This furniture-making academy will guide participants through the full process of building a Shaker-style cherry side table, with pull-out drawer and tapered legs. Sessions will cover the use of modern power tools, designing and cutting the pieces, and various joinery methods to connect them, including pocket hole screws, biscuits and dowels.
- Tuesday May 5th, 2026 | 5pm – 9pm (New member and Woodshop orientation)
- Sunday May 10th, 2026 | 9am – 12pm
- Sunday May 17th, 2026 | 9am – 12pm
- Sunday May 24th, 2026 | 9am – 12pm
- Sunday May 31st, 2026 | 9am – 12pm
- Sunday June 7th, 2026 | 9am – 12pm
Participants will use the compound mitre saw, table saw, jointer, planer, router, drill press, biscuit joiner, orbital sander and various jigs and hand tools.
Pricing includes materials and a month of Makespace 24/7 membership, approximately $220 value.
About the furniture style
Shakers, or The United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing gained prominence in 18th century America as a religious movement promoting self-sufficient communities that grew their own food, constructed their own buildings and manufactured their own tools and household furnishings. Socially progressive for the era, Shaker beliefs of racial and sexual equality, pacifism and common property were rooted in values of honesty, utility and simplicity and found expression in the minimalist design and high-quality construction of their furniture and other items. Furniture sales such as chair-making supported Shaker communities into the 19th century, generating important revenue and providing an alternative to the poorly constructed, mass-produced furniture that dominated the era.
While furniture was primarily handmade from domestic woods such as pine, maple and cherry, the advent of steam power gave Shaker craftsmen access to circular saws, mortising machines, lathes and other tools. Thus, use of modern power tools to make Shaker-style furniture today is not at odds with traditional Shaker craftsmanship.
About the Instructor: Murray Long enjoys sharing his knowledge of woodworking with others, and has led several previous classes on how to design and fabricate furniture and cabinetry, based on his own experience of designing and building everything from armoires to beds, dining tables, coffee tables, benches, children’s toys and custom kitchen cabinets. He is a big fan of Shaker and Arts & Crafts era design and the use of hand planes, hand saws and chisels in woodworking.