The new year started at IYRS with some remarks from the president, the academic director, and the coordinator of student services. A hundred or so students—both new and returning—were seated around tables in Restoration Hall, drinking coffee and eating little pastries from the coffee shop across the street. We filled out paperwork and chatted among ourselves and listened to the speakers as they occupied the podium. The room was crowded but not stuffy, and eventually we were split into three orientation groups for campus tours and more talks from the job and internship placement coordinator and our respective teaching faculties.
We went through two or three days of talks and OSHA lectures and a respirator fitting—all important stuff, to be sure, but I was anxious to get started doing something.
Finally, after lunch on the third day, we started sharpening tools, honing and hollow grinding chisels and plane irons on sandpaper, diamond stones, and fine grinder wheels. I worked my way through eight chisels and my block plane iron that afternoon and the next morning, and soon we started on bench joint practice.
Were currently progressing through a series of lap, mortise and tenon, and dovetail joints on small blocks of soft Spanish cedar that smells like your grandmother's coat closet and tears out of you simply look at it from the wrong angle. My joints are serviceable but far from perfect, and I plan to stay late practicing as much as possible over the next few weeks, even as we move on to other projects during the day.
Coupled with the joinery practice, we're rotating through safety training on the big stationary power tools in the machine room. This kind of thing can of course be a bit dull, but I'm glad to get the training—especially on the big planers and bandsaws I've never used before. By the end of the week I hope to have passed the safety tests and as such will be able to use the power tools in the shop after hours, allowing me to get started on some of my own projects.
It is continually apparent to me how much I have yet to learn, but I'm starting to feel comfortable in the shop and get to know some of the other students and the instructors, and I'm getting there an hour early every morning so as to have some time to practice before everyone else comes in.
This year, in addition to the Beetle Cat and the small bench projects, they're adding a tool chest to the curriculum, which means I'll have even more chances to practice traditional joinery techniques on a piece that I'll get to keep when this is all done. I'm glad to have this extra practice, and am looking forward to having a relatively intricate piece of woodworking to keep and put to use even after the program ends.