New Low Price! Moss Box Wall Art Class

Moss Box Wall Art New Low Price! Next class is Saturday, December 10th // 4-7pm

Moss Box Wall Art is only $100 now, and we listed a new class just in time for the holidays. Make someone you love a really cool living piece of art!

Do you find yourself daydreaming of the mountains? Are you naturally drawn to the calming effects of lush, green scenery? Do you wish you lived in The Shire? Look no further! In this class, you'll learn to make Moss Box Wall Art, a piece of nature for your indoor space

First you'll choose a repurposed wooden frame. Then you'll design your own unique landscape using a wide variety of mosses, ferns, flowers, wood, bark, flowers, succulents, mushrooms, tiny magical creatures, and more! Then you'll secure the moss in place. After, let yourself get lost in the intricate details, adding more layers of soft textures and vibrant natural colors. Your instructor will help make your box come alive. When you're finished, you'll bring your very own moss box home. Catch yourself staring at your wall art like Frodo in Bag End.

The naturally preserved moss is maintenance free and lasts for YEARS (some 10+ years and counting). All supplies included.

From the teacher Liz: Hiii everyone! My name is Liz. I started making Moss Boxes in 2020, during the pandemic. I'm a nurse in Denver, Colorado. Being a nurse during COVID means wildly stressful times. Amidst the chaos, I was looking for something, some sort of hobby, to bring me back to the present moment. I wanted to just zone out and make something nice. Also, I wanted a piece of natural art that you can... well... just stare at for awhile... something that takes you away. And that's really it. What you see is the result of a stressed out Nurse finding peace through making Moss Boxes in her garage. And once I started, I haven't been able to stop. I really love making Moss Boxes. Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Brand New! Bowls Woodturning Class

Bowl Turning! First Class is Sunday, November 20th // 10am - 5pm

*Intro to Woodturning or equivalent prior experience is recommended but not required. If you are determined, you can start with bowl turning!

Craft your very own wooden bowl using the lathe!

Bowl making is one of the most fun and captivating things you can do with the wood lathe. While the basics can be learned in just a few hours, you can spend a lifetime exploring the infinite artistic possibilities and refining your technique. We'll give you a head start on that creative journey in this class with some tips and tricks that will help you get off to a good start. You'll learn how to cut effectively on face grain projects such as bowls with gouges and scrapers. We'll discuss different methods of holding work on the lathe such as chucks and faceplates, and sanding, finishing, good form and design, and sharpening the tools with the grinder will be covered as well. We'll take a one hour break for lunch, so bring your own snacks or explore some of the nearby options on Santa Fe!

The cost of the class covers all materials and equipment, including food safe finishes, abrasives and a bowl blank (cherry, maple or other domestic hardwood apprx. 8" x 3").

Chris Hoehle is one of our community workshop monitors and a professional woodturner with over fifteen years of experience on the wood lathe. In addition to teaching woodturning for nearly three years here at the Denver Tool Library, he has also taught week-long workshops at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg Tennessee, and he sells his work at local galleries and art festivals. You can check out his work on his website, studiocsh.com, or on Instagram @studiocsh.

*Intro to Woodturning is required to use the lathes after class during open shop hours.

New Woodworking Teacher: Nathan Woolf!

We’re excited to announce one of our new woodworking teacher - Nathan Woolf! Nathan’s first class with us is going to be Cutting Boards on 11/13, but keep an eye out for a slew of other classes he’ll be teaching in the future. BTW, if you ever want to stay up to date with those new classes and all of our other new classes, join our Classes Newsletter denvertoollibrary.org/classes-newsletter

A bit about Nathan! Though new to life in Colorado, he has worked as a carpenter and woodworker for over 12 years, working on projects all over the country ranging from building houses, to finished bar and restaurant spaces, to custom coffeeshops, as well as an array of household goods and furniture pieces. Whether large or small scale woodworking is all related and he has a vested interest in finding those cool similarities in each application. You can check out his work on Instagram @nathanwoolf or on his website www.Nathanwoolf.com

Brand New! Plumbing: Knowing Your Home Renovation Class

Brand New Class: Plumbing! How do I fix my leaky sink? How can I make my shower hotter/stronger? How does a toilet work? This class is part of our growing Knowing Your Home Series which now includes Electricity, Tiling, and Plumbing.

In this class, we will look at faucets and toilets as systems with various parts performing different critical roles. We will dismantle and discuss the inner workings of various types of faucets, sinks, and toilets and develop a set of questions for quickly analyzing and identifying the real problem. At that point, you will be well on your way to fixing the problem yourself. The good news is that repair parts are often inexpensive and are readily available; you just need to determine what is needed.

After completing the class you will be able to: Understand and repair nearly any faucet. Remove and replace existing faucets in kitchens and baths. Understand how shower control valves work.Adjust or replace toilet ballcock filler assemblies and toilet flapper assemblies. Remove an existing toilet and install a new one in its place including a new wax seal.

Send Us Your Project Nudes!

That’s right, send us nudes (of your project)! We love seeing what y’all build, mend, create, and destroy. Tag @denvertoollibrary, email us, or DM us your project photos and we’ll put ‘em up on the interwebs. We promise it will make you famous.

Calling all art students and teachers! Office Space 2.0 is coming.

It may not look like much now (especially with Jessie’s incredible 2008 camera phone - though it does make Chris look sort of like a Greek God), but we are gearing up for Denver Tool Library Office 2.0! This upgrade is coming with big modular tables that are going to double as a second classroom specifically for our lighter arts based classes. This means less dust in your mouth while carving your block print, less scary tools hovering over your while soldering jewelry, and a cuter aesthetic to accompany you while making your moss box. It also means we can host MORE ART CLASSES. If you haven't already, check out our first Intro to Oil Painting class on 11/21, and keep an eye out for a sewing machine basics class in the near future. If you want to stay up to date with all these classes and more, join our classes specific newsletter at denvertoollibrary.org/classes-newsletter

PS, if you're a teacher or know a teacher doing artsy classes, reach out and let us know what you're into at denvertoollibrary.org/teach

WANTED! Muralist(s) to make our workshop look less boring!

WANTED! Muralist(s) to make our workshop look less boring! We repainted the walls of our community workshop recently to make it look less scary, which was mostly successful, but now it looks so sad and boring like a lifeless office building. We are not a lifeless office building. We are a place where people create cool weird stuff and we want our walls to show that! The catch is, we are constantly broke, so instead of paying local artists the money that they deserve, we are here pleading on social media. We can trade a couple hundred dollars worth of DTL membership, classes, and/or open shop time and a prestigious spot in DTL cult history. We provide the paint/materials/snacks. Reach out to hello@denvertoollibrary.org if you're into it. THANKS!

Brand New Class! Intro to Oil Painting

First Class: Monday, November 21st // 5:30pm-8:30pm

Learn to create realism while listening to your intuition, and expressing yourself freely with Jen!

During this three hour class we will go through the step by step process of completing an oil portrait. We will use a reference photo that I will send you. We will focus on correct proportions, composition, and paint application. You will watch me paint, work on your painting, and receive feedback. You will be encouraged to find your personal creative voice, listen to your instincts, and play! No experience required.

Jen Starling has been teaching youth and adults in a variety of settings for over twenty years, she has an elementary Teaching License and currently teach art at The Art Student League in Denver CO and Curtis Center for the Arts. Her teaching philosophy is positive, encouraging, and inclusive. She gives individual feedback both online and in-person, and encourage creativity while teaching technique.

Brand New Class! Coffee Tables

Sign Up for our first Coffee Tables class here! 11.5.22 & 11.12.22

In this class you will learn how to make your very own coffee table. This solid hardwood modern coffee table is made from rustic alder and looks fantastic in front of the couch, under a window with your favorite plant on it, or as a gift!

We will start by discussing milling techniques and how to prepare your lumber for a table top. Next you will learn how to properly layout your boards to minimize warping/wood movement. As well as how to use a biscuit joiner to help with alignment during the glue up. Working in teams of two we will glue up each table top and leave them to cure. This will end the first day. On day two we will sand our table tops smooth and talk about different techniques for filling knots in wood if that is the look you are going for. Next we will attach the hairpin legs and discuss different types of finish and staining techniques.

This class will be taught by Tomas Vallejos. He is a Denver local who works as a custom picture framer, carpenter and woodworker with an emphasis in custom furniture making. He is also a current student and teachers assistant of the fine woodworking program at Red Rocks Community College where he continues to ever expand on his woodworking knowledge and skills. Take a look at some of his work via his Instagram page @north20_finewoodworking

Wanted: Woodworking Class Instructor!

We’re looking for a woodworking class instructor who would like to teach multiple product based woodworking classes. These classes could include: cutting boards, lamps, live edge, resin poor, wooden utensil carving, and furniture making with plenty of room for you to incorporate your specific skills and design your own class.

  • Job Title: Woodworking Class Instructor

  • Hours: 1-4 classes per month

  • Compensation: 50% of ticket sales

  • Requirements:

    • Have at least a few years experience working in a woodshop. You do not need to be a formal experienced instructor

    • Have an outgoing and friendly personality.

Fore more details and to apply, click here!