Replies

1. 
   sschefer | Apr 11, 2002 07:31pm | #1

   If you don't mind a 2 hour one way commute, Santa Rosa Junior College has a pretty good Cabinet and Furniture making course. It's and evening course and is taught at the Santa Rosa High School wood shop. I tried to get in this semester but it filled early. They don't have it during the summer semester so your next shot would be Fall. If you decide to try it, I would register early. Most of the other decent ones you'll find are up north on the coast. You can find information on some of them on the FWW site.

   Steve - in Northern California

1. 
   jarrettone | Apr 11, 2002 10:38pm | #2

   Thank you Steve, I have heard about something in Santa Rosa as well something about courses in Fort Brag. What I have not been able to get is the specifics. I will look into the course in Santa Rosa. Again, THANKS!

2. 
   BritChippie | Apr 16, 2002 02:41am | #3

   Hello there and good day to you.

   Have you ever thought about coming to England and enrolling onto a Carpentry & Joinery course at a local college?

   Our basic C & J qualification for say a 16 year old Chippie (that's a nick name for a carpenter & joiner) starting out, would cover hand skills work, training and development in such areas as:- bench joinery, site work, levelling and setting out for a building, bricklaying/blocklaying, scaffolding, ceramic tiling, painting and decorating, decorative plaster finishes, glazing, shop fitting work and more with all the relevant theory work. This is normally a 36 week course.

   From there you could progress onto an Intermediate level course, which works to further increase your hand skills in the following:-

   - Bench joinery by you making windows, stairs, doors etc. from square stock material. Using hand tools, portable power tools and fixed machinery.

   - Site work training i.e shooting doors in (no, not with M16's) that means planing them to fit, cutting in and fitting the butt hinges and hanging, scribing (coping) in skirting, architraves ( I believe you may call these moulding or casing to door frames ???), ground and upper flooring, roofing, fitting stairs, fitting kitchens, encasing services, stud walling, scaffolding, setting out for building, woodturning, staining and polishing and using the fixed woodworking machines etc.

   This training and qualification then sets the young Chippie up for a good basic understanding of what is expected of him out on site or in the joinery shop. From here he/she could go into pattern making, shop (store) fitting, boat building etc. etc. A good trades person could earn a 'Bob' or two (money) over here as a Chippie and could be taking around £70,000 - £100,000 ($98,000- $140,000) for a 46 week year and we are screaming out for trades people, we just cant get enough youngsters trained quick enough. 

   All the very best for your career.

   Section Leader for Construction at a College outside of London 

   
   

   ---

   Edited 4/16/2002 6:49:39 PM ET by Taz