Create a Free Form Vessel with Michael Cullen

Michael Cullen is a renowned furniture maker and a regular contributor to Fine Woodworking Magazine. He studied mechanical engineering in college and started a career in the field. But the gravity of his family profession must have been too powerful: Before long he quit his job and followed his paternal grandfather and two great-grandfathers into woodworking. He went east to study under English furniture maker David Powell in Massachusetts, then returned to northern California, where he has been building furniture and sculpture since 1990. He is presently relocating from a shop that is in a former egg-sorting shed in Petaluma, once the egg capital of the country, to Connecticut. When not in the shop adding texture to his latest band sawn box, Cullen can often be spied on his bicycle, carving turns in the spectacular countryside and exploring his new surrounds.

His most recent commission is featured, in the Gallery, on page 73, of the January / February 2022,  No. 294, issue of Fine Woodworking. He is the author of a 2015 Fine Woodworking article entitled “Beautiful Bandsaw Boxes: How to build seamless boxes from a single block of wood”.

His work can be viewed on Instagram here and his website here .​

Shop Certification Card required

This two day workshop applies the same approaches and forms to a free form vessel as are applied to a band sawn box, again using both hand tools and machines. There are many approaches to take to make a vessel – turning wood is usually high on the list – but many people don’t have access to a lathe and are not inclined to try this approach. This workshop is highly creative and will focus on forming a vessel using our minds, hand tools (carving gouges but not power carving tools) and some machines. Like the band sawn box, emphasis will be on shaping and sculpting vessels to create pleasing curves and unusual shapes.  A primary focus in the workshop will be on creating patterns and textures and applying color to the surfaces of the vessels. This workshop is  perfect for the beginner as well as the expert who is looking to create something new and fresh, but be prepared to bring sharp hand tools. If you need assistance, the Guild may be able to help.

Please Note: A tool list will be provided shortly.  The Guild of Oregon Woodworkers and the Oregon Carvers Guild may be able to help you with tools. If you have questions about the tools or sharpening them, Larry Wade (President of the Oregon Carvers Guild) will be happy to assist you.

Materials and lunch are provided.

If you are a member of the Oregon Carvers Guild but are not certified to use the Guild of Oregon Woodworker’s machine tools, you will be provided assistance with the machine tools.

Check out the Guild Scholarship Program to see if you qualify for the various scholarship we offer.

Please register online and remit payment at once. Your registration is not complete without payment.

Review Shop Safety and Covid Information.

• Have your COVID vaccination on file in the shop computer. If not, email it to carol.boyd@guildoforegonwoodworkers.org within 3 days of the class or your registration will be canceled.
• You are in good health, not living with anyone who is ill, have not been exposed to anyone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days
• You have a face covering without an exhaust valve. This must cover your nose, mouth, and chin and is to be worn at all times. The Guild does have some for sale at the shop but we recommend you bring your own.

Class Cancellation Policy