Dates: Monday, June 23 - Friday, June 27 (5 meetings)

Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Instructors: Allan Winkler & Louis Del Bene PT '06, PA '07

This course is structured for piano technicians looking to learn more about harpsichords as well as harpsichordists wishing to upgrade their skills in dealing with repairs. The class covers voicing and regulation of a double manual harpsichord with three registers, 2x8', and 1x4'. Topics will include: requilling wood and plastic jacks with Delrin (white acetal plastic) plectra; assembly of wood jacks and repair of plastic jacks; how to set plectra length and shape plectra to set voicing levels; coupler adjustment, timing and regulating three registers; setting key dip and touch; an introduction to selecting and treating feather and voicing with quill; the basic metallurgy of harpsichord wire and how to loop and replace strings.

Two optional late-afternoon field trips are:

• Thursday afternoon to the Musical Instrument Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
• Friday afternoon to Allan Winkler’s workshop in Medford for a closeup look at harpsichord making tools and techniques and sampling a few new and antique instruments.

Tools & Supplies: All tools and supplies are provided for this class. To prepare for class, please familiarize yourself with chapters 7, 8, 9, and 11 from Edward Kottick’s “Harpsichord Owner’s Guide”.

Prerequisite: Proficiency in keyboard instrument tuning and a general familiarity with handling keyboard instruments. If you have questions about your experience, please contact ce@nbss.edu. 

Dates: Monday, June 23 - Friday, June 27 (5 meetings)

Hours: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm

Instructor: Brock Leiendecker PC '16

Teaching Assistants: Peter DelRose Jr CA '25 & Angel Stallings CA '25

This course will cover the basic practices of building attached decks, including ledgers, flashing, framing, posts, railings and decking. The course will also cover building exterior deck stairs onto the deck including how to calculate code compliant stairs. The curriculum will include code compliance, concrete connection, material choice, and general deck design.

Tools & Supplies: All tools and supplies are provided for this class. 

Attire: This is a general list of how to dress for the shop environment, please contact ce@nbss.edu if you have any questions.

• Closed-toe, comfortable, and protective footwear (sneakers or boots)
• No loose clothing
• Long pants suggested
• No loose jewelry
• Long hair must be tied back

Prerequisite: None

Dates: Monday, June 23 - Friday, June 27 (5 meetings)

Hours: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Instructor: Andy Draper CA '23

Teaching Assistant: Gavin Dover CA '24

The cabinet class will cover the planning, designing, building, and installation of standard kitchen inset style cabinets. This course will provide the understanding needed to build various other types of cabinets. Students will break down and mill the plywood needed to assemble the cabinet boxes. Using pre-milled stock, students will assemble the face frame and doors and install door and drawer hardware for these lower cabinets before scribing and installation.

Tools & Supplies: All tools and supplies are provided for this class.

Attire: This is a general list of how to dress for the shop environment, please contact ce@nbss.edu if you have any questions.

• Closed-toe, comfortable, and protective footwear (sneakers or boots)
• No loose clothing
• Long pants suggested
• No loose jewelry
• Long hair must be tied back

Prerequisite: A previous woodworking or carpentry class at NBSS or equivalent experience with permission from the instructor. If you have questions about your experience, please contact ce@nbss.edu. 

Dates: Tuesday, June 24 - Thursday, June 26 (3 meetings)

Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Instructor: Chena River Marblers

Teaching Assistant: Chris Aharonian

This workshop offers you the chance to practice and move toward the mastery of marbling patterns and techniques with which you would like more time and guidance. This is a no-rush workshop with a relaxed tempo, allowing for multiple attempts at refining a pattern. Students are encouraged to bring samples of papers that have caused them difficulty or images of patterns they aspire to learn.

For those concerned about the details of setting up a workable marbling situation at home, a thorough, hands-on review of paint, paper, and size preparation will be offered.

Tools & Supplies: *There is an additional $85 fee for tools and materials due to the instructor on the first day of class. The instructor accepts cash, check, or credit card. All other tools and supplies will be provided. 

Attire: Please wear shoes that are comfortable for standing in (and that you don't mind getting wet!). Clothes may get paint on them, so please dress accordingly or bring an apron. 

Prerequisite: Beginner Paper Marbling or equivalent experience. If you have questions about your experience, please contact ce@nbss.edu. 

Dates: Tuesdays & Thursdays, June 24 - July 3 (4 meetings)

Hours: 6:00 - 9:30 pm

Instructor: Rachel Prentki CF '18

Learn to cut crisp and accurate dovetails. Dovetails are one of the strongest and oldest types of joinery; they are useful for building boxes and furniture. Students will learn to cut both through and Half-Blind Dovetails by hand. They will learn to use chisels, marking gauges, saws, and mallets to cut the joinery. It's helpful for students to have some woodworking experience, but not necessary. Good dexterity and a good eye will help those without much woodworking experience.

Tools & Supplies: All tools and supplies are provided for this class.

Attire: This is a general list of how to dress for the shop environment, please contact ce@nbss.edu if you have any questions. 

• Closed-toe, comfortable, and protective footwear (sneakers or boots)
• No loose clothing
• Long pants suggested
• No loose jewelry
• Long hair must be tied back

Prerequisite: None

Dates: Wednesdays, June 25 - July 23 (5 meetings)

Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Instructor: Evan Cyr JM '20

Confidence at the soldering bench requires in-depth knowledge of the soldering process and a lot of practice. Understanding the many approaches to soldering, when they are appropriate, and the tools and products available help a jeweler strategize the best way to fabricate a piece of jewelry. Learn to refrain from lighting the torch until many questions are answered and a clear plan for how the piece will be put together – not just an isolated join – is determined. Through a series of exercises and progressively more challenging projects, this analytical process proves critical in producing an anxiety-free soldering environment. Many finishing techniques are explored, which adds to the professional look of your work.

Tools & Supplies: All tools and supplies are provided for this class. You may bring your own optivisor if you want, or use one provided by NBSS.

Attire: This is a general list of how to dress for the shop environment, please contact ce@nbss.edu if you have any questions. 

• Closed-toe, comfortable, and protective footwear (sneakers or boots     
• No loose clothing
• Long pants suggested
• No loose jewelry
• Long hair must be tied back

Prerequisite: Fundamentals of Jewelry Making I: Essential Skills or equivalent experience. If you have questions about your experience, please contact ce@nbss.edu.

Dates: Saturday, June 28th & Sunday, June 29th (2 meetings)

Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Instructor: Chena River Marblers

Teaching Assistant: Chris Aharonian

This is a workshop, new to us, and only for those with marbling skills. We work on half-size professional marbling tanks and begin work by learning how to make well-crafted small, marbled patterns. Finer, more delicate tools are then introduced requiring steady hands and patience. Students will learn the idiosyncrasies of working with very fine precision tools and that smaller does not mean easier. With perseverance, the rewards can be great. We know there will be some of you who will especially love this challenge.

Tools & Supplies: *There is an additional $65 fee for tools and materials due to the instructor on the first day of class. The instructor accepts cash, check, or credit card. All other tools and supplies will be provided. 

Attire: Please wear shoes that are comfortable for standing in (and that you don't mind getting wet!). Clothes may get paint on them, so please dress accordingly or bring an apron. 

Prerequisite: Beginner Paper Marbling or equivalent experience. If you have questions about your experience, please contact ce@nbss.edu. 

Date: Sunday, June 29th

Hours: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Instructor: Kolin Schmidt CF '21

This class covers the safe use of the electric router. The router is used primarily on a router table for this class, and the techniques apply to many projects. The following methods will be shown: pattern making, pattern bit flush cutting, use of feather boards, edge profiling, flushing edge banding, splined miters, and lock miters for joining boards.

Tools & Supplies: All tools and supplies are provided for this class.

Attire: This is a general list of how to dress for the shop environment, please contact ce@nbss.edu if you have any questions. 

• Closed-toe, comfortable, and protective footwear (sneakers or boots)
• No loose clothing
• Long pants suggested
• No loose jewelry
• Long hair must be tied back

Prerequisite: None