Courses

None of us are getting out of this alive, so we may as well bury ourselves in our work!  Put your hands to work making something truly useful while also building a strong base of woodworking skills. The above-ground applications of your resulting project are numerous – a bookshelf, coffee…

In this class students will build a bentwood box of a design inspired by Yupik people of the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta in Alaska, but also borrowing from Estonian and Scandinavian traditions. The Y-K Delta is basically treeless and the beautiful traditional boxes built by the Yupik people were constructed from…

Celestial navigation is one of the oldest of all forms of navigation. For thousands of years, an understanding of the sky has guided mariners safely across the trackless oceans of the world. It is a traditional craft that is rich in both history and romance. With the advent of modern…

A chainsaw is a powerful and efficient tool that requires a specific set of skills and experience to safely operate and maintain, even if those skills are used only on an occasional weekend at the cabin. This course will teach students to recognize and avoid the the hazards that surround…

We all have an innate color personality - colors that we're drawn to that describe who we are and how we see the world. Just as painters mix colors on a canvas, weavers combine colors on the loom to create new combinations optically. However, the colors that we're drawn to…

After getting oriented on celestial motions we'll spend the remainder of the first session and all of the second preparing for the upcoming almost-total partial lunar eclipse, a bright binocular comet and the possibility of northern lights as solar activity increases. Join instructor Astro Bob for two online sessions exploring…

Discover the secrets of the old Saami school of ski construction by crafting a custom pair of birch skis to meet your needs. In this course you'll learn about the origin of ski design, function and construction. We'll also cover topics such as wood grain, bending wood, types of bindings,…

From fireplace tools to shelf brackets and kitchen racks, decorative ironwork can highlight any part of the Northern home. This course will enable beginners and intermediate blacksmiths to work alongside master blacksmith Michael Jones to design and build their own unique piece of ironwork. The course will start with a…

Remember the last time your feet were too cold to enjoy wonderful wintry weather? Do away with rigid, non-breathing footwear and discover the traditional footwear of the North: mukluks, the perfect footwear for your snowshoeing adventure. The flexibility of the natural materials used in construction allows the foot to generate…

The North House Blacksmith Shop excites the curiosity of adults and kids alike, as hammers pound, sparks fly, and red-hot metal becomes a fire poker, hook, or other tool right before their eyes. Try your hand at the forge in this family class, as kids and adults work together to…

Watching someone turn on the lathe is mesmerizing for folks of all ages; standing behind a lathe making the shavings fly is pure magic. Join instructor Tim Heil for this very unique opportunity to experience woodturning under the careful supervision of an experienced turner. This workshop is open to adult/child…

An apple a day keeps the doctor away...but does it count if it’s in a pie or a turnover? Celebrate the fall with this class centered around enjoying apples in both sweet and savory settings. Open to kids ages 7+ accompanied by an adult, we’ll develop a wide range of…

Warm up winter by making your own woolen slippers or short boot liners. Using the ancient no-knitting wet felting technique, you will make a cozy, warm pair of slippers or boot liners. The craft hasn’t changed in centuries except we now use soap instead of ash or urine. It’s a…

Using beautiful colored wool with wet felting and prefelt techniques, students will design and make their own felt board games! From the simplest version of tic tac toe to checkers, chess, or backgammon, these handmade games make wonderful gifts for a traveler or they may be so beautiful they become…

Though common practice throughout history, food fermentation is now approached with both excitement and trepidation. Fermentation extends storage while also greatly increasing the array of flavors in a diet. In fact, fermented foods have the iconic tastes of cultures around the world: German sauerkraut, Korean kimchi, Japanese soy sauce are…