Date: Saturday, April 19, 2025
Location: William Paca House & Garden
Time: 1:00 pm (EST) - 3:00 pm (EST)
Join us on the Paca Terrace and meet furniture maker Bob Van Dyke. Visitors will learn about Federal period furniture with a focus on Annapolis cabinet maker, John Shaw.
Bob will demonstrate some of the techniques used to create basic inlays. As Director of the Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking and a Contributing Editor for Fine Woodworking Magazine, Bob has been hooked on Federal inlay styles for years! The “magnolia” paterae that was frequently used by John Shaw and will be a part of this unique demonstration.
Accessibility: Visitors with limited mobility can access this program via the driveway of the Paca House. A single use accessible restroom can be accessed by a ramp.
Cost: $5 General admission, HA members FREE
KultureCity® Sensory Bags are available for visitors with sensory sensitivities or challenges with sensory regulation.
Click here to lean more: Historic Annapolis is a certified partner with KultureCity® – Historic Annapolis
Cancellation and Refund Policy: Historic Annapolis reserves the right to cancel or alter any programs. Unless otherwise stated, all tickets are non-refundable.
Photography Policy: Historic Annapolis reserves the right to take photographs and video footage of people of all ages at Historic Annapolis-sponsored events for publicity. If you do not wish to be photographed or filmed, please opt out by notifying Historic Annapolis staff.
Bob Van Dyke Bio:
After 18 years as an award-winning chef in French restaurants Bob left the business to begin a career in woodworking and teaching. Furniture making had provided an outlet to the pressures of the restaurant business until 1993 when he started the Harris Enterprise School of Fine Woodworking in Manchester, CT. In seven years of operation the school gained national exposure and recognition.
In 2000 he formed a business partnership to open the Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking in Manchester, CT. The school was an instant success and the demand for classes was so great that a second shop was built to allow two classes to run simultaneously. He continually strives to expand his skills and knowledge and has been studying and building period furniture for over 25 years. He is a Contributing Editor for Fine Woodworking Magazine and has written articles for Woodshop News and American Period Furniture. He has also done many videos for www.finewoodworking.com.
Bob’s school offers a variety of classes taught by himself and by many of today’s top woodworking instructors. This variety of instructors and styles ensures that there will be something for everyone at CVSW.
Bob’s approach to teaching centers on the belief that people learn “by doing rather than by watching”. Successful furniture making also depends on utilizing a sensible combination of machine woodworking and handwork. Bob’s classes feature hands-on woodworking projects that promote mastery of both handtool and machine woodworking techniques. Bob teaches classes and gives seminars at a number of different schools and woodworking guilds around the country. He is an active member of the Society of American Period Furniture Makers and was the founder and editor of the Society’s quarterly e-magazine Pins & Tales until 2019. Bob resides in a converted horseshoe nail factory in Hartford, Ct. just three blocks from the Wadsworth Atheneum. His free time is spent researching historic inlay techniques, walking around Hartford and playing with his 4 grandsons whenever possible.
He is especially interested in Federal style furniture and the inlay work that was such a big part of that style