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Adirondack Dulcimer Making

Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY

Drawing from over 30 years of fine instrument making, Martin Macica will share his knowledge of the principles and practice of dulcimer making, leading participants through the process of making their own dulcimer from scratch using hand tools. This intensive course will cover every aspect of dulcimer making, including the carving of the scroll. Participants will leave with a working knowledge of dulcimer making, and a handcrafted instrument ready for a lifetime of making music.

Mortise and Tenon Construction

Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY

This class will focus on the proper making of mortise and tenon joinery for gate and railing construction. You'll make the tooling, punches, drifts, monkey tools and more. Special tools used by professional smiths to increase consistency of dimension will be shown and made. The secret of forging angled tenons easily and accurately will also be taught.

Blacksmithing 102C: Make Like a Tree

Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY

Nature has been a source of artistic inspiration for thousands of years. Leaves have been a part of decorative blacksmithing for a long time, and there are many different types of leaves one can make. This class is intended for students who have taken a basic/beginner class and who understand the basic techniques and concepts. We will start by making leaves with just the hammer and anvil, and then begin using tools like chisels and decorative punches.

Blacksmithing 102B: Using Jigs and Making Batches

Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY

Hooks are one of the most useful things a new blacksmith can make. Russ started off making them as practice pieces but found that they get used wherever they end up. They are used in many projects, and this makes them an excellent stepping stone for learning how to manufacture things in bulk. We will start by making hooks by hand with just the hammer and anvil. After that, students will use various tools and jigs to speed up production. The goal is to produce 5 matching hooks. This class is intended for students who have taken a 101 class and understand the basics of forging and how to manage a coal fire.

Natural Details: Photographing Nature in Motion

Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY

This class is geared towards beginner to intermediate photographers who want to learn solid fundamentals and put them into practice with instruction, with an emphasis on photographing nature closeup, waterfalls, grasses, plants etc. This should allow almost anyone with a digital camera to create artistic shots without relying on waiting for animals or birds. Participants should have access to a tripod. Dave will share an intro slideshow of his work and a discussion on ethics, safety, subject knowledge and increasing success rate. There will be a handout that covers discussion points of basic camera use, lens selection, composition and more. This class will include shooting in the field at a location picked dependent on the time of year.

Blacksmithing 102A: Bottle Opener

Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY

This class follows the lessons learned in Blacksmithing 101. First students will use top tools and punches to make decorative faces. To make the bottle opener, students start with bar stock and will learn how to fuller, punch and drift, as well as work in a team with another smith.

Blacksmithing 101: Nail & Hook

Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY

This 4-hour class is ideal for the beginner blacksmith with little to no experience. We will start with the basics, and within the first hour students will be forging their own nails. From there, students will forge hooks with a decorative twist.

Comb Back Windsor Armchair

Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY

Bring your own turnings from David's Turning Chair Parts class or choose from walnut, cherry or ambrosia maple parts provided by instructor David Abeel. Make an heirloom that is comfortable, well-engineered and styled to fit in traditional or contemporary settings. Students will do compound drilling and work with a variety of simple jigs and tools along with compass planes, travishers, draw knives, scorp and hand planes. All skill levels are welcome. Dress comfortably and be ready to work on your feet all day.

Forging a Chef’s Knife

Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY

This class is taught by renowned instructor and the very first winner of History Channel's Forged in Fire, Matthew Parkinson. The chef's knife is the most used knife in almost any home. These iconic knives help to create meals for family and loved ones. Well-made kitchen knives can last a lifetime and this class will give you the opportunity to create one of your very own. In this two-day class students will make their own chef's knife from high carbon steel. All aspects of bladesmithing will be covered, from forging the blade to shaping, then heat treating, grinding and polishing, making and fitting a wooden handle and finally, sharpening - with very special attention given to the design and geometry of this kind of knife. This class is intended as an introductory bladesmithing class, but some forging experience is helpful.

Comb Back Windsor Armchair

Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY

Bring your own turnings from David's Turning Chair Parts class or choose from walnut, cherry or ambrosia maple parts provided by instructor David Abeel. Make an heirloom that is comfortable, well-engineered and styled to fit in traditional or contemporary settings. Students will do compound drilling and work with a variety of simple jigs and tools along with compass planes, travishers, draw knives, scorp and hand planes. All skill levels are welcome. Dress comfortably and be ready to work on your feet all day.

Rugs from Rags

Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY

No weaving experience is necessary! The looms are dressed and ready to go, all you need to do is bring your creative spirit and to leave with a finished one-of-a-kind rug. Students will have a choice of making a traditional Rag Rug using recycled fabric strips or making a Sock Rug using remnants from a sock factory. Colors and choices of fabric and remnants vary from class to class depending on availability. The rugs are 24" wide, and up to 45" long.

Fibonacci Thirteen

Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY

Barbara designed this basket inspired by patterns discussed in a class on sacred geometry. The Fibonacci sequence of numbers exists in our daily world and woven together this sequence produces 13 glorious spirals. Students will begin the project by weaving a two-by-two twill base. Students will learn a technique for hand-shaping this base into a "cathead" or four-footed basket with a raised base. From there, using natural and hand-dyed reed to provide contrast, students will weave up the sides in a pattern which creates 13 spirals around the basket. Hand-shaping techniques will be stressed, allowing students to produce a beautifully proportioned piece. Along with weaving instruction, Barbara will lead a discussion on, "The Nature of Numbers", a talk on where the Fibonacci sequence exists in nature, including numerous examples.

Join the Waiting List We are sorry, but this course is currently full. If space(s) become available, we will notify users in the order in which they requested to be added to the waiting list.