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Wood Carving Class with Kaare Loftheim Colonial Williamsburg

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WOOD AND SHOP

Class: 18th Century Wood Carving with Kaare Loftheim (2 Days)

$350.00

CLASS LENGTH: 2 Days

CLASS DESCRIPTION: Join Colonial Williamsburg woodworker Kaare Loftheim for two days of classical wood carving instruction. Students will learn wood carving fundamentals through some preliminary carving exercises, then move to carving a classic Philadelphia shell. This class is open to beginners, but will also be helpful to those with some more advanced carving experience. See required tools below.

WAIT LIST: If the class becomes sold out, click here to get added to the wait list. People may cancel, we may add more slots, or we may decide to add another class date.

PAYMENT: If you would like to pay for a class using a different method than online with a credit card, email us here to arrange to pay by check or cash. We don’t accept credit cards over the phone.

Description

Carved Philadelphia shell on a chair by Wood Carver Kaare Loftheim

Over two days students will have the amazing opportunity to learn the fundamentals of traditional wood carving from one of the world’s most experienced hand tool woodworkers, Kaare Loftheim. Students will learn wood carving fundamentals through some preliminary carving exercises, then implement their new skills into carving a classic Philadelphia shell. Students will be required to bring their own carving tools (see the list below). Kaare will communicate with students prior to class to ensure that they know how to properly shape and sharpen their carving gouges before attending class. This class is open to beginners, but will also be helpful to those with some more advanced carving experience.

Carved Philadelphia shell on a chair by Wood Carver Kaare Loftheim

Class Syllabus:

DAY 1:

  • Inspection of tools
  • historic background
  • shell design
  • layout
  • general contouring

DAY 2:

  • Shell contouring, definition and detailing of elements.

Carved Philadelphia shell on a chair by Wood Carver Kaare Loftheim

About the Instructor:

Kaare Loftheim standing with a hand planer next to a wooworking workbench at the Anthony Hay Cabinetmakers Shop at Colonial Williamsburg

Kaare Loftheim became a cabinetmaker at the Anthony Hay’s Cabinetmaking Shop at Colonial Williamsburg in 1980. Over the past four decades Kaare distinguished himself as an expert on building classical furniture, using only 18th century hand tools. Kaare has spent countless hours not only building furniture, but demonstrating to millions of Williamsburg visitors and at the annual Working Wood in the 18th Century conference. He is a member of the Society of American Period Furniture Makers (SAPFM) and the Mid West Tool Collector’s Association (M-WTCA). You can see Kaare Loftheim featured in these videos & articles of the Anthony Hay’s Cabinetmaking Shop at Colonial Williamsburg:

Materials Fee & Required Tools:

Pfiel swiss made chisels

The class material fee will be $20. Each student will be furnished a plaster casting, practice material, and two carving blanks. It is payable to the instructor before or on the day of the class. This class also requires students to bring some of their own tools:

  • #1s/25mm (skew chisel) or a 1″ bench chisel
  • #2/2mm (could be up to a few mm larger)
  • #3/30mm (similar to this gouge)
  • #5/6mm (similar to this gouge)
  • #5/16mm (5/8”) carving gouge (similar to this gouge)
  • #7/8mm (similar to this gouge)
  • #12/6mm 1/4″ 60 degree V tool (Could also be 90 degrees and up to a few mm larger)
  • If you’ve got old unmarked carving tools, you can download this PDF to help you identify your gouge sizes.

Kaare Loftheim carved flower detail on a candle stand at colonial williamsburg

How to Get Here & Where to Stay:

The address of the school is 5700 Buffalo River Rd. Earlysville, Virginia 22936 (Google Maps here). The school is convenient to quite a few hotels, stores, and restaurants, and is only 8 minutes from the Charlottesville airport. Many more details are listed on the school’s main page here.

Class Policies, Liability Waiver, & Cancellations:

No students under 18 years of age are allowed. A PDF document with the full class policies and a liability waiver will be sent in the order confirmation email. All students are required to sign and return this document prior to attending the class. Anyone can cancel a class up to 2 weeks prior to the class for a full refund (minus a $25 fee that covers credit card processing fees and administrative work). Cancellations under two weeks before a class begins will be given a refund (less $25) if we can find someone else to fill the slot. If we have to cancel a class for an unforeseen emergency, inclement weather, or low number of registrations, a full refund will be given to students.

Student Tool Discounts:

After you’ve registered for a class, you are eligible for a discount from Lee Valley (Veritas) and Taylor Toolworks. Lee Valley offers a 15% discount, and a discount form PDF will be available for download in your Wood and Shop dashboard after your purchase. For a 10% discount from Taylor Toolworks fill out this form and upload a photo or screenshot of your class order email (under the “Student ID” section). The discounts may not be available after the end of the class, so try to place your orders before then.

Photos from Past Classes:

18th Century Wood Carving Class with Kaare Loftheim at the Wood and Shop Traditional Woodworking School
18th Century Wood Carving Class with Kaare Loftheim at the Wood and Shop Traditional Woodworking School
18th Century Wood Carving Class with Kaare Loftheim at the Wood and Shop Traditional Woodworking School
18th Century Wood Carving Class with Kaare Loftheim at the Wood and Shop Traditional Woodworking School
18th Century Wood Carving Class with Kaare Loftheim at the Wood and Shop Traditional Woodworking School
18th Century Wood Carving Class with Kaare Loftheim at the Wood and Shop Traditional Woodworking School
18th Century Wood Carving Class with Kaare Loftheim at the Wood and Shop Traditional Woodworking School
18th Century Wood Carving Class with Kaare Loftheim at the Wood and Shop Traditional Woodworking School
18th Century Wood Carving Class with Kaare Loftheim at the Wood and Shop Traditional Woodworking School
18th Century Wood Carving Class with Kaare Loftheim at the Wood and Shop Traditional Woodworking School
18th Century Wood Carving Class with Kaare Loftheim at the Wood and Shop Traditional Woodworking School
18th Century Wood Carving Class with Kaare Loftheim at the Wood and Shop Traditional Woodworking School
18th Century Wood Carving Class with Kaare Loftheim at the Wood and Shop Traditional Woodworking School
18th Century Wood Carving Class with Kaare Loftheim at the Wood and Shop Traditional Woodworking School
18th Century Wood Carving Class with Kaare Loftheim at the Wood and Shop Traditional Woodworking School
18th Century Wood Carving Class with Kaare Loftheim at the Wood and Shop Traditional Woodworking School
18th Century Wood Carving Class with Kaare Loftheim at the Wood and Shop Traditional Woodworking School
18th Century Wood Carving Class with Kaare Loftheim at the Wood and Shop Traditional Woodworking School
18th Century Wood Carving Class with Kaare Loftheim at the Wood and Shop Traditional Woodworking School
18th Century Wood Carving Class with Kaare Loftheim at the Wood and Shop Traditional Woodworking School
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Mon-Tue October 3-4, 2022

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