Furniture making classes?

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  • lvl_13

    Perhaps this is a dumb question, but I've been curious about it for quite some time..

    I've been trying to find some decent classes for furniture making (ie. Material useage such as Eames for bent plywoods and fiberglass, as well as Saarinen for the same as the above, plus plastics and tubular steel, and more new school like Charlie lazor and his Blu Dot outfit, in and around, Minneapolis, MN. These classes could possibly (time alloted for such if need be) be out of the state...but ideally not :)

    What it all boils down to is the fact that I would love to be able to create some furniture that is clean/concise/and relevant today...
    Thoughts? Hints? Suggestions? Cost estimates?

    lvl_13
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  • e-pill0

    lvl...
    you should check out if possible - ICFF
    http://www.icff.com/page/home.as…

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    Dogear
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    • Oohhhh, this looks very interesting (albeit, not a hands-on experience which I am looking for)
      But nontheless, thanks for the info epill!      lvl_13
    • But looks very nice. Thanks epill!lvl_13
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  • lvl_130

    And yeah, I googled that shit. Tons and tons of garbage out there, unfortunately.

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    Dogear
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    • Seanbot0

      I will tell you three things from my background.

      1) Furniture is EXTREMELY expensive to make. I know some people scoff at the Eames Lounge price, but for a fact Herman Miller doesn't make as much profit as you would think. Nor does Blu Dot on their $120 'Real Good Chair.' In fact, Herman Miller makes more money off of Yves Behar's $500 desk lamp.

      2) Bending Plywood is easy. If burnouts in CA can do it to make skateboard ramps, so can you. ANYONE CAN

      3) MCAD has an ID program. It's so-so. I would try to either contact someone through that to see if there is a community-ed program, or dig around your contacts to see if you can meet up with someone in the field.

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      Dogear
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      • JSK0

        I suggest this.

        - understand materials first (and how much they cost / what you would use it for)
        - design is based on your material, material is based on design
        - start with wood: different types of wood, understand them and figure out what is used for what
        - when starting with wood, get basic training on tools and techniques such as types of joints
        - best way to learn about wood is from a carpenter: I just walked in to a carpenter shop one day and asked questions, and worked for free on weekend / learned

        Basics of ID
        1. sketch
        2. build a small scale model to understand shapes and volume
        3. full scale model in cardboard or foam to understand ergonomics
        4. full scale prototype

        NEVER USE 3D: unless you are doing making a model for full scale production or precision cut via machine

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        Dogear
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        • JSK0

          If you have to take class, take a carpentry class.

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          Dogear
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