8 people, six legs and 45 minutes! (Huh?)

The Port Townsend School of Woodworking, founded by Jim Tolpin, John Marckworth and Tim Lawson, offers courses on woodworking, cabinet making, furniture making, historic preservation and traditional woodcrafts.

The School is located in the Old Power House at the heart of Fort Worden State Park,Washington. Port Townsend is a Victorian sea port located at the entrance to Puget Sound about 2 hours away from downtown Seattle in the Pacific NW.

Please note: We do not open our machine room until June 2008. All courses in the Spring term focus on hand tools and portable power tools.

• Classes for Beginning Woodworkers
  Our beginner classes are designed for folks who don't know one end of a chisel from the other but want to learn. We'll guide you through each step of mastering the basic skills.
• Classes for Intermediate and Advanced Woodworkers
  Our advanced courses will build your confidence with hand tools, stationary tools, design, and finishing. We will introduce you to advanced techniques like steam bending, veneering and more.
• A Wide Variety of courses
  From the pragmatic to the artful: "Quick-Joinery" techniques for cabinetry; weekend project courses; advanced design and construction; hand tool intensives; Shaker benches to sculptural fine furniture and more.
  
• Evening Lecture Series and Open Shop Program
  From cottages to treehouses, handplanes to duck decoys. Year round lecture series on a wide variety of wood related topics. Open shop sessions on selected Tuesday afternoons and evenings for the local or visiting woodworker.
  
• Personal Instruction
  High quality, personal instruction is important. Small classes (8 to 12 students) with at least 2 teachers.
• A Personal Workbench
  Work at your own professional-grade cabinetmaker’s workbench.
• Great Workspace
  The shop space is warm and illuminated with a balanced mixture of artificial and natural light.
• Wonderful Campus Location
  The school is located in the heart of Fort Worden, Washington’s premier State Park. The Park offers beach-side campsites, a working lighthouse, world-class art and music performances, residential accommodation and gourmet dining.
• Proximity to Downtown Port Townsend
  By foot, transit, bike or car its a quick journey to historic downtown Port Townsend, one of only three intact Victorian-era seaports in the United States.