March 2024 Newsletter
Cheril Barber
Welcome to our latest newsletter
Autumn is on it's way
Time to put the sunscreen away
Hone in and zone into your/our workshop to play
Short Courses
Keep an eye out for our interesting and varied short course programme as we continue to offer a good range of workshops & courses to fit around your time/life commitments. We do appreciate the feedback received and we have listened to your comments that the duration of between 2 - 6 days for a short course is much more accessible to many of our students.
Here are our upcoming courses that fulfil that sweet spot time frame:
Woodworking Basics (4 days) *
Intro to Bending Wood (4 days)
Drawer Making (5 days)
Intro to Kumiko (2 days) *
Intro to Laminating & Coopering (6 days)
Shaker Boxes (2 days) *
Table Making (6 days)
Intro to Machine Maintenance (2 days)
Safe Machining Practices (2 days) *
Spoon Carving (2 days) *
Intro to Carving (2 days) *
Carve a Bespoke Walking Stick (3 days)
Carve a Mobius * (3 days)
Carve a Seed Pod * (3 days)
Netsuke (Japanese Miniature Carving) * (3 days)
Centre Piece Coffee Table (5 days)
So much to choose from !
Please note that if the course has an asterisk* next to to it, then no prior experience is necessary - you can jump right into whichever one appeals to you - click the image below and it will take you to our website's short course programme.
And of course - get in touch if you want any help deciding or have questions to ask.
Australian Wood Review
Maker of the Year Competition
Applications are now open to the 2024 Maker of the Year competition and we were thrilled to see that the categories have been changed back to allow our students to apply in the student category. Last year the only category open to us was the "World" category, so this does open up a great opportunity for our past and present students.
Full details of how to enter this highly prestigious competition are here
Even if you aren't going to enter, it's a great event to follow; there are always lots of images regularly being posted on their website - a good source of inspiration and encouragement.
Watch this space but of course if you are keen get in touch sooner.
What a treat!
You may remember in our last newsletter we shared with you that David Haig (MNZM) had dropped by to show the students who were on our 2024 Residency Programme, the latest version of his Monogram rocking chair. He was on his way to delivering it to the Parker Gallery here in Nelson, where it is currently on display.
Parker Gallery is owned by Leonie Allen, who also happens to be the wife of our life-long friend and amazing photographer Daniel Allen. He has made a short video (of which he has kindly given us permission to share with you) of David talking about the evolution of his iconic Monogram Rocking Chair.
The Monogram Rocking Chair was based on a pencil sketch drawn over breakfast one day (in the year 1990) that gave him the central concept of a few sweeping curves that he’d been trying to bring together as a chair design. The first chair then took three months to build, and though David has modified and improved many of the details and construction processes, the purity of the original design has remained. Ergonomics were carefully considered from the start and the chair is both comfortable and well balanced, with a slight springiness and full lower back support.
The Monogram Rocking Chair is now a design classic. Its interconnected curves create a supple, strong and elegant support for the human body. Built in Cable Bay, New Zealand, Monogram Rocking Chairs are treasured in homes around the world. They have been exhibited widely, and an example is held in the design collection of the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa.
How lucky are we to have David here so involved with the school as a tutor, mentor and guide? Very lucky indeed.
Tuku 24 Whakatū
As part of the wonderful celebration of
Nelson's culturally diverse heritage
we will be hosting an
OPEN DAY
All Welcome
Friends of the School
As a not for profit organisation, we want to ensure the school continues to flourish as an internationally-recognised centre for fine woodworking unique to New Zealand. We believe that you, as a part of our woodworking family, can play a vital role in achieving our vision, so we are asking you to consider supporting the school in a variety of ways:
Enrol in one of the many short courses offered during the year.
Become a member of the ‘Friends of the School’ programme through an annual donation
A larger donation or bequest of your choosing.
A donation or bequest towards a specific piece of woodworking machinery or infrastructure
How to support us:
Call Helen at our office
on +64 (03) 545 2674
or email info@cfw.co.nz
Go online to our Friends of the School Programme
Our bank account details are:
ASB 12-3165-0262010-51
We sincerely thank you for considering our request and being a part of the family of the Centre for Fine Woodworking.
FOR SALE
We have been having a big tidy up here in the workshop and have some items surplus to requirement, mainly because we have upgraded equipment to a more suitable version for our school workshop. All machinery is regularly maintained and checked. We would like to sell the following - you have first dibs before they go on Trade Me.
HITACHI BENCH TOP THICKNESSER
with spare blades - must be collected
$600
HITACHI C12LCH COMPOUND MITRE SAW
Fully serviced January 2024 with spare blade
Must be collected
$850
VERITAS 12tpi RIPSAWS
x 7- in good condition - hardly used
$100 plus postage
STANLEY PLANES NO.4
2 x $40 each plus postage
RECORD PLANE NO. 4
1 x $40 plus postage
STANLEY BLOCK PLANE
x 1 $40 plus postage
RECORD BLOCK PLANE
x 1 $40 plus postage
Get in touch
if you are interested !