Courses

Without question, the Adirondack chair is a timeless classic - its high back, large armrests and contoured seat and back are unmistakable.  For many, the Adirondack chair defines the ideal deck or lawn chair for a well-deserved break.  This course is the perfect opportunity for you to learn and expand…

Investigate infinite approaches and forms that a box can take on using both hand tools and machines. We will focus on exploring ideas and techniques that fall outside the typical six-sided container. Emphasis will be on shaping and sculpting pieces to create pleasing curves, unusual shapes and just about anything…

This tutorial is intended for students with some experience with bowl turning on an electric lathe, and who want to learn more advanced woodturning methods. We will explore turning asymmetrical forms from bark edged bowls to unusual end-grain pieces and burls. The tutorial will include selection of wood, cutting of…

Pick up your hammer!  This course is designed for students with little or no building experience who want to build a tiny home, small cabin or workshop. The techniques for building a small frame building are not only for the skilled carpenter; nearly anyone can come away from this course…

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…

Considering when and where to start on that big cabinet project you want to build and install?  Start here.  Before you jump into a big project, learn the basic techniques, tools and equipment used by both traditional and contemporary cabinet makers.  As a class project, each student builds a pine…

Create beautiful and useful things for your kitchen using simple hand tools and birch wood. Participants in this course will be introduced to the Swedish traditions of ‘köksredskap,' or the process of carving functional utensils, including butterknives, small spoons or bread boards. Students will start by splitting a green log,…

Coopering — the craft of joined wooden staves to create a vessel — was an integral skill in many cultures worldwide; from Japan to Ireland, every meal had a food or drink that had at some point been stored in a coopered vessel. The skill and product is still relevant…

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,…

There are many designs for saw horses, as they are one of the most important tools a timber framer or woodworker has in the workshop. Der zimmererbock is the traditional version of a saw horse used and taught throughout Germany where instructor Gerald David did his training in the timberframing. …

Woodworkers know the value of a tool box, but craftspeople from knitters to carvers to cooks will find plenty of use for a sturdy tote in which to carry the tools and materials of their trade. In this course, we’ll build a dovetailed pine tool tote with a center divider…

Make a sweet little firewood/kindling carrier from three pieces of firewood, straight from the woodpile. We will cut, split and shape using hand tools, and refine our skills with a carving knife for the joints and smaller details. A fourth piece of wood will be split up to load the…

The axe is perhaps the most indispensable of all tools in the north woods. A sharp axe, skillfully wielded, makes tasks from splitting kindling to carving spoons and canoe paddles a pleasure. In this course, students will begin with a hand-­forged axe head, then make a hardwood handle and fit…

This is a course for kids only, and is meant as an introduction to the various hand tools and simple skills involved in working with wood in the shop. The course is co-taught by a father and son team, Paul Linden and Avery Carlson (age 16). Avery has been working…

The wooden bowl is a reflection of both utility and beauty - an inspiring craft form to experience. Explore the grains of northern birch as you learn safe lathe operation and turning techniques to turn a wooden bowl on the electric lathe. From tree to bowl, working with fresh cut…