Instructor Highlight: Mike Loeffler & North House Folk School Wood Week 2024
We recently spent a week in Grand Marais, MN at North House Folk School where Jarrod taught End Grain Electric Lathe Turning and Knutkorg: Scandinavian Knot Baskets as part of Wood Week 2024.
An early Mike Loeffler Bird Bowl from 2012
We stayed at our friend, Woodspirit School instructor, Mike Loeffler’s house for the week where I took some pictures of his bird carvings.
Jarrod and Mike go back quite a ways. In fact here is a blog post from 2012 from Jarrod’s blog about Mike. He was just getting into carving bird bowls back then.
Mike has a naturalist streak and loves studying birds and birding—a good fit with bird carving.
Mike is known for his skilled use of color, selective decoration, and whimsical creations including chairs.
Grindbygg, a Norwegian style of timber framing, design/built by Mike Loeffler www.mike-loeffler.com
Mike started out organic farming after college and then was an intern at North House Folk School. That’s where Mike and Jarrod met. And a few years later he was in the Artisan Development Program. Mike has taught timber framing, Grindbygg research/design/build, spoon carving, bird carving, chair making, and timber framing at North House Folk School. I was always impressed that he won second place in a Swedish Spoon Carving Contest in 2014. More proof of Mike’s skilled craftsmanship. And to top it off Mike is easy going, patient, and a thorough teacher.
Last years bird carving class at Woodspirit School
Mike is teaching Bird Carving Songbirds of Lake Superior on May 3-5, 2024. Register for the class at www.woodspiritschool.com
Follow Mike’s work at www.mike-loeffler.com
This year North House Folk School had two guest intructors for Wood Week— Swedish axe maker Julia Kalthoff of Kalthoff Axes and wood turner Mark Gardener from North Carolina. Both excellent craftspeople and teachers.
Wood Week is a special time to be at North House. It is well attended by folks from all over the US and a few Canadians too. Plus this year two Swedes. We enjoyed catching up with old friends and making new ones. There is a special magic that happens during real face-to-face meetings which events like this make possible.
End Grain Cups and Bowls on Electric Lathe at North House Folk School
Skilled and whimsical Swedish carver Molly Sjöstam @slojdarmolly attended Jarrod’s basket class.
