WoodworkingÂ
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Learning the basics
The treasure box is a special project that every camper makes during their first summer in the woodshop. The box is joined with traditional hand cut dovetails. The campers learn to mark and measure the pin board and use a handsaw and chisel. They accurately transfer the angles to the tailboard and use a bandsaw to roughly remove the waste before refining with hand tools. After the journey is complete, each camper designs their lid with their personal design.Â
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Growing in skill level
Woodworking at Onaway is a journey of growing confidence and expanding skill. Younger campers learn to measure, mark, and use the bandsaw and drill press to build step stools they personalize with wood burning tools and paint — no two ever alike.
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Solo Projects
With each returning summer, projects grow in complexity, from original clock designs refined with rasps and files, to collections of kitchen utensils shaped on the bandsaw, smoothed with sanders, and detailed with spokeshaves before a final hand-rubbed wax finish. Older campers who choose woodworking as their elective have a lot of choice. By the time a camper reaches this level, she has mastered both machine and hand tools — turning raw wood into something beautifully, uniquely her own.
