About

Learn to make easy but elegant wooden boxes that can hold all manner of things, from tea and sugar to gifts. A final coat of wax gives these carved, painted boxes a glowing look that almost resembles ceramic.

In this two-session class, you will start with a block of wood about 6 inches tall and deep and 4 inches thick. You will go home with two small boxes or one larger one — your choice — and will know the steps needed to make significantly larger or smaller boxes later on your own. 

The second day, you will learn about various was to embellish your box. You will have the opportunity to use hand chisels and power carvers, as well as wood-burning pens. And you will learn how to use milk paint  and wax to further embellish the outside of your box. You won't put any finish on the inside, so there is no issue if you want to store food.

Details

• Open to beginners, ages 14+.
  
• In addition to the class fee, a $35 materials fee will be added when you register. This fee covers the cost of the wood blank, paint and disposables.

Instructor: Brad Stave began working with wood at the age of 5 when he received his first toolbox. After graduating from college he remained true to his heart.  Brad realized that working with wood was not enough and wanted to share his love through teaching. He taught graphic arts in Mukilteo and then moved to Wyoming, where he taught woodworking to Arapaho and Shoshone children in grades 3 to 8.  

In 1985, Brad moved to California, where he started a new job and became a father of a baby daughter.  Sensing her husband's need to find some avenue to work with wood, his wife, Silvia, bought him a wood lathe. And from that point on, Brad knew he had found his niche. “Of all the creative endeavors I have pursued, wood turning has been the most rewarding," Brad says. "It is the pursuit of my heart.” In 2006 he moved back home to the Pacific Northwest, where Gig Harbor is now home.