Today was a steamy day, both for me and my wood! I spent a good part of the day bending chair legs for 10 ladderback chairs that I am building. I was only able to fit 2 back legs in my steamer which I built from schedule 80 PVC. A turkey fryer provides the fire […]
Introduction In the Basics of Joinery online course, you will learn the three basic joints–dado, dovetail and mortise and tenon–that are the foundation for all wood joinery. Learn these three well and you can build almost anything out of wood. The techniques Frank teaches in this course are the base for all the endless variations of woodworking […]
I went up to Arkansas to find the white oak logs for these ladder back chairs I am making. The fellow that I bought the timber from let me go up and see where he was cutting the wood. I noticed that some of the logs were coming from the side of a fairly steep […]
Since my return from Maine I have been hard at work shaping back legs for 10 ladder back chairs. Deadlines are real! I have started with a white oak log and split out all the parts, riving the wood down. You can see more pictures here, and just scroll down to the post on July […]
You never know what you will find down in the shavings! Sometimes I find missing tools, maybe a missing chair part, but today, I found my 4 year old son, oh what a ball of fun! I have been working hard on shaping the back legs for 10 ladder back chairs. There are several […]
This interview was originally published in the SustainLife Journal. See the original article here. Q. Do you have any interesting stories from any of your classes that you could tell? A. There are always interesting stories, but I think about one student in particular. He was in his 70’s. He had signed up for a foundational class, several […]
This interview was originally published in the SustainLife Journal of the Ploughshare Institute, our “parent” organization. See the original article here. Q. Ploughshare: How did you first get started with woodworking? A. Frank: My first recollection of woodworking was when my mom bought me an old eggbeater drill at a junk shop. I was seven years old at […]
Here’s the “official” Lie-Nielsen Open House video. See the interviews of Frank and other master craftsmen! Shows a bit why handcrafting in wood is on the rise.
In the From a Log to a Spoon online lesson, Frank Strazza will show you how to make a Swedish-style Spoon starting with a log straight from the woods or from the firewood pile using green woodworking. You’ll learn how to select your log for best splitting and carving. Then, Frank shows you how to […]
Jonathan and I had a wonderful time in Maine. We packed a whole lot in just a few short days. We met and reconnected with so many great people at Lie-Nielsen. We even got a personal tour of the shop and were able to see all the tools being made. Wow–what incredible detail! A lot […]