In classes at Mill Hollow Works, we use hand-tools whenever we can, because we feel that’s the best way to learn. But, cordless & corded powered hand-tools and stationary power tools can make everything go faster: make the work go faster, make mistakes happen faster, make your project budget go faster, and unfortunately can make injuries happen faster! In this Tuesday evening series, we will look at one family of tools at a time – from their unpowered origins, history & development, to what old tools are worth fixing-up and using, and what the modern versions look like. Whether you have an old machine at home, are looking to acquire one, or just want to use ours – we will cover repairs, maintenance, tuning, and of course safe operation with the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment. Then, we will give you time to practice with any of our tools. 
Session I: Bandsaws Tuesday, April 9th 6-8pm
We begin with one of the youngest families of woodworking tools, but the one most closely associated with boatbuilding. We will include reciprocating saws to discuss how these developed from the very first attempts to mechanize the motion of a handsaw and a person’s arm. We’ll look at jigsaws, portable bandsaws, reciprocating saws (Sawzall), scroll saws, and stationary bandsaws for cutting wood and metal.
Session II: Circular Saws Tuesday, April 30, 6-8pm
From the storied invention of the type by a Shaker woman in Massachusetts, we will discuss table saws, miter saws, chop saws, circular saw mills, and the range of portable circular saws.
Session III: Rotation Tuesday, May 7th, 6-8pm
One of the earliest human tools, hand-spun drills began our understanding that often low-force but high-speed does work more efficiently than huge power that’s slowly delivered. We will talk about all sorts of drills, drill presses, routers of all sizes, and shapers.
Session IV: Shavings Tuesday, May 28th, 6-8pm
A plane is simply a knife with a “stop” or fence to precisely control how much material is removed per pass. There are thousands of specialized planes – we will look at a few. And by putting a plane’s blade on a rotating drum, we get the stationary planer and jointer – as well as hand-held power-planes.
Courses will be live and ready to take registrations Thursday, March 21!