Talk about a summer well spent! Last week I hiked at Treman State Park with a very special friend and Hammerstone alum visiting from out of town. Shout out to Alex, the person who first told me about Hammerstone classes years ago! I never envisioned myself teaching carpentry classes or aspiring to build my own house, but here I am. Life is full of beautiful possibilities.

This month has been packed with tiny house work and fully opening our new shop. Read on to see what we've been up to, starting with a feature on one of our favorite people :)

Hammer on!
Kimberly and the Hammerstone Team

TA Spotlight: Kelly

Teaching Assistant Kelly brings radiance and humor to every Hammerstone class she helps teach! We admire Kelly's adventurous approach to learning new skills, and her ease at reminding students to enjoy the journey, mistakes and all. The subject line of this newsletter ("You don't have to be perfect at your hobbies!") is a Kellyism that's quoted often when we need to dial the pressure down on the Virgos in the room :P

Did you grow up using tools? How much did you know going into your first Hammerstone class?
My dad was a railroad mechanic, so I grew up around tools, but not as the user. I had a pretty short attention span and found home improvements boring, so I didn't really get an interest until I became a homeowner myself. I knew the minimum going into Basic Skills (the difference between a philips head and flathead screwdriver).

Tell us about a project you're excited about.
I've slowly been working on finishing my basement. So far I've framed an office, home gym, and "puzzle room". I still have a bit of painting and sheetrock finishing to do, but I'm proud of the progress so far.

Have you taught anyone else the skills you've learned at Hammerstone? Besides what you do as a TA :)
I volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and also serve as an assistant on some of those crews. When my friends become first-time home buyers I always recommend Basic Skills classes, but sometimes end up answering ad hoc questions (whats the difference between a drill and driver, etc.)

What's a new Hammerstone class we should teach?
I think it would be super helpful to expand the Two Hour Tuesday tutorials to include homeowner adjacent things. There are a lot of things that I don't know about my house: Do I have a propane furnace? What is a propane furnace? Why do I have all those blank areas on my electrical box and what are they for? Etc. Also, Christina made a fabulous cardboard toilet that I think the world should see.

Non-trad Tradies

Check out this Non-Trad (short for Non-Traditional) Tradies social meetup organized by HELM Construction Solutions!

HELM is a Vermont-based consulting business that does a lot of work to support non-traditional trades workers. We would LOVE to host a meetup like this at our new downtown Ithaca shop or a nearby business. Email us at info@hammerstoneschool.com if you want to volunteer to help make it happen!

Tiny House Whirlwind

This summer has been a home construction whirlwind! We've come a long way since Rough Framing at the end of May.

Earlier this month we installed Exterior Trim including these gorgeous window and door casings built out of thermally treated hardwood. This is the same type of material we'll use for siding: it's an exciting new product that's rot resistant and dimensionally stable (less shrinking/swelling), with NO use of toxic chemicals. And it's produced not far from us, in Pennsylvania. Win, win, win. You can read more about this product in Fine Woodworking. We're loving the poplar's warmth and "toasted" color!

Speaking of color, you're probably wondering what the lime green mesh is. This is a rainscreen product called Slicker Classic by Benjamin Obdyke. In previous years we've gone the traditional route of vertical furring strips, but this year we're trying something different.

What's a rainscreen?
A rainscreen is a critical part of the wall system that lies in between the sheathing and siding. It creates an air gap behind the siding so water can drain and air movement can promote drying. Without a rainscreen, any moisture that gets past the siding (and some always does, no matter how thorough the siding installation) can become trapped and cause serious rot or mold problems.

On the interior of the house we (read: Christina ) spent many hours mudding in prep for our trim class last week. Mudding is the finishing work to smooth out drywall joints, and we're grateful that Christina is so good at it. Big thanks to our whole crew (including our volunteer alum Gwen!) for working hard to finish this stage of the build in time for class!

Last week we completed Tiny House Interior Trim. This class is always a JOURNEY: it's detailed, the tolerances are tight, and the angles are tricky. Our class did an AMAZING job honing their skills and producing beautiful window casings. Bravo!

Last Three Tiny House Courses

The joy is real! There's nothing like the satisfaction of looking at a house and knowing you (and your new friends!) built it with your own hands. Now's your chance to experience the homebuilding magic yourself -- we have just three more courses this season!

Tiny House Siding
August 28-30

For the last minute planners out there, our siding class starts tomorrow. You can still join us! We'll install two types of siding: thermally treated hardwood clapboards and metal siding. Because siding is the first line of defense against water, we'll cover how to think about water infiltration and drainage in your siding system, including rainscreens and flashing.

side it!

Cabinetry Basics: Carcasses & Drawers
October 7-11

Want to build your own custom kitchen cabinets? Let us teach you!

The carcass is the main framework of the cabinet. It's the box to which we attach drawers, doors, and shelves. Carcasses have to be constructed with precision to achieve a professional result. In this five-day class we'll build custom cabinets out of plywood for the tiny house kitchen, using essential tools like the track saw, table saw, router, and miter saw.

This class is focused on the *home workshop* rather than production cabinet shop techniques. Professional cabinet shops are outfitted with specialized tools that can easily cost over $30K apiece. In this class we'll teach cabinetry using tools and methods that are much more accessible.

build the cabinets!

Cabinetry Basics: Doors & Drawer Fronts
October 16-18

This 3-day class has the same focus on precision and clean results as our first cabinetry class, but it's focused on the components that give cabinets their aesthetic character: doors and drawer fronts. We'll teach you to build frame and panel doors you can use in a wide range of cabinetry and furniture projects. This is a standalone class and includes instruction in woodworking basics!

doors and drawer fronts!

Woodworking & Basic Skills

Sept. 12-13: Build an Adirondack Chair
at Hammerstone in downtown Ithaca

What better way to enjoy the start of sweater weather than relax in a chair your built yourself? This class is a *perfect* introduction to woodworking with a take-home project you'll treasure for years to come.

Open to complete beginners! No woodworking experience needed.

build that chair!

2-Day Basic Carpentry Skills
at Hammerstone in downtown Ithaca

**Jump into something new and exciting this fall! Learn confidence with power tools and make a whole class of new carpentry friends. Open to absolute beginners!**

basic skills

Sept 27: Table Saw Fundamentals
at Hammerstone in Trumansburg

Level up your woodworking potential as you master the basics of the most powerful and versatile tool in the shop. This is a one-day Friday intensive in a small group environment! Open to complete beginners.

master the table saw!

We have even more courses coming up in October/November, including three of our most-loved woodworking courses! Check out our course calendar for the full schedule.