Today we have many machine options for making joints. The machine option falls short of hand tool methods in many respects. The machine ensures a certain accuracy; the craftsman is reduced to an appendage of the machine. The work loses the personal touch of the artisan. There is a measurable distance between the work and the artisan, and the personal aspect is lost. In this course we will focus on the simple mortise and tenon and through dovetail joints as they have been made by our ancestral makers. Following them, our joints will be made with hand tools only. Learning is guaranteed by process and repetition.

Attendees will execute each of these joints with the goal being that each joint can be made automatically and process internalized.  This can only be achieved with practice.  The ultimate goal is to achieve your own "perfection" without thinking.

The course is for those who have a familiarity with woodworking but would like a more intimate experience with the craft. Mastery of these joints allows you free range to design as you wish!