Banner Hill Blog

The Fundamental Elements of Woodworking

2012-11-05T06:57:00.000-08:00

What is furniture anyway? It means many things to many people for sure. And how the word furniture is employed can also have many meanings as well. Design, functionality, form, craftsmanship are some of the things that come to mind. But is it furniture? Well that all depends on what the eye sees.

I am once again in London,England for a few days. After a along flight, I decided to take a walk along theThames. When here visiting a good friend and fellow rower I decided a good point to begin a walk around town would be at the Putney Town Rowing Club boathouse. As I approached the boathouse parking lot, there it was, a piece of furniture. The first time I saw it was this summer while here for the Olympics. I had walked by it several times until, in a moment, a particular detail stared out at me.

The furniture? What was it? A rowing scull. A wooden rowing scull. What caught my eye was the skin of the boat and the carefully matched veneers that made the hull look as one piece. Truly a sign of craftsmanship. The boat builder, Carl Douglas whom I have since met.

Furniture you say? Just a boat? No, a beautifully hand crafted rowing scull that employs layers of Kevlar and wood veneers. But furniture, as you scratch your head?

Does it have thoughtful design? Most certainly. Form? It is sleek fast racing scull. That is the design. Functionality? Absolutely. It has the design as well as the form which gives it functionality. A fast competitive racing scull made to win.

So what element here is not in a finely made piece of furniture, or a restored pre 1850 English three bay four bent timber frame, or a student’s woodworking project? It first comes from an idea, then the design, followed by form, (the building of the piece) and, the functionality, (what the piece is supposed to serve).

That’s what we do at Banner Hill. We build, we teach, and we learn from every new experience, but the elements remain the same once the idea has taken root. The design, form, and functionality, remain the guiding principals whether it be a student project, a hand hewed pre-1850 timber frame being given new life, or a client commissioned piece.

It’s all furniture to us.

Banner Hill School, Custom Work, & Timber Framing

2012-10-23T13:02:00.001-07:00

Banner Hill School

We have been busy at Banner Hill re-vamping our three areas of business; the school, client based work and timber framing. On the school end of things you have told us where your interest is, ceramics and woodworking. And so we are refocusing in those core areas. We tested a number of shorter term programs in woodworking. We call them primer classes. There are six in all and we will probably add to them as time moves on. These classes are all 3 hours long and cover specifics in furniture building such as proper tool use, mortise and tenon, dovetails, etc. And we offer them to you with the most flexibility. Take one or take them all or sign up for any one in between.

We will still offer our popular Aspiring Woodwork week long course. If you take four of the six primers you will have a jump start on everyone else. And we will give you a tuition discount for taking this course. The same will apply to the woodworking program for women. We will continue to offer other classes as well such as the Shaker box, constructing a small cabinet, aspects in proper finish application and more.

On the ceramic side of the house we will continue to offer work shops, open studio time and Raku firings. If you haven’t done Raku or don’t have a place to do it, you can do it at Banner Hill. It’s fun, it’s fast and the result are unpredictable making your piece unique from everyone else.

We will still offer special instruction for individuals or groups in both ceramics and woodworking.

Client Based Work

At Banner Hill we also do client based work including custom made furniture, restoration and repair work. If you have an idea for a piece of furniture or cabinetry but not quite such how it will fit or look, we will design it and build it for you; kitchen furniture, dining room table, bed frame and cabinets of any description. Bring us you ideas!

Timber Framing

Finally on the timber framing side I’m pleased to say we have restored 3 pre-1850 timber frames over the past year and re-stood them on building sites that will be created into homes. These structures are truly unique. They are of furniture quality in that the timbers were cut and hewed into shape by hand. As I say, the beauty is in the slight of hand. These frame simply can not be reproduce. We have teamed up with Durkin Construction and bring years of timber framing experience to each and every program whether it is a vintage frame or a newly cut timber frame. Our timber frames are adaptable to almost any use; a home, business use, studio space, guest house or smaller structures for garden areas and patios.

We will soon be launching our new website where you will be able to see and read about the things we do at Banner Hill.

Kip Christie

Banner Hill School Featured in Windham Journal

2011-10-12T18:40:00.001-07:00

Article: Reclamation and Restoration

click on link below to read article:
http://www.thedailymail.net/articles/2011/10/06/windham_journal/news/doc4e8c6f7686b11596734688.txt

Banner Hill Featured In The Sept./Oct. Issue Of The Hook Magazine

2011-10-12T16:25:00.000-07:00

Article: Kip Christie: A Way With Wood
(pg. 47)

click on link below to read article:
http://thehook.org/1012011/hooksept.html

Working Through the Problem

2011-04-29T05:27:00.000-07:00

When we're not teaching woodworking we are working on commission pieces. Presently, we have a number of projects underway that gives me an opportunity to experiment and learn from my own mistakes. I'm a firm believer that if you are not making an occasional mistake from time to time, you're not learning.

One such piece is a customized bed frame. Because the room itself is small the frame has been designed with two pull out center drawers and a third draw that pulls out at the foot of the bed. The drawers are made of poplar and the fronts will be face framed in the finish. In planning out the drawers I decided to do half blind dove tails at the front and finger joints at the back. I cut the finger joints on a jig we have that can produce a number of different size joints. As I began to cut the joints I was unaware that the position of the fence had moved. Lesson number one, don't be in a rush. Do a test cut first to make sure your measurements and machine settings are just so.

Once I got the piece back to the bench I had something less than satisfactory. What to do? For a commission piece where time is money I thought I had something suitable for the wood stove. On the teaching side, I had an opportunity. What if this was a student's project? What if the material was an expensive species of wood? Sometimes it is worth the extra time to figure out how to make it work and learn something in the process. For a student with limited time this is an important consideration. If they can fix it, they will become more confident in problem solving once they get home.

The fix was actually simple all though the glue up process took longer. I glued each corner individually inserting small splines into the spaces. Once sanded it was hardly noticeable and probably only to me. And since it is at the back of the drawer, it will hardly ever be seen.

What do you think? What kind of problem solving have you experienced? How useful do you find it learning from your own mishaps? Let us know. We'd like to hear!

Kip Christie

Fine Painting And The Seven Elements Of Design

2011-04-21T18:38:00.000-07:00

Design exists in everything around us, from the simplest flower to the complex human structure. One might say, to design is to have purpose.
So when we design in art, we are deliberately planning and arranging elements in a way that creates a united effect. When used together, all design elements help create unity in painting. When we speak of design elements in art we are actually speaking of the basic components critical to creating a work of art.
These elements are:
Shape which is a two-dimensional area having identifiable boundaries, created by lines, color, or value changes, or some combination of these.
Size which is very simply the relationship of the area occupied by one shape to that area occupied by another shape.
Line, which there are two ways to describe: a mark made by an instrument as it is drawn across a surface or the edge created when two lines meet.
Texture which is the surface or tactile quality of an object - its smoothness, roughness, softness, etc.- and trying to recreate this appearance in paint.
Value, the relative lightness or darkness of a hue, or of a neutral varying from white to black.
Color which is pigment (with the determining properties of tint, intensity, and value), and....
Form, the physical appearance of a work of art, its materials, style, and composition.
Learn more about the seven elements of design - shape, size, line, texture, value, color, and form- the building blocks of creating your own work of art in our Beginning Watercolor Painting Intensive course with Beatrice Cohen, June 19th-23rd at Banner Hill School.
Also in the Fine Arts series:
Canvas Stretching - July 8th - with instructor Candace Christiansen
Portrait Painting Workshop - July 9th-10th or Aug. 2nd-3rd - with instructor Roy Mendl
Please visit us at: BannerHillLLC.com for course descriptions and registration.

The Aspiring Woodworker

2011-04-21T05:21:00.000-07:00

We have recently received several inquiries about the Aspiring Woodworker. This is our most popular woodworking course at Banner Hill and is being offered three time this summer and fall. Course dates are June 13 - 17, August 15 - 19 and September 12 -16.

This is a great course not only for those venturing into woodworking but those with advanced skill looking for some concentrated time that is difficult to get during the daily routine of life. For those interested in learning simple easy to use furniture design concepts, milling and laying out of joinery work, crafting from raw lumber into a distinctive piece of furniture, this class is for you. For the more experience woodworker, you can push your limits bound only by your imagination.

In this one week course we emphasize hand techniques. No sense in learning on machines you may not have at home. More importantly, a solid base in hand skills will help you work around problems you always will encounter or in areas where machines are not available or not appropriate for the task.

During this course you will design your own project. Complete a side by side and perspective drawing. Illustrate detailed joinery work. Mill your own wood to specification and layout for joinery work. At the end of this five day course you will have designed and built your own piece of furniture.

So make your summer plans now. Sign up for the Aspiring Woodworker or other classes we offer in ceramics, paper making, painting and textiles. Visit www.BannerHillLLC.com for more details.

Kip Christie

The Art of Beautiful Writing

2011-04-03T17:19:00.000-07:00

Calligraphy is the stylized and elegant art form of handwriting. The word calligraphy itself comes from the Greek words kallos meaning "beauty" and graphe meaning "writing". This art form which uses pen or brush and ink in a creative balance of correct formation of characters, the ordering of various parts, and the harmony of proportions has been revered highly by Asian, Arabic, and European cultures for many centuries. Learn the art of beautiful writing in our Beginning Calligraphy 1 day classes May 11th, June 8th, July 13th, Aug. 10th, Sept. 14th or Oct. 2nd, 2011 at Banner Hill School. To learn more about Beginning Calligraphy please visit BannerHillLLC.com

Learn the Art of Shaker Oval Box Making

2011-03-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

Here is a great one day class for just you, or maybe you and your daughter or son. On May 7th we are holding a Shaker Oval Box making course. It's fun and creative. Better yet, at the end of the day you'll have something that's useful, but also attractive and would make a great gift. A child 12 years or older can accompany an adult for this class. We will take you through each step of the process from soaking and bending the wood to fitting the tops and bottoms. You will make a series of three oval boxes. We will also discuss different types of finishes you can apply when you get home.

So, join us at Banner Hill and sign up early. Visit us at BannerHillLLC.com to view this course and others.

Painting With Light

2011-03-20T13:16:00.001-07:00

Stained glass can be traced back in time for centuries, and from the Middle Ages on, has flourished as an art form. Besides design, proportion, tonal control, and color, the "canvas" of the stained glass artist must be appreciated, for stained glass is the only art form that relies entirely on light for its effect. Every other art form, from painting and sculpture to tapestry and jewellery, is designed to be appreciated by reflected light and thus the artist controls his shapes and colors knowing that the purely physical reflection in the spectator's eye will be exactly as he plans it. With a stained glass piece, however, the artist must control a powerful energy which will be transmitted through his medium of expression. The artist must paint with light itself. ~Lawrence Lee, Stained Glass

This Summer and Fall learn the ancient art of painting with light at Banner Hill School:

Stained Glass Workshop I ~ 1 day course ~ Instructor: Connie Pruiksma

offered: May 7, July 1 or, Sept. 10

Stained Glass Workshop II ~ 1 day course ~ Instructor: Connie Pruiksma

offered: June 11, Aug. 12 or, Oct. 8

Master Stained Glass Intensive ~ 4 day course ~ Instructor: Doris Cultraro

offered: July 25-28

Stained Glass Computer Design Program ~ 1 day course ~ Instructor: Doris Cultraro
offered: July 29

For more information on these courses and registration please visit: BannerHillLLC.com

2011 Summer/Fall Schedule

2011-03-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

The past few blogs, facebook and tweets have been about our summer/fall schedule of classes. On the Banner Blog you will be able to read about each class in more detail.

Last year we began offering a furniture woodworking course for women only taught by our very own Mary LaCafe. Mary is a very talented and creative self taught furniture maker and has been with the school for 3 years. When she's not at the school she's busy creating in her own studio. We have redesigned this class from a two week course to one week to make it easier to attend. In this class you will learn simple but very useful design techniques that will be employed by you to design your own unique piece of furniture. Mary will take you through the wood selection process and milling, teach and demonstrate layout of joinery work, use of hand tools and machines. Step by step she will lead you to create your own unique and individualized piece of furniture.

So, sign up early for this one as it is sure to fill up. This course will be offered July 11th through the 19th.

For those who who have a connection with the beauty of the Catskill Mountains and Hudson River valley that inspire the Hudson River School of Painters you won't want miss this very special workshop. The very talented Thomas Locker will lead this workshop off with a discussion of the techniques used by such acclaimed artists as Thomas Cole. Lauren Sansaricq and Erik Koepple will then lead the workshop teaching and through practical demonstrations. You can read about all three of these artists by visiting our website at BannerHillLLC.com and click on guest artists.

The date of this workshop will be announced soon, so stay tuned.

To view other courses please visit BannerHillLLC.com, email us at BannerHillWindham@mac.com or give us a call at 518 929 7821

2011-03-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

The Kaaterskill Outdoor Chair

Wondering what to do this spring? How about a two day course here at Banner Hill. We'll help you get ready with this classic out door chair you can put on the porch, pool side, the barbecue, etc. And once you learn how to build this simple chair you will be able to build more at home. We'll take you step by step right to the finish; paint, stain, varnish. This is an easy piece of outdoor furniture to make. You will learn about structural elements, plan and design as they relate to creating a functional piece.

Visit our website at BannerHillLLC.com for more information and other class offerings in woodworking, ceramics, paper making, painting and more.

Kip Christie

2011-03-04T09:53:00.000-08:00

You may have seen me mention about spring on Banner Hill's facebook. Although it may not be here officially there are plenty of signs outside that it is coming. And, one of the surest signs inside here at Banner Hill is the newly arrived catalog of Summer/Fall courses. They're all out in the mail, however, if you desire one just email us at BannerHillWindham@mac.com or visit our website at BannerHillLLC.com.

We have worker hard all these months to bring you an interesting a diverse spectrum of offerings. We not only added to the listing in ceramics and woodworking but have brought in other unique and challenging courses in paper making, stain glass, gilding, portrait and landscape painting to name a few. Not only that but a number of courses this year will offer more than one craft medium. For example, if you take the Japanese floor lamp course you will not only be working in wood but you will be making the shade from paper. That is, you will make the paper! Did we mention functionality?

As we launch into the 2011 summer season we will be doing highlights up coming classes and the artists who will be instructing them. You may see them on facebook, read a tweet or receive an e-burst. But, for the details you'll want to visit the blog where you will be able to comment, ask a question or post your thoughts. You can always email us or do we dare say call us. Yes, we are all too glad to receive your calls at 1 518 929 7821.

So, start making you summer plans now. And by the way, there are plenty of other things to do in the Windham area when you venture out of the shop and studios. Are you into road cycling? We have plenty of that and the local cycle shop in town has Thursday night rides. Visit the the Thomas Cole house or just across the river, the Hudson River, is Frederic Church's magnificent Olana with sweeping views of the Catskill Mountains. Or, if you just prefer to relax and chill out, take one of our Kaaterskill chairs over to the pond. Take a dip or bring your fishing or fly rod and try your luck.

We look forward to having to at Banner Hill.

Kip Christie

The New Year!

2011-01-06T05:30:00.000-08:00

I always had the dream of starting some thing like Banner Hill since attending my first woodworking class. That was at Bergenfield High School, Bergenfield, NJ back in...well, let's just leave it there.

This dream began to take form from one of our pre-1850 reclaimed and restored timber frames that is now part of the school. I remember standing on the top plate setting rafters thinking, where am I going to get the people to help me teach? I have since been as much surprised as humbled by the wealth of talent hidden, but not really, here in the northern Catskill Mountains. Humbled because these artists all have their own following locally, nationally and internationally. And, the leave me no doubt that the passion they bring to their work is part of the fabric of their life. Inspiring. Surprised? Perhaps by my own ignorance that time had past these Catskill Mountains by. However, the same beauty the drew Thomas Cole and Frederick Church also drew many of the artists that bring their gifted talents here to Banner Hill.

I must say we have put together an impressive schedule of classes and artists for 2011. We have design programs this year that will be multi-dimensional. If you come to build a Japanese floor lamp you will not only be working in wood but making the paper shade that will fit into it. We will have another paper making course where you make the paper, print on it, make your own frame, gild it for a finish. We will also continue to offer concentrated programs in furniture design and building, ceramics, a kiln building class, portrait painting and painting workshops in the skill and techniques of the original School of Hudson River painters. And, we doing have the landscape and vistas to go with it.

So, challenge your creativity and imagination. Visit BannerHillLLC.com for course offerings. Our website is constantly updated.

Kip Christie
Banner Hill School of Fine Arts and Woodworking

Craft To Culture

2010-11-11T17:33:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking today about the relationship of craft to culture. The crafts that I work in are fiber and earth. My first love is functional ware, linens, scarves, plates, cups. For me, the hand of the craftsman is always present when you wear or use a handmade object. The difference between handmade and machine made is not so much in the beauty of the object, but in the invisible relationship to the maker. Whenever I pick up a mug made by a potter, I can feel the workmanship and the craftsmanship. For me, that is the experience and why I continue to make pots and fabric. I am certain that it is the same with wood. Just running my hand over the work being done by the craftsmen at Banner Hill puts me in touch with the person, their intention and their love of the materials. In a society longing for connections and communication, could this be a step in that direction?

~Candace Christiansen, teacher

Painting The Claudian Tree class Winter 2011

2010-11-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

As the leaves disappear in the Catskills, my thoughts turn to winter. One of the many things that the mountains have to offer this winter, in addition to beautiful snow landscapes, are the classes at Banner Hill. During February, when thoughts turn to the coming spring as the winter continues its hold, Banner Hill School will present a very special painting class entitled Painting The Claudian Tree with Thomas Locker, Erik Koeppel, and Lauren Sansaricq.

These three painters have studied the classical painting methods of the Old Masters and are coming to Banner Hill to share their intense and beautiful studies of nature. Thomas has been working in this genre for over 50 years. Erik has painted and taught in the finest painting academies in NYC and Lauren is young, energetic, and enthusiastic having just received a fellowship at the Thomas Cole house after studying at The Grand Central Academy for the past three years. This combination of wisdom, youth, and excellence should make those gray, cold, long days of late winter disappear and leave students with many dreams until well into the spring.

~Candace Christiansen

(for description and further info. on this course, please visit www.BannerHillLLC.com)

Banner Hill School Demo at Windham Mountain

2010-10-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

Banner Hill School demos at Windham Mtns. Autumn Affair and Homecoming, Columbus Day Weekend in Windham, New York

"On Columbus Day Weekend I had the privilege of sharing some of the work of the Banner Hill School with visitors to Windham Mountain. Under the cobalt skies, my colleagues and I made clay pots, yarn, and new friends. The colors of the furniture made at Banner Hill looked elegant against the mountain reds and oranges. Pots kept growing from the wheel and yarn from sheeps wool. What a delight for me and I think, for the many visitors." Candace Christiansen, teacher

Blog 2: The Plan

2010-05-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

We'll I'm back. In our last blog we talked about getting the inspiration; something you saw or something you imagined to create a piece of furniture. Now that you have this idea in your head, it's time to take it to the next step. The Plan.

Once you have a project in mind, know its general dimensions, function and where an how it will fit into its final space, it is time to develop a general but detailed plan. This will be your road map for the rest of the project. It may test your initial ideas, so be flexible and be ready to make adjustments. Everybody develops their own approach with time and experience, but here are a few simple design techniques I use. And as the design takes its final form, I add in as much detail as I can. Your plan should be detailed enough that when those daily responsibilities take you away form your project for a week or a month, you'll know right where you left off. The plan is your road map.

I use three simple techniques when I design a piece of furniture. First, I do a non-scaled sketch. I will include the general surrounding of where the piece is intended to go. Second, I do two side-by-side scaled one dimensional drawings front and side. You can choose your own method on how to scale your drawings. For me, I keep plenty of large sheets of quarter inch or 5mm graph paper around (if you can get yourself to design using the metric system, you'll never go back to inches). If there is any question as to size and dimension of the space intended for your piece, do a full-scale drawing. This will eliminate any doubts with respect to the placement of the piece.

Third, once I have the side-by-side drawings complete, I do a perspective drawing that gives a two-dimensional picture of what it will look like, say, up against a wall. To do a perspective drawing is easier than described here. For this example, I used quarter inch graph paper. Arbitrarily I did the following. In the center I made a point. Using my 1/4" scale I measure vertically up 6. At the bottom point I measured out to the left 12 and then up 12 and made a mark. Back at the bottom center point I measured out to the right 8 and then up 8 vertically and made my 4th point. Once you have those points, connect the center points vertically. At the outer point connect them diagonally to the top and bottom center points. In doing so you have now created a 1/4" scale grid that you can now transfer your one-dimensional drawing to. Thus giving you a two-dimensional scaled drawing.

Well that's it for now. Next time we'll talk about the detail that goes into your road map, The Plan. Comments? Visit us at http://www.bannerhillllc.com/ and see current class listings for the Spring/Summer of 2010.

2010-04-18T10:26:00.000-07:00

Well here we are. The Banner Hill Summer/Fall classes are posted (visit www.BannerHillLLC.com). The ski season is done. The crewing and sculling season started a month ago. But today is typical for this time of year in the Catskills, cold and damp with wet snow falling.

However, it's a beautiful day inside the warm shops and studios here at Banner Hill. And what a better day than to get the inspiration and creativity for future projects while spring takes its time getting here? I was tweeting with some friends the other day on the topic of inspiration and creativity. It seems to come unannounced and at any time. For example there is an old apple tree at the bottom of the driver way. I mean old and gnarly, bent and twisted in every direction while being very distinct and unique in its appearance. A heavy snowfall toppled it this winter and there it laid until we got it up to the shop. We cleaned it up stripped the bark off and every one who walks through comments on it beauty. And is always followed by the next question, what are you going to do with it? I don't know yet. Perhaps it will come to me while rowing this week. Not paying attention to stroke form while coach Mike chagrins that I'm not forward enough at the catch. Sorry Mike, business.

So a hand built built piece of furniture starts with the idea however it comes. Then the plan. A detailed blue print down to the joinery work. Lumber selection, milling and so on. What better way to see the process take form than following with me at the Banner Hill Blog for the next several weeks as we go from the idea to a finished piece of furniture. These blog postings will be based on a two week course later this summer entitled "Taking it to the next step".

Well, are you ready to take it to the next step? See you in two weeks. In the meantime visit our blog periodically for other postings from our ceramic studio. Hint, hint Maureen, Ruth, Lois and Candace. You can also visit us at www.BannerHillLLC.com or on facebook. It would be great to hear from you.

Kip Christie

Banner Hill Hosts An Open House!!!

2010-02-06T08:06:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone! Welcome back to the Banner Hill Blog! Now that both the Woodworking and Ceramics programs are operating in full swing we expect to be posting blog updates regularly from week to week! Please subscribe to this blog below if you would like to receive regular updates!

So to kick things off we would like to invite you to our Banner Hill Open House! This open house will be hosted during presidents week February 13^th through the 20^th. Everyone is invited to visit the school at anytime between 10AM and 4PM. Come and enjoy some refreshments while watching demonstrations in woodworking, ceramics and more! Here are just some of the great hands on techniques you will see:

The Aspiring Woodwooder: Feb 15/19 By Kip Christie

Shaker Brench Making: Feb 19/20 By Mary LaCafe

Learning hand Building Techniques & wake up Your Muse: Feb 13/14 By Dena

Ceramics Workshop: Wheel Throwing : Feb 15/19 By Ruth Sachs

Hand Building with Clay: Feb 17/18

Children’s/ Family Day Ceramic Workshop: Feb 20

Woodworking Demonstrations Feb 19/20

Textile Demonstrations By Candace Christiansen: Feb 19/20

We would love to show you around our new state of the art studios, talk to you about courses we offer and take you through some hands on demonstrations. This will include wheel demos, hand build simple joinery work and/or glue-ups.

Saturday February 20th will be a great day at Banner Hill as we will also be featuring special guest artists, there will be a prize drawing (the winner will receive a gift certificate good toward the Banner Hill course of their choice!) and a live broad cast by WGXC! WGXC 90.7 is an aspiring radio station as we are a school. Tom Roe will be broadcasting live over the internet from noon to 4PM. You can get more info on them at www.WGXC.org .

So take a break from the every day and treat yourself to something special! We look forward to welcoming you! Please visit our website at BannerHillLLC.com for more details on the school or call 518 929 7821.

See you soon!

Kip

Does It Matter?

2009-08-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to the Banner Hill Blog. We've just completed our summer programs this week, a week earlier than usual. I'd like to say we're taking some down time but we are doing something more exciting, we will be enclosing our new ceramics studio. So stay in touch here, on Facebook and visit our website to follow the progress and get updates. Our ceramic studio will open for classes in December for our winter/ spring programs.

On the woodworking side I am launching the first of a continuing series on related topics entitled Does It Matter? This was a constant question put to us by Anselm Fraser at the Chippendale International School of Furniture.

Does it matter is a question I am constantly asking myself and students here at the school. It's easy to get caught up in the complexities of a project once you get started. Then before you know it those blinders start sneaking around the side of your head until you become fixated. That's the perfect time to take a break and ask the question, does it matter? Are you sweating over some complicated joinery work that will never be seen when the piece is done? What are the other possibilities for attachments? Or, have you ever got caught up making a free standing piece of furniture and the size changes because a stretcher, apron or leg was cut a half inch shorter than the rest? It happened to me once when making a hall table from expensive wood. Do you scrap the whole thing or is it time to ask the question, does it matter?

Earlier this summer I was purchasing materials for an up coming class. While I was selecting timber I came across two beautifully grained cherry boards 20 inches wide. They were perfect for a bed frame I had to make. When I got them back to the shop and began cleaning them up the boards were uniquely beautiful. I had a design and set about milling the legs and rails. However, as I worked away I knew full well the future head and foot boards would never fit through some of the machines we have. This is a woodworker's lament. We'll never have every tool to do the job.

What to do? Do I rip the boards down, 4 square them and glue the up? The boards were flat sawn. Do I re-size them and reverse the boards for stability? What about matching the grain after milling? Does It Matter? With consistent straight grained wood you can rip it down on the table saw and do a good job matching grain. But think again when it come it inconsistent graining where it twists and turns at every degree and angle. The saw kerf from the table saw or even a band saw make it nearly impossible to re-align the grain.

So, does it matter? Well, sometime yes and sometimes no. It all depends on what you are trying to accomplish. What you want the piece to show. I the case above I asked my self, does it matter and then reached for the hand planes.

What do you think? Does it Matter?

Kip Christie

Welcome to the Banner Hill Blog

2009-07-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Banner Hill School of Fine Arts and Woodworking blog site. Over ten years ago I had a vision for a multi-disciplined art school in the northern Catskill Mountains here in the Hudson River Valley of New York, the same area that drew artists to the Hudson River School of painters over 100 years ago. Home to Thomas Cole, Fredrick Church, Washington Irving and the likes of many other native artists who took inspiration from the natural beauty of the area. I'm very pleased to announce that the vision has become reality and we are excited to celebrate the one year anniversary of The Banner Hill School of Fine Arts and Woodworking this month.

My passion started in woodworking, furniture making and saving pre-1850 timber frames, restoring them and turning them into beautiful homes, work shops and artists studios. Being both self taught and professionally trained in furniture making in Edinburgh, Scotland, my goal is to offer something for everyone from rank and file beginner to accomplished craftsman.

Along with woodworking our talented staff will be offering courses in, ceramics, painting, drawing, blacksmithing and special children's and women's only classes. My staff members along with myself will be blogging away on everything that is fine arts and woodworking. We hope that you will follow this blog to keep up with all the goings on at the school and for tips on everything from paint brushes to wood stains.

At Banner Hill we view our students as a valuable reasorce for input to the evolution of our school. We hope you will join in the discussion, pose questions, propose courses or just stay in touch.

If you would like more information on the school please visit our website www.BannerHillLLC.com or email us: BannerHillWindham@mac.com.

Stay tuned!
Kip Christie