Emma Wanstall CF ’26

“My dream would be to own my own business”

Emma Wanstall, age 22 | Marblehead, Massachusetts
Cabinet & Furniture Making ’26

What did you do before coming to NBSS?

I attended Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School in Danvers, Massachusetts, and graduated from their carpentry program. I fell in love with carpentry and hands-on work while I was there.

When/how did you discover for discipline/field?

As a freshman at Essex Tech, I got the chance to explore eight programs. I was also really interested in masonry, but ultimately chose to focus on carpentry. I love the tools and the smell of lumber as it’s being cut.

Why did you choose to invest in training for a new career?

After I graduated from Essex Tech, my father mentioned NBSS, and I saw that they had a Cabinet & Furniture Making (CF) program. I went to an Open House, and when I saw the machine room, I was so intrigued. We had a general machine room in high school, but it had more basic tools. We didn’t have things like routers, shapers, or lathes. I am a machine nerd—I geek out and love to learn how every machine works. I thought the CF program would let me keep working with wood, but in a different way.

What are some ways you have felt supported during your time at School?

I was so supported by the CF Instructors, specifically Ellen Kaspern CF ’03. Ellen is great. Going into my first semester, I knew about framing a house and hanging up drywall, but fine woodworking was new to me. Ellen was there for me every step of the way. I struggled to grasp drafting, which is a huge part of what we do. We draft a full-scale drawing of what we are making before every project, and I just couldn’t see it in multi-dimensions at first. Ellen helped me so much in developing that skill.

I worked a lot withEsther Tutella-Chen, Director of Student Support & Career Services, and she helped all of us with our resumes. I attended many lunch-and-learns hosted by the School and learned about finding employment, owning a business, setting prices, etc.

It also helps that I made really great friends. I tried to find occasions where I could get our whole class together. At Thanksgiving, I organized a “Class-giving” at the School where everyone brought in food to share. On Halloween, I showed up to the benchroom, and everyone had dressed up as me … dressed all in black, with my exact throat tattoo drawn on! I felt the love.

What’s next for you?

I will see what the future holds, but my dream would be to own my own business and make tables.

What’s your favorite thing you’ve made during your time at NBSS?

At the end of the program, I had finished all of the requirements, and I was trying to think of a final project. One of my instructors, Lance Patterson CF ’79, remembered—and reminded me—of something I had loved during our first-year trip to the Leslie P. and George H. Hume American Furniture Study Center at Yale University: They have a huge collection of furniture dating back to the 1600s, and I had seen a large table that hinged at the back and opened into a chair. I had told Lance I wanted to make it one day.

So my final project was making a smaller ‘chable,’ or chair/table. It’s in my living room now, and my younger sister, who sews a lot, uses it as her sewing table. Then, when it’s free, I’ll convert it to a chair and sit on it.

What’s your favorite tool or technique you’ve learned to use?

I love the lathe. My first experience with the lathe was for our first required project, the shaker nightstand. I was immediately thrilled by it. At the end of the project, we got to turn a little knob for the nightstand. I also used the lathe to turn the legs of a dining room table I made for my brother, and for the ‘chable’ project.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received while at NBSS?

Whenever I made a mistake, I always thought it was the end of the world. Ellen would then remind me that ‘Everything can be fixed.’ Every time I made a mistake and thought it was still the end of the world, Ellen was there to prove me wrong.

What’s one of your places in or around Boston?

There’s an ice skating rink in the North End, DCR Steriti Memorial Rink, and they have free public skates. I was able to bring my skates to school and practice ice skating at lunch.