Woodcraft of Downers Grove

519_Shop.jpg

$90.00

All Levels

Setting Up Shop

with Don Washow

Sunday, October 19, 2025, 11:30 AM - 4 PM

Required Tools

Don knows that good planning and organization are the first steps towards successful wood working. Through out his career, Don has set up many different shops, small and large, temporary and permanent, all efficient enough to make a living in. He will explain to you how he reads a space then transforms it into a working shop. Tool selection, work stations, tool and material storage, dust collection, electrical, lighting, along with layout procedures and the importance of a scaled floor plan will be covered. Steps to create a detailed electrical plan will be discussed. He will explain all the ins and outs of setting up and surviving in a small space. You will be amazed at how efficient and comfortable any size shop can be.

519_Brushing.jpg

$190.00

Beginner/Intermediate

Mastering Hand Applied Finishes

with Don Washow

Friday, October 24, 2025, 9:30 AM - 5 PM

Required Tools

This is an advanced hands-on, finishing class for everyone. The class begins with a discussion on surface preparation and the selection of sand paper. You will learn what surface each grit will produce and be able to recognize when to advance to the next grit. Each student is expected to prepare numerous hardwood samples obtaining preparation results from 150, through 400 grit. We will discuss and use oil finishes, oil base poly urethanes, and water base poly urethanes as clear top coats. The second half of the class will introduce you to numerous pre stains, stains (both oil and water based), dyes, and dye stains.

519_Hand_Planes.jpg

$175.00

Beginner/Intermediate

Introduction To Hand Planes

with Don Washow

Friday, October 31, 2025, 9:30 AM - 5 PM

Required Tools

How many planes do I need? What's the difference between a $60 and $250 dollar plane? Should I buy planes that are bevel-up, bevel-down or both? Don will answer all these questions and more as he explains how hand planes really work and exactly what they’re used for. Sharpening and tune up will be covered. Everyone will get a chance to use a wide variety of planes from Dons’ personal collection. Bring in all your planes so don can help you identify them, critique them, and help you set them up.

519_Jointer.jpg

$175.00

Beginner to Advanced

Advanced Milling Techniques - Squaring lumber

with Don Washow

Friday, November 7, 2025, 9:30 AM - 5 PM

Required Tools

Squaring lumber is the first skill a woodworker must master. Without this skill you will never understand how woodworking machines work or be able to determine why your parts don’t fit. Through hands on experience you will learn how to select, flatten, and square lumber using the bandsaw, table saw, jointer, and planer. Starting with machine set up then moving quickly to hands on practice you will square boards necessary to build table tops, solid wood face frames, and raised panel doors.

519_Jet_14SFX.jpg

$150.00

Beginner/Intermediate

Mastering The Bandsaw

with Don Washow

Friday, November 14, 2025, 9:30 AM - 4 PM

Required Tools

Setting up your bandsaw can be one of the most frustrating jobs in the shop. Don will explain the steps to trouble free sawing. Blade selection, guide set-up, tensioning, and dust collection is just the beginning of the class. Don will show you how to correct for drift so that you will always be able to saw parallel to your fence. He will show you how to set up your saw to resaw perfect boards as thin as 1/16th inch. The hands on portion of the class will include resawing tall material, ripping boards, free hand cutting curves & circles, just to name a few. Don will demonstrate his favorite jigs and fixtures, tapering legs, cutting perfect circles, and free hand sculpting.

519_Router_Table.jpg

$175.00

Beginner/Intermediate

Mastering The Router Table

with Don Washow

Friday, November 21, 2025, 9:30 AM - 5 PM

Required Tools

This class starts off with a discussion on selecting equipment and safety procedures. It moves quickly to hands on experience. You will produce at least 8 different profile examples of popular router bits. Everyone is required to change bits and set up the table for edge routing. We will discuss different types of pattern routing then produce a part using a flush trim bit. Towards the end of the class day Don will demonstrate setting up the router table to make a raised panel door. By the end of the day you will be able to use your router table safely with confidence.

519_Dovetails.jpg

$175.00

Intermediate/Advanced

Hand Cut Dovetails - Introduction to Hand Tool Skills

with Don Washow

Friday, December 5, 2025, 9:30 AM - 5 PM

Required Tools

In this class you will learn how to layout and hand cut, both through dovetails and mortise and tenons. Starting with the selection and design of joinery you will move quickly through layout process, and then learn to use traditional hand tools. You will learn how to use chisels and saws to pare, chop and cut to a line. At the end of the day you will have hand cut the through dovetail.

519_Accent_Cabinet.jpg

$175.00

ALL

Furniture Design & Construction

with Don Washow

Friday, December 12, 2025, 9:30 AM - 5 PM

Required Tools

This highly informative class introduces you to selecting the project, design, sketching, architectural standards, shop drawings, full size drawings, models and templates. Don will also discuss wood selection, lay out, joinery, assembly and finishing. At the end of the day, you will have the basis for understanding the design and construction of fine furniture.