Class: Make a Moravian Footstool with David Ray Pine (1 Day)

Spend a day with David Ray Pine building a historic walnut splayed leg Moravian footstool. This footstool is based on antique stools found at the Old Salem Moravian settlement in North Carolina. While building this stool you’ll learn how to cut the mysterious angled dovetail joint! You’ll also learn to use a brace & bit, moulding plane, handplanes, chisels, miter box saw, and coping saw.

About the Instructor:

David Ray Pine is a full time furniture maker who creates high-end custom-made antique reproduction furniture out of his workshop in Mt. Crawford, Virginia (see the tour here). He also does restoration and conservation work on period antique furniture. His work has been featured in many different publications, including Colonial Homes, Rural Living, The Washington Post, Money Magazine, and Fine Woodworking Magazine (Issues#59, 64,67, 77, 80).  His furniture lives in many locations, from private patron’s homes to the Virginia Governor’s mansion.

Class Syllabus:

Day One: Using the miter box saw, students will cut their stock to proper length and cut angles for the splayed legs. The hand hole will then be laid out, bored out, and cut out using chisels and a brace & bit. Students will then create a molded profile using a dedicated moulding plane. Then students will cut angled dovetails to attach the top to the legs. Finally, the legs and top will be glued together and supported with a support block.

Materials Fee:

The $15 material fee is payable to the instructor before or on the day of the class.

How to Get Here & Where to Stay:

The address of the school is 5700 Buffalo River Rd. Earlysville, Virginia 22936 (Google Maps here). The school is convenient to quite a few hotels, stores, and restaurants, and is only 8 minutes from the Charlottesville airport. Many more details are listed on the school’s main page here.

Class Policies, Liability Waiver, & Cancellations:

A PDF document with the full class policies and a liability waiver will be sent in the order confirmation email. All students are required to sign and return this document prior to attending the class. Anyone can cancel a class up to 2 weeks prior to the class for a full refund (minus a $25 fee that covers credit card processing fees and administrative work). Cancellations under two weeks before a class begins will be given a refund (less $25) if we can find someone else to fill the slot. If we have to cancel a class for an unforeseen emergency, inclement weather, or low number of registrations, a full refund will be given to students.