Highland Woodworking Blog

Saturday Mornings at Highland complement our woodworking class & seminar offerings. Join us at our store in Virginia-Highlands on Saturday mornings at 10am EST for FREE, live demonstrations featuring a wide variety of woodworking skills, tools & techniques. These 1 to 1-1/2 hour-long demonstrations feature our knowledgeable staff and instructors, local clubs & guilds, guest authors, and others. Upcoming events include woodturning, woodcarving, care & use of hand tools, joinery, book signings, an introduction to woodworking design software, and much, much more.

Saturday, September 27, at 10:00am—Phil will demonstrate how to turn a natural edge bowl. He will talk about consistency in wall thickness, chucking and mounting the piece on the lathe.

Phil Colson is the most personable and happy Operations Manager at Highland Woodworking. Ask him about turning! He's been with Highland Hardware for 22 years and has a vast reservoir of woodworking knowledge. Visit his website at www.philcolsonwoodturner.com.

All demonstrations take place in Highland Woodworking's retail store in Atlanta, Georgia and begin at 10:00am EST.

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Saturday Mornings at Highland complement our woodworking class & seminar offerings. Join us at our store in Virginia-Highlands on Saturday mornings at 10am EST for FREE, live demonstrations featuring a wide variety of woodworking skills, tools & techniques. These 1 to 1-1/2 hour-long demonstrations feature our knowledgeable staff and instructors, local clubs & guilds, guest authors, and others. Upcoming events include woodturning, woodcarving, care & use of hand tools, joinery, book signings, an introduction to woodworking design software, and much, much more.

Saturday, August 23, at 10:00am—Shy of a hammer, a hand plane is one of the most basic tools found on a woodworkers bench. Bench planes, block planes and specialty planes are used for joinery, stock dimensioning, shaping and finishing. Join instructor Jim Dillon for a free demonstration on hand plane use and maintenance. You'll learn practical ways to true the soles, customize the handles and improve the bodies. Watch Jim show the proper and safe ways to utilize hand planes for various tasks. Feel free to bring along your own hand plane that you obtained from that yard sale or flea market and get Jim's advice on how best to turn your paper weight into a useful new item for your tool box.

All demonstrations take place in Highland Woodworking's retail store in Atlanta, Georgia and begin at 10:00am EST.

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It is a rare privilege and a real delight to welcome Toshio Odate back to Highland Woodworking. We're honored to offer this rare opportunity to spend a aweekend learning and practicing with this eminent master.

It was just after giving his first class here in Nov. 1981 that Toshio began work on his first book, Japanese Woodworking Tools: Their Tradition, Spirit and Use, which has become an enduring classic both here and in Japan. Decades later, we welcome him as a renowned author, craftsman and sculptor.

These classes offer a unique opportunity to experience a wonderfully different culture and practice of woodworking, even as you learn about specific tools and practical techniques.

* BONUS! Receive a complimentary $15 Highland Woodworking Gift Certificate, good on any non-power tool purchase, when you enroll in either class! †

Continue reading "Highland Woodworking Welcomes Back Toshio Odate" »

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Peek in on Curtis Buchanan's week-long "Build a Windsor Chair" class held at Highland Woodworking in April 2006!

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One of the woodworkers that we came to love almost instantly is renowned Windsor Chair maker Curtis Buchanan. Curtis can be found teaching Windsor Chair Making to groups of eager students at least once, sometimes twice, each year at Highland. His visits are always highly anticipated. With much fondness for him we are always very proud when others find out how great he is.

For those who haven't seen it yet, he is on the cover of the recently distributed February '07 issue of Woodwork magazine. Written by Stephanie Stone, a research psychologist who teaches at Johns Hopkins University, the article is illustrated with photos by Doug Thompson, Tom Pardue, Pete Montanti and many of Curtis's own pictures. It is a really well done piece that captures a lot of Curtis's personality.

In the latter part of the article, Curtis mentions that the comfortable chair, also know as a "sittin' chair", was always offered to family and friends because you wanted them to stay and visit, versus a "company" chair. Curtis, know that we will always have a sittin' chair with your name on it, saved for you here at Highland Woodworking.

See a listing of Curtis's upcoming April Workshops being held at Highland Woodworking in Atlanta, GA.

Visit Highland Woodworking for more information.

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Blending her talents as a master craftsperson and designer, Sabiha Mujtaba creates original custom wood furniture and art pieces. While adhering to the functional principles of furniture making, Sabiha's primary focus is on the aesthetic relationship between rigid and flowing forms. Her work is influenced by her South Asian heritage and by her love of nature and organic forms.

Originally from Karachi, Pakistan, Sabiha was raised and educated in London, England. She moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 1981 where she apprenticed at Sutherland Studios, a nationally renowned custom furniture studio. In 1986 she opened her own studio, Chrysalis Woodworks, which today operates from the basement garage of her home.

Sabiha's work is part of several private collections and has been exhibited in various shows, galleries, museums and publications. She has also been a featured artist on the Discovery Channel's "Lynette Jenning Designs", a nationwide televised program on homes and interiors.

Read our interview with Sabiha

View a slideshow of Sabiha's work

Visit Sabiha's website

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