Dates: Saturday, July 11th & Sunday, July 12th (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 will be 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+ by the class start date 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. 

Please Note: North Bennet Street School will be undergoing exterior construction this summer, which may cause occasional noise or temporary changes to building access.

Dates: Saturday, July 11th & Sunday, July 12th (2 meetings)

Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Instructor: Dan Weissman CF '20

Teaching Assistant: TBA

Interested in woodworking and looking for a way to get started? This introductory course is designed to give beginner students an overview of shop safety as well as some of the most common machines and hand tools used in woodworking. We work towards the completion of a small project while building basic skills and getting comfortable with machinery and working at the bench. This class is geared toward beginners looking to get a peek into woodworking. For more in-depth skill-building, check out our Fundamentals of Fine Woodworking and Fundamentals of Machine Woodworking classes. Many students choose to take Woodworking 101 before a Fundamentals class, but it is not required. 

Tools & Supplies: All tools and supplies will be 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+ by the class start date 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. 

Please Note: North Bennet Street School will be undergoing exterior construction this summer, which may cause occasional noise or temporary changes to building access.

Dates: Monday, July 13 - Friday, July 17 (5 meetings)

Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

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

Location: 538 High Street, Medford, MA

This summer’s classes will be held at Allan Winkler’s harpsichord workshop in Medford, MA, allowing for a closeup look at specialized tools and jigs, and technical discussions about the repair and overhaul procedures for harpsichords.

Price: $1,819 is the full cost of the class. A $225 deposit is due at the time of registration. Students will have the option to pay in full or pay over time with a weekly payment plan when registering for the class. The payment plan details will be shared during the registration process. 

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.

Optional Field Trip:

• Thursday evening there will be an optional visit to the Musical Instrument Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

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”.

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: 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. 

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.

Dates: Monday - Friday, July 13 - 23 (10 meetings, class does not meet over the weekend)

Hours: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Instructor: Steve Brown CF'90

This comprehensive course builds foundational hand skills that are essential to completing many fine woodworking projects. The class is suitable for both beginners looking to jump-start a hobby in woodworking and intermediate/advanced students looking to refresh their skills. Topics include sharpening, tuning, and the use of basic hand tools, including paring chisels, hand planes, dovetail saws, card scrapers, and marking gauges; characteristics of wood and wood movement in furniture making; and cutting dovetails and mortise and tenon joinery using flat and square reference surfaces. Demonstrations and exercises develop skills such as chopping and paring with a chisel and hand planning. Traditional cabinet-making practices are explained throughout the course, and instructors emphasize how these methods can be used systematically in any woodworking project. Each student will complete a box with a sliding lid. This course focuses on handwork at the bench. Check out our Fundamentals of Machine Woodworking class if you are looking to learn more about machines. Many students take both classes. If you are just looking to get your feet wet in the shop, check out our Woodworking 101 class.

Tools & Supplies: Please bring the items on this supply list to the first day of class.​ Need an item? Our NBSS Store/Gallery carries dozens of tools and supplies in addition to NBSS branded items and handmade goods. You may make purchases online, in person (Monday-Thursday 7:30 am - 2:00 pm), or via email at store@nbss.edu. Tool orders must be made via email or over the phone.

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+ by the class start date 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. 

Please Note: North Bennet Street School will be undergoing exterior construction this summer, which may cause occasional noise or temporary changes to building access.

Dates: Thursday's, July 16 - August 13 (5 meetings)

Hours: 6:00 - 9:00 pm

Instructor: Kylie Weinzierl

In this 5-week introductory class, students learn the fundamentals of jewelry-fabrication techniques to create their own wearable designs. We start with making basic findings, such as ear wire and jump rings, then move on to sawing, filing, bending, soldering, and other traditional fabrication skills to make a custom bezel-set ring. Using these skills, students then design and create a final project under the guidance of the instructor.

Tools & Supplies: All tools and supplies will be 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+ by the class start date 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. 

Please Note: North Bennet Street School will be undergoing exterior construction this summer, which may cause occasional noise or temporary changes to building access.

Dates: Saturday, July 18th & Sunday, July 19th (2 meetings)

Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Instructor: Ellen Kaspern CF '03

Teaching Assistant: TBA

In this class, we discuss how to draw, make a template, and shape a cabriole leg. We will discuss the different grain patterns and placement of transition blocks for a leg. Students will lay out their legs from a template, then bandsaw out the shape. We will go over the 7-5 rule of shaping. Then, students will apply this technique to shape their legs using a 1-inch chisel, spokeshave, and rasps. We will discuss different types of feet, such as the slipper foot, pad foot, and trifid foot. Students will leave with 1-2 finished cabriole legs.

Tools & Supplies: All tools and supplies will be 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: Fundamentals of Fine Woodworking or equivalent experience. If you have questions about your experience, please contact ce@nbss.edu. 

Age Requirement: Students must be 18+ by the class start date 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. 

Please Note: North Bennet Street School will be undergoing exterior construction this summer, which may cause occasional noise or temporary changes to building access.

Dates: Saturday, July 18th & Sunday, July 19th (2 meetings)

Hours: 8:30 am - 4:00 pm

Instructor: Bill Hanscom

Conservation professionals, archivists, and private collectors are often faced with creating protective housings for unconventional items, or materials that vary in shape and size, which defy off-the-shelf solutions. In this workshop, students will discuss strategies for designing custom housings and learn a variety of methods for modifying ready-made boxes using common conservation materials, such as archival corrugated board and folder stock. Students will construct a sampler box which contains numerous modifications including partitions, spacers, trays, lifts, and flexible supports. 

Tools & Supplies: *There is an additional $40.00 materials fee due to the instructor on the first day of class. The instructor accepts cash, checks, or Venmo. All other tools and supplies will be 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 closthing
• Long pants suggested
• No loose jewelry
• Long hair must be tied back

Prerequisite: None

Age requirement: Students must be 18+ by the class start date 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.

Please Note: North Bennet Street School will be undergoing exterior construction this summer, which may cause occasional noise or temporary changes to building access.

Date: Sunday, July 19th (1 meeting)

Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Instructor: Danielle Robichaud JM '05

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 will be 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+ by the class start date 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. 

Please Note: North Bennet Street School will be undergoing exterior construction this summer, which may cause occasional noise or temporary changes to building access.