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North Bennet Street School



Our Classes

Bookbinding 101

$300

with Amy Lapidow BB '95

Calendar May 9, 2026 at 8:30 am, runs for 1 week

Dates: Saturday, May 9th & Sunday, May 10th (2 meetings)

Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Instructor: Amy Lapidow BB '95

In this two-day workshop, students will get a quick introduction to various bookbinding techniques by exploring three different book structures. The class will begin with a simple pamphlet and continue with constructing two multi-signature books, known as flatback case binding and link stitch binding. Finally, students will construct a box to house all of their creations. Bookbinding 101 is a great way to familiarize yourself with bookbinding and is perfect for those who are curious about the craft. All levels of experience are welcome to register.

Tools & Supplies: Please bring a notebook and a pencil. All other 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

Age Requirement: Students must be 18+ to attend adult CE classes. No one under 18 years old is permitted to register for an adult class, even if accompanied by a parent or guardian. 

Full Course

Introduction to SketchUp

$300

with Kolin Schmidt CF '21

Calendar May 9, 2026 at 8:30 am, runs for 1 week

Dates: Saturday, May 9th & Sunday, May 10th (2 meetings)

Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Instructor: Kolin Schmidt CF '21

SketchUp is a program for creating 3D models for construction, woodworking, jewelry, and craft projects.  Some 3D Modeling software can be complicated, expensive, and impractical for many makers.  SketchUp is a great way to learn about 3D modeling and get to work quickly without wasting time or money on advanced software you don’t need.  In this class, students will learn the basics of navigating a 3D space, creating objects, and organizing a 3D model.  Time permitting, students will work through some more complex projects, as well.

Tools & Supplies: Please bring the following required supplies to the first day of class.

Required:

Recommended: 

  • Notebook and pen or pencil
  • A 3-button mouse (left, right, and a clickable scroll wheel) is highly recommended.

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

Age Requirement: Students must be 18+ to attend adult CE classes. No one under 18 years old is permitted to register for an adult class, even if accompanied by a parent or guardian. 

Jewelry Making 101

$270

with Colleen Matthews JM '12

Calendar May 12, 2026 at 6 pm, runs for 1 week

Dates: Tuesday, May 12th & Thursday, May 14th (2 meetings)

Hours: 6:00 pm - 9:30 pm

Instructor: Colleen Matthews JM'12

Learn the basics of jewelry making and get to know your way around the bench. Move through a series of beginner-level projects to gain an understanding of basic fabrication and insight into more complex techniques.

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

Age Requirement: Students must be 18+ to attend adult CE classes. No one under 18 years old is permitted to register for an adult class, even if accompanied by a parent or guardian. 

Full Course

Printing Historical Endpapers

$675

with Mitchel Gundrum BB '21

Calendar May 15, 2026 at 9 am, runs for 1 week

Date: Friday, May 15 - Sunday, May 17 (3 meetings)

Hours: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Instructors: Mitchel Gundrum BB '21 & Martha Kearsley BB '95

This workshop is dedicated to creating reproductions of historical endpapers using linoleum blocks and printing on a press, as well as exploring options for printing without a press. Students will learn to draw and transfer patterns to linoleum blocks, carve the patterns into the blocks, and print the designs, both individually and as a group. No printing experience is necessary. The class will be printing multiple colors for each of the endpaper designs, so emphasis will be placed on planning and organization, color separation, and the fundamentals of carving and relief printing.

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

Age Requirement: Students must be 18+ to attend adult CE classes. No one under 18 years old is permitted to register for an adult class, even if accompanied by a parent or guardian. 

Full Course

Introduction to Dovetails

$300

with Rachel Prentki CF '18

Calendar May 16, 2026 at 8:30 am, runs for 1 week

Dates: Saturday May 16th & Sunday May 17th (2 meetings)

Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 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

Age Requirement: Students must be 18+ to attend adult CE classes. No one under 18 years old is permitted to register for an adult class, even if accompanied by a parent or guardian. 

Full Course

Introduction to Copper Enameling

$225

with Heather Wang

Calendar May 17, 2026 at 9 am, runs for 1 week

Date: Sunday, May 17th

Hours: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Instructor: Heather Wang

Enameling is the art of fusing colorful glass onto metal. In this class, we'll cover the basics of kiln firing unleaded enamel onto copper. We'll stick to jewelry scale pieces for this workshop (no large bowls or vessels). 

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: Jewelry Making 101 or equivalent experience. If you have questions about your experience, please contact ce@nbss.edu

Age Requirement: Students must be 18+ to attend adult CE classes. No one under 18 years old is permitted to register for an adult class, even if accompanied by a parent or guardian. 

Intermediate Comprehensive Woodturning

$995

with Rick Angus

Calendar May 18, 2026 at 8:30 am, runs for 1 week

Dates: Monday, May 18 - Friday, May 22 (5 meetings)

Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Instructor: Rick Angus

Students will review fundamental chisel and gouge spindle-cutting techniques and develop an eye for making the desired shape. Using these techniques, turners will cut wood efficiently and leave a smooth, accurate surface in their work. Review how to use the bevel gracefully to guide the knife edge along a smooth curve, and why this technique allows such smooth tool control. 

After reviewing the fundamental cuts of both spindle and bowl, we will discuss what items can be made for your new repertoire, such as a candlestick, mallet, cooking flipper, bud vase, spurtle, and a variety of platter and bowl shapes. We will then choose a project for you to make—each student makes items of their own design, so think of a couple of ideas for items that you would like to make. 

This class offers the opportunity to go beyond simple spindles and bowls and express yourself with sculpting artistic pieces. Your project may include multiple pieces designed to fit together to complete your expression. Bring some sketches, and we will begin there.

Learn:

  • From a 30-year woodturner who has been teaching for 25 years
  • To use traditional tools, using the tradition of the apprentice woodturner, and more modern methods
  • A fundamental understanding of how tools cut wood
  • Card-scraper applications to woodturning
  • Tool control methods that guide the tool in the direction that you see
  • How to shape tool profiles to suit your style of work
  • The practical power of making every cut as if it were preparing your final surface
  • The value of an elegant, simple shape and to begin to build your own unique design aesthetic by embellishing simple forms

Tools & Supplies: *There is an additional $50 material fee due to the instructor on the first day of class. The instructor accepts cash or checks. All other tools and supplies will be provided for this class.

Optional: Please bring any of your own tools that you would like to use during class; we can sharpen or adjust the profile as desired.

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: Fundamental Techniques in Bowl Turning or equivalent experience (at instructor's discretion). You should be comfortable using most woodturning tools. If you have questions about prerequisite requirements, please email ce@nbss.edu.

Age Requirement: Students must be 18+ to attend adult CE classes. No one under 18 years old is permitted to register for an adult class, even if accompanied by a parent or guardian. 

Introduction to Bowl Turning on an Electric Lathe

$490

with Eric Goodson

Calendar May 23, 2026 at 9 am, runs for 1 week

Dates: Saturday, May 23rd & Sunday, May 24th (2 meetings)

Hours: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Instructor: Eric Goodson

This two-day class will introduce students to bowl turning on a western-style electric lathe.  Students will learn how to turn a finished bowl straight from a freshly felled tree (once-turned), and how to create bowl blanks that can be dried and turned again (twice-turned). Topics like wood selection, blank preparation, tool sharpening, methods of attaching the bowl to the lathe, ways to dry your bowl/blank, and various finishes will also be covered. Each student will have a dedicated lathe and will produce two or three bowls.

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

Age Requirement: Students must be 18+ to attend adult CE classes. No one under 18 years old is permitted to register for an adult class, even if accompanied by a parent or guardian. 

Full Course




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