the evening open for family and friends.

 

*Please visit the ‘Details’ tab to review our refund/cancellation policy.

SKU: DesignStudio Category:

10 Week Classes

Work Bench

$2,625.00

 

Update: The Fall Workbench course is now sold out. For information on future Workbench classes, please contact the director.

Skill Level: Intermediate

Instructors: Ebanista Staff

Dates:  Monday & Wednesday 12:30pm – 5:00pm, Fall 2022, September 12 – November 21

Prerequisite: Intermediate I or permission from director

Having a really nice work bench is one of the greatest pleasures for a woodworker. It is also a very strong incentive for doing your best work each time you are next to it. My bench is, after spending thousands of hours at it for over 40 years, still one of my most satisfying pieces.

In this class we will be building the very beautiful  and practical Roubo split top bench, that has become very popular in recent years, despite being first made hundreds of years ago. Each participant will custom fit her/his bench to their own needs for height and length, for their choice of woods and hardware, and a number of other special options. These will literally be one-of-a-kind pieces.

Because of the special nature of this project, class registration will need be made far in advance for several reasons.  First, class size will be strictly limited, lumber must be purchased and stored at Ebanista so that it will have extra time to season and stabilize to ensure that these benches will be around for a very long time. Class tuition covers studio time, instruction and basic material costs, such as sandpaper and glue. Lumber costs and hardware costs are the responsibility of each student, as individual choices will likely vary. Besides having a very special piece of your work to take home at the end of this class, you should see a noticeable leap forward in your woodworking skills, as building a workbench requires a broad range of woodworking skills. As usual, contact the school with any questions. We recommend signing up as soon as you can, class sells out, and is only offered once per year.

 

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Next Level

Next Level is a 10 week, invitation only, course for our most advanced students and those wishing to get to that level. It involves a heavy concentration on plane craft, plane making, veneering, and a variety of other topics selected through collaboration of students and instructors. Please contact director, Jonathan if interested.

Time/Date: TBD

This product is currently out of stock and unavailable.

SKU: nextlevel Category:

Chair Making

$1,803.00

Fall 2023: M/W 1:30pm – 4:30pm, September 6 – November 13

Pre-requisites:  Intermediate I or permission of the instructor

Also recommended: Design Studio, Material Layout and Preparation Workshop, Sharpening Workshop

Tools required: see Intermediate Classes above + spokeshave, rabbet plane

Handmade chairs are one of the most difficult pieces in woodworking and therefore, one of the most satisfying.  The Chair Making class will be an intense, 10 weeks course, exploring design, talking about ergonomics, discussion of special skills specific to chair making in contrast with those required to make most other furniture, and the construction of one dining chair.  Each student will be working on a chair design provided by Ebanista as well as a bit of chair designing for their own future projects.

SKU: sprchair Category:

5 Day Build Workshops

5 Day Build Workshop

$1,500.00

December 26th – December 30th, 2023, 10:00am – 5:30pm

$1350 + $150 for materials

Skill level: All Levels

Prerequisite: Material Layout and Prep. Workshop

Instructor: Jonathan Cohen

Introducing 5 day intense building classes. 5 consecutive days, 7 hours/day. Instructor has designed a cherry writing desk to be built in its’ entirety, which each student will take with them at the end of the course. Early registration is encouraged as the materials will be purchased in advance to start the seasoning process and prepping before class starts. This class represents a bit of a departure from the structure of our 10 week classes. In those, the heavy emphasis is on teaching new skills and information, and the class projects are seen as a hands on manner of practicing those skills. In the 5 day classes the emphasis is on taking a project from start to completion, with a great deal of learning occurring during the process. Ideal also for those outside the Seattle area, or those who cannot fit a 10 week course in to their schedules.

 

In stock

SKU: 5daywrkshp Category:

Weekend Workshops

Material Layout & Preparation

$284.00

Winter: Sunday, January 7 & January 28

Fall: Sunday, September 24 & October 29

Summer: Sunday, June 25 & July 9

Spring: Sunday, May 21

 

Time: 11:00am – 4:30pm

Instructor: Ebanista Staff

All students taking Beginnings II or higher are required to take the Wood Prepping workshop or be cleared by the instructor

Material Layout & Preparation
All students are required to take this one day workshop before taking Beginnings II or above classes.
Starting in Winter  2023, all Ebanista students will be required to take this workshop prior to their first Beginnings II class. It is also highly recommended for anyone past the Beginnings II level who does not feel they have achieved a high skill level in material preparation. It has become more and more clear to us over the years that many students, even in upper level classes, still find this VERY essential part of working to be challenging. We will go over careful layout as well as marking and preparing work before and during projects. It is this work that will make all future work safer, more accurate, and more beautiful. It will also save a lot of wasted time and material.

 

SKU: N/A Category:

Shop Economics

$232.00

Summer: Sunday, July 23, 1:00pm – 4:30pm

Note: Course taught virtually over Zoom

Note: this workshop is NOT just for woodworkers thinking of going into business for themselves. If you are just thinking of opening a small shop just for your own work, you will learn a lot of things designed to get your shop up and manageable.

Skill Level: Open to all

Instructor: Jonathan Cohen

At first glance, this workshop might seem to be an oxymoron. If you wanted to be good at business, why would you become a woodworker? This class is NOT designed to be a crackerjack Economics course, but to teach the very important fundamental aspects of keeping your love for woodworking a viable one. Not taking care of the planning and money will stop you from making a life, or a hobby, as an Ebanista, (or any other craft if you’d like to invite a friend), far quicker than just about any other problem you will face. 

We will discuss setting up a shop, machinery and tool purchase, whether to hire any employees if things start taking off, taxes, how to deal with clients, how to calculate costs and give estimates that pay you enough, the very important attention that should be paid to photographing your work and some tricks for keeping those costs under control, and strategies for dealing with galleries if you choose to give your work a wider audience.

I do not think there is anyone who has less interest in being described as a businessperson than I. But if you don’t at least become comfortable with the information in this workshop, you know what they say….ignore it at your own peril. As with most of what is taught at Ebanista, we do not claim to be teaching anything you could not learn on your own, eventually. The question is whether you want to avoid years of pitfalls and obstacles to get to your objectives. 

The instructor, Jonathan, has over 43 years of running a professional furniture studio (business) and showing in galleries across the U.S.

 

*Please visit the ‘Details’ tab to review our refund/cancellation policy.

 

SKU: N/A Category:

Saw Your Own Lumber Workshop

$284.00

Saw Your Own Lumber

Date: Sunday, August 6th – 11:00am – 4:30pm

Skill level: Open to all

Instructor: Peter Peterson

( Please note: this workshop is not held at the Ebanista School shop , but rather at a professional saw yard in South Seattle, 1/2mile from the school.  wear old clothes and boots, and bring earphones, safety glasses, gloves and boots. Bag lunch.   ***Also wkshp subject to quick schedule change due to weather)

Professional full time sawyer Peter Peterson is welcoming us to give an amazing introduction to sawing your own lumber. Much of this will be hands-on. You will watch as he revs up the huge industrial saw that he and Urban Hardwoods use every day to produce their amazing slabs, move down to a much smaller portable horizontal bandsaw mill, and then we will finish with a hand held chainsaw mill. It is mesmerizing to pull off fresh colorful beautiful slabs of wood. join us just for the experience or to give yourself a huge head start in making your own lumber. You will gain an in depth understanding to where ( and why) your lumber comes from.

 

*Please visit the ‘Details’ tab to review our refund/cancellation policy.

Only 1 left in stock

SKU: sum23_lumber Category:

Make a Wooden Hand Plane

$387.00

 

Note: this is a two-day workshop. The first session is to glue up plane bodies, the second to shape and tune them.

Skill level: Open to all levels

Instructor: Stephen Barney

Making your own planes is an amazing way to gain a deeper understanding of planecraft and to customize your stable of these iconic hand tools to your own needs. In this class we will de-mystify the process and under the tutelage of extraordinary craftsman Stephen Barney, who has made many of his own planes (in use for decades now), tune them and hone them to become some of your favorite hand tools. There is an additional $70- charge for the handmade extremely high quality plane irons we will be using (payable at the first class). After all, what is the point in hand making a plane and using a cheap, factory iron? Students will find it very satisfying at the end of the workshop to carry their own new planes back to their work benches. Ebanista will provide the wood.

 

*Please visit the ‘Details’ tab to review our refund/cancellation policy.

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Sharpening with Water Stones

$284.00

Summer: Sunday, June 11 & Sunday, July 30

Fall: Sunday, September 17 & Sunday, October 15

Winter 2024: Sunday, January 14 & Sunday, March 10

Time: 11 am – 4:30 pm

Skill Level: All skill levels

Instructor: Stephen Barney

Sharpening your woodworking tools is the most essential skill of all, vital to achieving the skills to become a fine woodworker.   Every person attending these workshops so far has commented on how much this workshop has boosted their woodworking skills. Bring your own tools if you like, or Ebanista will have some planes and chisel sets for sale. There will also be some discussion of Japanese tools. This is a fine opportunity to learn from one of the most experienced woodworkers on the West coast. These classes are always very popular, so we recommend you sign up early.

 

*Please visit the ‘Details’ tab to review our refund/cancellation policy.

SKU: N/A Category:

Veneering Workshop

$284.00

Fall: November 12th, 2023

Time: 11am – 4:30pm

Skill Level: All skill levels

Instructor: Jonathan Cohen

Class Description: Veneering can be a way to open MANY doors to more kinds of fine furniture. It has been around for thousands of years, and when done well can add great beauty to a fine piece of furniture- especially as much of the most beautiful wood in the world is reserved for veneers. Also, knowing how to use, and make your own veneers can open up endless possibilities in your furniture and cabinet design. In this workshop we will learn how to cut, match and press veneers, as well as how to design with them and how to use them to their maximum advantage. We will work with a cold press and also have a demonstration with an easy to build, inexpensive vacuum press. You might be amazed at how a vacuum press can change your workshop completely, greatly expanding your possibilities.

 

*Please visit the ‘Details’ tab to review our refund/cancellation policy.

SKU: Veneer Category:

The Art of Finishing

$284.00

Summer: Sunday, July 2nd

Fall: Sunday, September 10th

Time: 11:00am – 4:30pm

Skill Level: All

Instructor: Ross Day

In this class we will remove the mystery from traditional finishing techniques. We will discuss the components and theory of each finish type as well as their pros and cons viz ease of application, wood protection, and refinishing/repair. We will then move into the most important (and neglected) part of finishing: surface preparation. With our sample boards completed we will prepare some finishes and proceed to experiment with them on our boards. You will see, first hand, how different finishes penetrate the wood and bring out its character. Rounding out the finishing session, we will consider adding color to finishes.

 

*Please visit the ‘Details’ tab to review our refund/cancellation policy.

SKU: Art-Of-Finishing Category:
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