Students will spend Project Week working with the skilled craftsmen at Canterbury Shaker Village in a privately-taught course in traditional woodworking tools and methods. Over the course of the week, each student will learn methods of wood preparation, hand-cut joinery, and finishing as they build their own traditional Shaker-style lowback chair. Students will learn the proper use of tools, good habits of woodworking, and then apply these skills in a traditional wood shop. This program is fitting for novices and experienced woodworkers alike.
Day 1
The group spent Day 1 exploring Canterbury Shaker Village and learning about its deep history including lifestyle, beliefs, and industrial practices. Some highlights were visiting the Meeting House where we got a close-up look at Shaker post-and-beam architecture; learning how granite pathways were quarried, transported and built; and finishing the day in the Brethren Workshop where students learned about and practiced using traditional hand tools.
Day 2
Our day was focused in the Brethren Workshop assembling our Shaker-style low back chairs. We learned to use sandpaper and rasps to tune tenons for a proper fit before applying wood glue and pressure to make sure the chairs would be stable and durable. Adam guarantees that his chair will hold up for years! The afternoon concluded with a guided tour through a museum exhibit of Shaker furniture through the years led by both the curator of the exhibit and the lead craftsman at the village.
Day 3
Today's focus was prepare and finish. We started the morning sanding our chairs to prepare them to receive two coats of oil. This is a tedious, but necessary task that ensures that the final finish will not show any imperfections. In addition to learning the origins and make-up of sandpaper, students learned about the polymerization that occurs as Danish oil cures on wood.
The day finished with an in-depth behind-the-scenes tour of the Dwelling House at the Shaker Village. With communal living as one of the center pillars of life in a Shaker community, this building is equivalent to a large dormitory and dining hall. Tours of the kitchen, dining room, living spaces, and meeting rooms all gave perspective to what it was like to live there as a Shaker. A highlight was seeing the clothing storage attic and the music room.
Day 4
Day 4 was dedicated to weaving the seats of our chairs. Students selected, measured, and cut the seat taping of their choice before learning how to weave them into a checkerboard pattern. While some found this a relaxing and enjoyable experience, others were more frustrated by the process. At the end, it was time to test the chairs! Everyone's held up beautifully.
The day ended with more behind-the-scene tours of the Shaker Village buildings including the school house, dentist's room, and the syrup shop where medicinal syrups were the sold as the first mass produced pharmaceuticals in the country.
Day 5
The week at the Shaker Village finished with a beautiful sunny day. The group visited the Shaker infirmary where they learned about the various medicinal products and treatments that were used by the shakers. The group continued the tour with the Sister's Workshop and the Generator/Boiler Room. The day finished with a hike around Mill Pond and finally loading our finished chairs to head home. Below are some reflections from the group:
Adam - Throughout the week, I learned how to create a chair by adhering to patience and problem solving. I believe I can apply these skills beyond wood working to my personal hobbies, and also learned fascinating information about the shakers garnering appreciation from me for their societal contributions.
Jayden - Something I learned during project week "Intro to Woodworking" was patience. I learned patience because you might mess up along the way, but you must have the perseverance and patience to not give up. This especially happened when I was making my chair's seat and kept on making mistakes, but with patience and perseverance I was able to finish and create a wonderful chair.
Ben - This week, a big takeaway I learned was how attention to detail can lead to better quality when it comes to creating something. I experienced this when I was making my chair, I learned that taking your time and making sure it's done right can help you a lot more than rushing through your project. Another thing I learned was perseverance. This helped a lot because I messed up a lot and had to restart repeatedly. But having this skill, I can add it into my problem-solving abilities.
Cooper - Making a shaker chair was eye-opening to see how the shakers built their furniture with less advanced equipment. It taught me that the shaker people were ahead of their time. I learned about problem solving and how to overcome challenges with woodworking and people.
Liv - A takeaway that I took from learning about the shaker culture and religion was their depth and grasp on working together as a community. Making sure everyone had a job and a role within the community. Not only did they create a community where everyone had a role but they shared everything while living together in building similar to dorm rooms. I learned how they worked to resolve problems and work as a team I later related this information on how I can use this in my daily life at New Hampton.
Grant - I learned that you can start a new community from nothing and end up with a prosperous society, no matter what background you come from. I saw how the shakers left behind all that was familiar to them to join a community that they believed in, and not only managed to survive but prosper.