We really enjoy teaching woodworkers the very best ways that we have found to make handtools work they way they were designed to work: with speed, precision, and a surprisingly low demand on muscle power.
We find that beginning woodworkers love the meditative quality of working with quiet, dust-free non-powered tools. Professionals woodworkers learn in class how handtools can do things that powered tools can't do well, or even at all!
Most importantly, though, both beginners and pros discover that working with handtools over the week, free of the dust masks, ear plugs and tight-jawed anxiety surrounding operating power tools, is a highly pleasurable, social and satisfying experience.
Hand Tool classes with Jim Tolpin
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Plane and Simple - learn to sharpen, tune and use bench planes
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Beyond Plane and Simple - tune and use speciality planes, learn to build and use and shooting boards for additional precision.
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Handtool Heaven is Jim Tolpin's signature course. Discover the joy of working without dust and noise. Learn to use a handsaw, chisels and planes to dimension, finish and join wood.
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Working with Hand Tools - working without measurements. A return to simplicity in the shop. Design and build a tool tote or step stool without using a tape measure.
Hand Tool classes with Garrett Hack
Noted Vermont furniture maker and woodworking teacher visits Port Townsend in late May.
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Cabinet Curiousities - May 31- June 5, 2010
Six day intensive building a small wooden cabinet with hand tools.
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Decorative Details - June 7-8, 2010
Two days of inlay, stringing, edge treatments and more with hand tools.
Japanese Hand Tool classes with Dale Brotherton
Handsaws with Mike Wenzloff
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Build a Handsaw - April 24-25, 2010 or July 10-11, 2010
Build, sharpen and learn to use a traditional western handsaw from master saw maker Mike Wenzloff. Choose from seven different types of saw.
The Ultimate Handtool with Tim Celeski
Testimonials
"I can now do by hand many of the things I have been doing with noisy, dusty machines.
And I can do it better.” -- Don Stromberg
"I am delighted by what we learned, a practical understanding of how to build something using mostly hand-tools, and I am deeply pleased by how we learned, in a safe and supportive environment without pressure or constraint." -- Deborah Rosenberg
"This is truly a class that anyone could take—whatever your skill level learning will happen! I am looking forward to practicing all I have learned at home. I experience great joy as I put together my first joint—Lots of fun and very rewarding!" –Kristi Schroots
"Well timed instruction with clear explanations and lots of demonstrations. Rather than showing all the steps at once, the instructors showed each step after completing the previous step. The pace was fast enough to hold interest, but slow enough to allow for “corrections”. We were able to correct mistakes without feeling bad or incompetent—this is an art in teaching!" --Greg Hoerner
"The course was perfect: Careful, detailed instruction; superb individual attention; and the facility couldn’t be better (and the cookies were great too!)." –Gene Trobaugh
