BEHIND THE SCENES // Yoav Liberman Gives American Woodworker An Up Close Look At His 3rd Ward Class

Intro To Woodworking earned the top spot in your Top 15 Classes of 2011, and if you're not one of the lucky people who got to enroll last year, you're probably curious about what goes on in the year's most popular class.

Well clearly you're not the only one: American Woodworker (which is to woodworking as Rolling Stone is to pop culture or Sports Illustrated is to pro sports) recently asked 3rd Ward teacher and world-renowned woodworker Yoav Liberman to provide a behind-the-scenes account of the class for the magazine's blog.

Lieberman did just that in a series of six blog posts, describing in detail how his students crafted their own "Shaker-esque step stools," from the initial concept and individual designs to the cuts, grooves and dados and final assembly.

If you have experience in woodworking, you'll likely pick up some tips and insights from the posts. If you're a newbie thinking about giving it a try, the descriptions will give you an in-depth idea of what the class is like. So put on your figurative safety goggles and step into the virtual woodworking shop with Liberman:

Part 1: Shaker step stool: a project for the new comers into woodworking

Part 2: Measure, cut, glue

Part 3: Grooves and Dados

Part 4: Design

Part 5: Dry-assembly and glue up

Part 6: Completed pieces + screws and plugs

-- John Ruscher