This two-week class will provide an overview of furniture produced during America’s early years and the influences that early work has today. This class will focus on the essential elements of design, construction and ornamentation. Participants may select and design a piece to their liking or spend their time focusing on specific techniques to enhance their arsenal of skills. The work may be rooted in an earlier period or a contemporary piece with classical influences. Both work well! Conversations with Steve via phone and email prior to the start of the class will help in the selection process. Special emphasis will be placed on efficient construction approaches and improved joinery methods. Steve will give an overview of the various methods of ornamentation and work with students on developing individual designs appropriate for their piece. This class will cover a wide range of techniques, both traditional hand and modern power. Steve’s philosophy towards woodworking is based on efficiency with full utilization of whatever materials, tools and techniques best meet the task at hand. Having been a professional furniture maker for over three decades and a full-time teacher for the past seventeen years, Steve has both a mastery of the subject matter and a proven ability to teach it.