Instructor Spotlight: Madeline Morrison

Instructor Spotlight: Madeline Morrison

Madeline began pursuing woodworking after graduating from UCLA with a degree in fine art focusing primarily on photography, video and sculpture. “I began to sculpt with wood but lacked the technical skills and understanding of the material to achieve the objects I imagined.” She began taking classes at Cerritos College eventually leading her to the Krenov School of Fine Woodworking. She is now the shop manager for a custom furniture shop in Downtown Los Angeles as well as a resident of Allied Woodshop, where she works on personal projects and pursues her art practice. Madeline spends the rest of her time outside, climbing, biking, and camping.

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Kirtan Tom on Crafting a Revolution

Kirtan Tom on Crafting a Revolution

Kirtan Tom, the director and owner of Allied Woodshop, recently did an interview with Crafting a Revolution, a podcast hosted by Katie Freeman of Freeman Furnishings

They talk about how Kirtan first fell in love with woodworking in Brooklyn, New York, her own furniture design and making practice as well as running and being part of the wonderful community at Allied Woodshop.

Ways to listen to the episode:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/yrk5aWJacig

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1QJPwB9FFtdhxJ7nBkUSpz?si=e924b4cbd81c4079

You can also find it on iTunes, Google, Amazon, anywhere you get your podcasts.

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Instructor Highlight: Clio Wilde

Clio is a woodworker, soft sculptor, and musician who has inhabited many pastoral landscapes prior to winding up in sunny Los Angeles. It came as no surprise when she earned her BA in Studio Art from Lewis & Clark College (‘15), as she comes from a long line of textile artists, boatbuilders, and oil painters. In addition to teaching classes at Allied Woodshop, Clio manages Offerman Woodshop. She has been with OWS since 2016, where she was hired as short-term holiday help. Five years later, she now runs the show alongside fellow Allied instructor, Sarah Watlington. Clio oversees floor production and runs product development, often designing and puzzling out the build process for the smaller projects made in the shop.

Clio joined the Allied crew in 2019 as an assistant teacher and now is the lead instructor for Intro to Woodworking and Women's Intro to Woodworking. She loves teaching this unit as it is often the attendees' first time working with wood-- witnessing her students experience the magic of organic materials and machining for the first time has become one of her favorite pastimes. 

Additionally, Clio has more recently begun working on bigger builds and installs. She spent much of the pandemic turning a single car garage into an ADU, outfitted with a large white oak loft and partner pieces around the space. Clio also works closely with Would Works, a nonprofit social enterprise affiliated with Offerman Woodshop that provides work opportunities for people who are homeless or living in poverty by teaching them fundamental carpentry skills.

 

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Student Highlight: Lucie Leake

Student Highlight: Lucie Leake

We're very excited to feature Lucie, one of our long-time students at Allied Woodshop. Lucie works in Interior Design and has always been drawn to creative hobbies and trades. She began exploring woodworking in community college and found Allied Woodshop after she moved to LA in 2013. So far, Lucie has taken Intro to WoodworkingSpoon Carving, Danish Cord Weaving, Steam Bending a Pendant Lamp, and Furniture Making I: Tables classes with us. She enjoys being around other people at Allied who are excited about woodworking.
For Lucie, woodworking is a lifelong venture in which she aims to hone her skills and engage in community with other craftspeople. Her goal is to design and build custom furniture for herself and for design projects. Even as she fluctuates among pottery, painting, expressive art, and other hobbies, she always finds herself back in woodworking. It is like a siren song, but one that leads to a deeper sense of self.

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Featured in Redfin's Article "Expert Tips for Creating the Ultimate Woodworking Station"

Featured in Redfin's Article

We've collaborated with Redfin in their recent article and shared a tip for homeowners for creating a woodworking station in their homes. 

"We recommend starting with a solid, good-quality workbench and storage for a few tools – using the walls for storage is optimal. From there, you can add a basic tool kit, and don’t forget to keep those tools sharp." - Allied Woodshop

Read the full article on Redfin for more tips!

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Instructor Highlight: Michael Corwin

Instructor Highlight: Michael Corwin

Michael is a woodworker, furniture designer, and instructor at Allied Woodshop. He began woodworking with the desire to reconnect to the work ethics and craftsmanship of our past. Also a schooled musician, he learned the importance of composing and refining a piece until it stood on its own. Recognizing the parallels between the two seemingly disparate mediums of woodworking and music, Michael set out to establish a footing in the world of the dedicated craftsman. Utilizing locally sourced materials and classic joinery, he aims to bring the old into the new with modern interpretations of enviable classics. Michael teaches Furniture MakingHand Tools woodworking, and Intro to Woodworking classes at Allied Woodshop.

 

 

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Donation to LA Foodbank

Donation to LA Foodbank

Great news! Our Holiday Marketplace in December was a great success, and together, we donated $1,000 to the LA Food Bank! The amount was matched dollar-for-dollar during the holiday season and it means 1,600 meals for LA families.
We're incredibly grateful for your contribution to make this possible, and for your continuing support in our woodworking community. 

 

 

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Resuming Woodworking Classes in 2021

Resuming Woodworking Classes in 2021
We're excited to announce that our group classes are returning in January 2021 and they are now open for registration. We will be running Intro to Woodworking on Saturdays once a month and if you've already taken this class with us, join us in our eight-week-long Furniture Making I: Tables class which starts on January 24th! Also, be sure to check out our line-up of specialty classes starting with Valentine's Spoon Carving on February 13th. All our Private Classes will continue to be offered for those who prefer a smaller class size or one-on-one instruction. 

As much as we can't wait to have our students and the bustle of group classes back, we'll still put the safety of our students and instructors as a top priority and continue to follow our COVID-19 safety measures. Since the situation with COVID-19 continues to evolve, if at any point it looks like the situation in Los Angeles is no longer sustainable, we will opt to postpone classes, even if we are not required to do so by the City, County, or State. In case of postponement, you will be eligible for a full refund for your class or to hold your registration with us until we can safely open again.
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Quarantine Woodshop: Japanese Tool Box

Welcome to our final Quarantine Woodshop.

The Quarantine Woodshop introduces alternative woodworking methods and exercises to adapt to Safer-At-Home conditions. We have taken into consideration individuals may no longer have access to a woodshop, limited working space, or limited learning opportunities. For this project, some basic woodworking knowledge is needed.

Today, we are providing you with at-home guide for constructing the Japanese tool box.

simply constructed japanese tool box with box joint lays on tableThe Japanese tool box can be made solely using hand tools. This document gives an overview of those steps. We encourage practice using hand tools first if you are not familiar with them. Machines can be used to expedite the process. Don't worry, we won't judge.

exploded view of japanese tool box construction including how to open and close lid

We hope you found this series useful and interesting during quarantine.

Click here to view or download.

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Allied Woodshop Open To Residents!

We are happy to announce that we've reopened our doors to shop residents. Our residents make up the core of Allied Woodshop's community, so we are glad to see them able to return to work, with some extra protocols and cleaning measures in place.
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