Director: Bob Van Dyke

After 18 years as an award-winning chef, Bob began 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 seven years of operation, the school gained national exposure and recognition.

In 2000 he formed a business partnership to open the Manchester, Ct., Woodcraft store and the Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking. The school was an instant success and the demand for classes so great that a second shop was built to allow two classes to run simultaneously.

Bob continually strives to expand his skills and knowledge by working commissioned furniture pieces and new projects for upcoming classes. He is a contributing editor at Fine Woodworking Magazine and has been featured in Woodshop News.

Bob's approach to teaching centers on the belief that people learn by doing rather than by watching. Successful contemporary furniture making also depends on utilizing a sensible combination of machine woodworking and handwork. Bob's classes feature hands-on woodworking projects that require the mastery of a combination of hand tools and machines.

Examples of Work:
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