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Upcoming Wood Classes

Introduction to Wood Veneering with a Unique Chessboard - Image 1

Introduction to Wood Veneering with a Unique Chessboard

Instructor: Scott Grove
Weekend course: November 15 – 16, 2025
Price: $435

Learn veneering secrets with master craftsman, veneer artist, and former Wendell Castle studio director Scott Grove. During this hands-on class, students will learn the fundamentals of working with veneer, including selecting, cutting, seaming, matching, pressing, inlay, and more. Scott will share all the tips and tricks that 45+ years of veneering can reveal. Each student will create a stunning highly-figured chessboard with a mother of pearl inlay with a water fall edge and a creative Wendell twist. No special tools are required and this course is great for beginners and more advanced woodworkers looking to expand their veneering knowledge. Scott is a highly creative, enthusiastic, energetic, and experienced instructor that understands that imparting information in an entertaining way makes learning easier and more fun.


Class fee: $385

Materials fee: $50

Scott Grove is an international award-winning artist, master craftsman, sculptor, teacher, author, and tool designer who demonstrates, lectures, and judges at international and national woodworking and woodturning conferences. He has an unconventional approach to all he does, and constantly pushes boundaries to develop new and unique methods of creating functional and decorative art and art furniture. He understands that imparting information in an entertaining way makes learning easier and more fun; he is a featured instructor at the Marc Adam’s School of Woodworking and leads the veneering program at the Chippendale International School of Furniture in Scotland. He also worked for Wendell Castle as studio director.

Scott has won numerous awards including the Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge Award four times, an unprecedented achievement, and has been featured on the broadcast series Woodworking in Action, HGTV’s The Furniture Show, and PBS’ The American Woodworker with Scott Phillips. An author of four books, Scott also writes for Popular Woodworking, Woodworking Network, and Woodshop News, American Woodturner, among others.

Scott maintains a studio in the Finger Lakes region of Western New York where he produces commission work and speculative art as well as limited edition pieces. He is also the founder of Easy Inlay, a company that provides exotic inlay materials to crafters.

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Getting the Most From Your Bandsaw - Image 1

Getting the Most From Your Bandsaw

Instructor: Michael Fortune
Single day course: December 6, 2025
Price: $200

The bandsaw can be one of the most versatile, accurate and safe machines in your workshop—providing it is set up and used properly. A new or even a well used bandsaw with a ½ HP motor can be tuned to cut precision joints or resaw flawlessly without purchasing aftermarket accessories or expensive blades. Installing new tires, selecting and setting blade tension, tracking, cutting curves and resawing will be covered. A variety of useful jigs designed to be used with the bandsaw will be demonstrated. Illustrations will be provided so you can make your own. Michael operates one of the most diversely equipped workshops in North America. It includes three industrial table saws but he can’t remember the last time he ripped a piece of wood on a table saw. Instead, he prefers to use a vintage 15” General Mfg. bandsaw. He bought this bandsaw in 1974, tracked the blade once with only modest tension, installed a factory fence parallel to the miter slot and has not had to adjust it in 50 years. That is one of nine bandsaws in his workshop. Let the bandsaw master show you how to make this simple machine the most versatile in your workshop. This class will be limited to 12 students; while mostly demonstration, the class size will allow for some student hands on.

Canadian designer/maker, teacher and mentor Michael C. Fortune has become acclaimed for his innovative, but resolved, designs for one-of-a-kind objects in wood, commissioned residential furnishings, and items in limited editions. He is acknowledged for both his technical and design expertise, giving lectures and workshops across Canada, United States, New Zealand, Australia, and Brazil. Michael’s work has appeared in numerous exhibitions worldwide and he has taught at many schools and craft centers including; Sheridan College School of Crafts and Design, Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, the Rochester Institute of Technology NY, Worcester Center for Crafts in Massachusetts, Anderson Arts Center, Colorado, Savannah College of Art and Design, Australian National University School of Art, and the Marc Adams School in Indiana where the fellowship program for advanced students has been named in his honor. Michael is the senior mentor for the Artist in Residence program (2018, 2020) at the Centre for Fine Woodworking in New Zealand.

Fortune’s international career includes consulting for Trinidad and Tobago’s Commonwealth Fund for Technical Assistance, working for sustainable source timber in Mexico aimed at supplying the expanding hotel industry within the country, and volunteering for Woodlinks, a joint Canadian/U.S. not-for-profit organization dedicated to revitalizing vocational training in secondary schools throughout North America. Michael is also assisting a new school in Puerto Rico that promotes use of timber salvaged after destructive hurricanes.

In 1993, Michael was the first woodworker to receive the prestigious Prix Saidye Bronfman, Canada’s highest award in the crafts, and in 2007 he was the first Canadian to receive the Award of Distinction from the Furniture Society. He received the Mather Award in 2019 for his contribution to craft in Ontario. Michael Fortune has a clear vision of how fine craft can positively effect the culture and economy of Canada and the world beyond.

http://www.michaelfortune.com/

Using Jigs to Advance Your Woodworking Skills (Working Out of Square) - Image 1

Working Out of Square

Instructor: Michael Fortune
Single day course: December 7, 2025
Price: $235

Creating shapes or joints in wood that are not flat and straight may seem daunting and beyond what you are comfortable with. There’s a surprisingly simple solution: build a custom support, often called a jig, that puts the piece in a “square” reference so your machine or hand tool can accommodate the irregular form. The next step may be clamping and assembling the shapes and joints. We’ll show you how to identify what’s needed to apply perfect pressure and how to fabricate clamping cauls, both specialized and cauls used repeatedly. This class will open new design and construction vistas.


Topics covered:

  1. Learn how to choose the correct hand tool or machine for the task at hand
  2. Tools and materials for making jigs, both shop made and purchased
  3. How to secure parts in jigs for one-off or repetitive operations
  4. Build a collection of reusable clamping cauls that will simplify assembling irregular shapes
  5. How to analyze the direction for perfect clamping pressure
  6. How to upgrade quick jigs so they last and last


This class will be limited to 12 students and will largely be demonstrations; however, feel free to bring a project idea and Michael can help you problem solve the fabrication.

Canadian designer/maker, teacher and mentor Michael C. Fortune has become acclaimed for his innovative, but resolved, designs for one-of-a-kind objects in wood, commissioned residential furnishings, and items in limited editions. He is acknowledged for both his technical and design expertise, giving lectures and workshops across Canada, United States, New Zealand, Australia, and Brazil. Michael’s work has appeared in numerous exhibitions worldwide and he has taught at many schools and craft centers including; Sheridan College School of Crafts and Design, Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, the Rochester Institute of Technology NY, Worcester Center for Crafts in Massachusetts, Anderson Arts Center, Colorado, Savannah College of Art and Design, Australian National University School of Art, and the Marc Adams School in Indiana where the fellowship program for advanced students has been named in his honor. Michael is the senior mentor for the Artist in Residence program (2018, 2020) at the Centre for Fine Woodworking in New Zealand.

Fortune’s international career includes consulting for Trinidad and Tobago’s Commonwealth Fund for Technical Assistance, working for sustainable source timber in Mexico aimed at supplying the expanding hotel industry within the country, and volunteering for Woodlinks, a joint Canadian/U.S. not-for-profit organization dedicated to revitalizing vocational training in secondary schools throughout North America. Michael is also assisting a new school in Puerto Rico that promotes use of timber salvaged after destructive hurricanes.

In 1993, Michael was the first woodworker to receive the prestigious Prix Saidye Bronfman, Canada’s highest award in the crafts, and in 2007 he was the first Canadian to receive the Award of Distinction from the Furniture Society. He received the Mather Award in 2019 for his contribution to craft in Ontario. Michael Fortune has a clear vision of how fine craft can positively effect the culture and economy of Canada and the world beyond.

http://www.michaelfortune.com/

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Wood Finishing Fundamentals

Instructor: Mike Mascelli
Single day course: April 11, 2026
Price: $175

This one-day class is for everyone who has been confused, frustrated, and otherwise unsure about how to choose from the vast array of finishing products, and how to apply them. The goal is to carefully explain the building blocks of all wood colorants and finishes so that students can confidently make informed choices by knowing “what’s in the can”. The class format is a mixture of lecture, demonstration and hands on activities with an emphasis on the science, craft and art of wood finishing.

The morning is devoted to color, with an exploration of dye and pigments and how these two very different materials can be used separately and together to achieve effects including color matching, enhancing or “popping” the grain, and harmonizing the colors within a board or on an entire project. To focus on the optics of color, students will complete a classic color wheel to see the relationships of the various colors and how they interact, and how the color “temperature” of the light affects the way we actually see color. Students will also gain experience in using the four different methods of applying color: dyeing, staining, glazing and toning, which provide a nearly endless set of possible colors and decorative effects with both oil based and waterborne colorants. There will also be discussion and demonstration of using asphaltum (tar) as a glazing and ageing agent, and the many chemical or “reactive” treatments that can be used to alter the natural color of various woods.

The afternoon is all about the huge number of different finishing products available on the market, and the goal is to understand that they are all composed of the same basic components, and that they fall into groups or “families” that have similar working properties, but do not always work well with products from other families. Students will practice several ways to apply shellac, and employ the proper applicators and techniques for oil based, and waterborne varnishes, as well as the very popular hard wax-oil formulations. Using prepared panels, students will practice various techniques for rubbing out a cured finish, both to lower the sheen or to enhance the gloss.



MIKE MASCELLI has been a student and practitioner of the upholstery trade for nearly 50 years and divides his time between the worlds of classic cars and classic furniture. He has provided upholstery for national champion cars and furniture that is on display at the US House of Representatives and numerous historic homes and private collections. He is also the longtime Director of the Professional Refinisher’s Group an organization of professionals in the conservation and restoration trades, from whom he has learned much of the science, art and craft of wood finishing. Mike actively lectures and teaches, and has instructed hundreds of students in basic and advanced upholstery techniques as well as the fundamentals of wood finishing at the Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking, the Marc Adams School of Woodworking, and numerous other schools and organizations both in person and on line in both America and England.

He contributed an essay on 18th century upholstery techniques for Roubo on Furniture by Don Williams (Lost Art Press). Mike has also published a number of articles on various aspects of historic upholstery in the Journal of the Society of American Period Furniture Makers (SAPFM) and on modern upholstery for Fine Woodworking. He has also completed several instructional videos on upholstery and finishing for Popular Woodworking, and Fine Woodworking, and was a presenter at the “Working Wood in the 18th c”. conference at Williamsburg. In the summer of 2024 Fine Woodworking will release an online course: Foundations of Furniture Finishing” presented by Mike.

In addition to driving some classic cars, Mike and his wife are the very proud grandparents of two small boys who are the main focus of semi-retirement.

Japanese Hand Planes 1 & 2 - Image 1

Japanese Hand Planes 1 & 2

Instructor: Andrew Hunter
4-day course: April 24 – 27, 2026
Price: $650

In this 4-day class Andrew covers everything you need to know about Japanese hand planes. What seems like a simple tool, a blade and a block of wood, the Japanese plane (Kanna) is actually complex instrument with many subtle qualities. The first challenge most woodworkers face when learning to use a Kanna is that they don’t come ready to use out of the box. You are only supplied with great ingredients, and it is up to the user to get the fit between the blade and the block just right.


In the past, Andrew has separated teaching Japanese planes into two distinct classes. Class 1 involves setting up a plane with a single cutting blade and Class 2 covers setting up the chip breaker. Andrew is now teaching the complete setup and use of Japanese planes in a single 4-day class. Each student will receive a new plane (or bring your own if you have one already). If this is your first Japanese plane, Andrew recommends starting with this 45mm Yamamoto plane. If you have already taken Andrew’s plane Class 1 or if you have experience setting up a new plane, he recommends this 65mm Yamamoto plane


Andrew will work with each student to get their new plane into working order. He will cover sharpening and shaping the blade, fitting the blade to the block, fitting and adjusting the chip breaker and profiling the sole for optimal performance. Of course, you will also spend time using your new plane, learning to work with your whole body, not just your arms. By the conclusion of this class, each student will take home a fully operational Japanese hand plane and have the know how to keep it working correctly.


Students will pay Andrew directly for their new plane. The current cost of the 45mm plane is $200 and the 65mm plane is $250. The cost of the plane is not included in this course cost.


Class fee: $650

Class size limited to 10

Andrew is a custom furniture maker working and living in New York’s Hudson Valley. Best known for his use of traditional Japanese hand tools, Andrew demonstrates and teaches across the country. As a self-taught woodworker, he offers a unique perspective to other Americans exploring Eastern woodworking. His workshops demonstrate that by understanding the fundamental principles behind other cultures’ tools and techniques, all woodworkers can benefit. A frequent contributor to Fine Woodworking magazine, he is eager to share what he has learned in his 25-plus years of making furniture.

https://www.instagram.com/andrewhunter_furniture/

Cracked Ice Tabletop - Image 1

Cracked Ice Tabletop

Instructor: Tim Coleman
Weekend course: May 2 – 3, 2026
Price: $435

In this weekend workshop, students will learn to create a round tabletop with a cracked ice pattern in figured maple. The cracked ice pattern is seen widely in Chinese decorative arts and is a great way to learn how to construct geometric veneer patterns. The pattern utilizes the wood’s natural chatoyancy to create a surface with shapes that shift from light to dark.


Class fee: $385

Materials fee: $50

Class size limited to 10


Tim Coleman creates custom furniture in a shop he built a few paces from his home in rural Western Massachusetts. He has been creating furniture for clients and exhibition for more than 35 years after studying at the College of the Redwoods with James Krenov in the 1980s. Tim is known for his graceful and dynamic furniture forms which often feature richly patterned and textured surfaces. Using low-relief carving, marquetry, embossing, and thick veneer tiles, he has developed simple but innovative techniques that put a new spin on traditional embellishment. As passionate as Coleman is about his own work, he is equally excited to pass on his knowledge as a frequent contributor to Fine Woodworking Magazine and by teaching at schools throughout the US.

Unique Side Table - Image 1

Unique Side Table

Instructor: Tim Coleman
5-day course: May 4 – 8, 2026
Price: $1,050

This 5-day workshop follows the Cracked Ice tabletop weekend. Students will create this unique table with a base that gathers in the middle. The table is 22-inch-tall table with a 22-inch diameter solid wood top which we will overlay with decorative veneer. This versatile table design will introduce students to the possibilities and dynamics of pedestal tables and the design decisions that go into them.


This pedestal table design is perfect for those who took the Cracked Ice Tabletop class, but for those who didn’t, Tim will show you his novel method for veneering onto a solid wood substrate which allows you to shape the edge of the table as you would solid wood.


Class fee: $900

Materials fee: $150

Class size limited to 10

Tim Coleman creates custom furniture in a shop he built a few paces from his home in rural Western Massachusetts. He has been creating furniture for clients and exhibition for more than 35 years after studying at the College of the Redwoods with James Krenov in the 1980s. Tim is known for his graceful and dynamic furniture forms which often feature richly patterned and textured surfaces. Using low-relief carving, marquetry, embossing, and thick veneer tiles, he has developed simple but innovative techniques that put a new spin on traditional embellishment. As passionate as Coleman is about his own work, he is equally excited to pass on his knowledge as a frequent contributor to Fine Woodworking Magazine and by teaching at schools throughout the US.

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Exploring Bent Lamination

Instructor: Laura Kishimoto
6-day course: May 30 – June 4, 2026
Price: $950

Bent lamination represents a dramatic departure from most traditional fine woodworking. Rather than working within rectilinear geometry, you will lean into the materiality of the wood and explore its natural strengths through curvature. Reference face is often non-existent, so cutting joinery requires some creative thinking and novel use of machinery and hand tools. We will explore a variety of methods including cold lamination, mold making, vacuum forming, and freeform bending. Students will design and prototype a project that showcases bent lamination aesthetically and structurally.


Class fee: $850

Materials fee: $100

Class size limited to 12

Laura Kishimoto is a designer and maker based in Denver, Colorado and a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, where she earned a BFA in Furniture Design in 2013. Her work falls somewhere between sculpture and furniture, distinguished by its spatial complexity and visually striking curves. Central to her practice is a technique known as freeform bent lamination, which allows her to push the wood to its material limits and create curiously organic and emotionally evocative forms. Her pieces can be found in the permanent collections of the Denver Art Museum in Colorado and the Mint Museum in North Carolina.

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Metalworking for Woodworkers

Instructor: Sophie Glenn
Weekend course: June 13 – 14, 2026
Price: $300

In this weekend class, students will learn a few fundamental metalworking and woodworking techniques to create a series of small marking and layout tools. In the making of a marking knife, small bevel gauge, and a square, we’ll learn about different metals and their applications (tool steels, brass, and bronze), learn to to file, grind, heat treat, drill, hammer, sand, and cut our metals, and we’ll make wooden handles by incorporating cutting and shaping techniques using the bandsaw, drill press, sanders, and various hand tools. This class will be a practical way for any woodworker to dip their toes into metalworking.


Class fee: $275

Materials fee: $25

Class size limited to 8

Sophie is a metalworker, woodworker, and furniture maker currently based in Reading, PA. She makes classic furniture designs recreated out of steel to give voice to women in both the woodworking and metal fields, and she utilizes steel in the making of her work to explicitly expand upon the materials that are considered to be part of the fine furniture making field.

Sophie received her MFA in Furniture Design and Woodworking from San Diego State University, and BFA in Sculpture and Drawing from SUNY Purchase College. She has exhibited her work across the country, including Blue Spiral 1 Gallery (NC), the Center for Art in Wood (PA), and the Metal Museum (TN), and has been fortunate to receive several grants, fellowships, and residencies to help advance her career, including the John D. Mineck Fellowship in 2022. Sophie currently teaches at Kutztown University and has taught workshops at A Workshop of Our Own, Penland School of Craft, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, the Appalachian Center for Craft, and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.

https://sophieglenn.com

Design Techniques and Tools for Stack Lamination - Image 1

Design Techniques and Tools for Stack Lamination

Instructor: Taeyoul Ryu
Weekend course: July 11 – 12, 2026
Price: $350

Wendell Castle changed furniture history when he incorporated stack lamination techniques into his work. This allowed him to move away from “stick build” to more fluid pieces. This course will take you through the entire stack lamination process but will focus on the design and digital template creation front end. (The companion 5-day course will focus on the fabrication and carving processes.) Each student will create their own design. The process steps we will go through in class is as follows:


  1. Sketch
  2. Carve in foam or clay
  3. 3D scan
  4. Clean up model and manipulate
  5. Digitally slice the model and to automatically create templates


Students will need to bring their computers for steps 4 and 5. Instructor Taeyoul (Terry) Ryu was a longtime employee of Wendell’s and is a master of the stack lamination technique. There will also be at least one full-time assistant instructor. Class size is limited to 10 students.


Read about Castle’s pioneering techniques in this Fine Woodworking article, originally published in 1976.


Class fee: $350

Class size limited to 10

Taeyoul Ryu is a furniture designer with a BFA in Sculpture from the Chung-Ang University in Seoul, Korea and an MFA in Woodworking and Furniture Design from the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y. Taeyoul worked for Wendell Castle for 17 years on all aspects of his work. Taeyoul is an expert in design, sculpting, and the stack lamination method.

Taeyoul’s work has been featured in at least ten exhibitions at the Burchfield Penney Art Center, including six iterations of Art in Craft Media, a biennial juried exhibition at the center,In 2022. Ryu was named Langley Kenzie Prize winner and had an exhibition of his work, Royalty, featured at the Burchfield Penney Art Center.

http://taeyoulryu.com/

Make a Woodworking Draw Knife and - Image 2

Make a Woodworking Draw Knife and Froe

Instructor: Brian Martens
2-day course: July 11 – 13, 2026
Price: $325

There is no satisfaction like making something with tools that you’ve made. This workshop will focus on forging functional tools for use in the woodshop. Students will start by learning about appropriate steels and how to process them to bring out the desired qualities in hand tools such as durability, edge retention, and sharpenability. Students will then forge a drawknife and froe. Tools will be forged, filed, and rough ground prior to heat treat. After heat treating tools will be finish ground and sharpened as time allows. Students will also turn handles on a lathe. Final sharpening is an exercise left for home, though basic edge geometry will be established in the class.

Who Should Take this class:

This class is open a to all experience levels but prior forging experience is recommended. This is an interactive, hands on course where you will be forging tough materials and forge welding. Some project modifications may be made for those with less experience. Class will make use of hand and some power tools (grinders).

Class fee: $275

Materials fee: $50

Class size limited to 6

Brian took his first blacksmithing class in 2005 under local smith Richard Rightmyer to learn how to make his own woodworking tools. Captivated by the feel of hot metal under the hammer, Brian poured all his free time into advancing his smithing skills taking classes whenever he could. Brian began teaching blacksmithing and coppersmithing in 2012 and has demonstrated at many public events and conferences. Recently, he has focused on the art of copper chasing, finding the meticulous attention to detail it requires to be a form of meditation in motion.
Brian is an electrical engineer by day and holds a 6th Degree black belt in Aikido. He finds many commonalities with the efficient body movements of martial arts and the proper ergonomics for blacksmithing and coppersmithing. Brian has blended the arts to create effective and safe hammering techniques for people of all sizes. s an engineer, he is fascinated by the science of blacksmithing, specifically the metallurgy that goes into tool making. He firmly believes that true learning happens when you are having fun.

Stack Lamination Fabrication and Carving - Image 1

Stack Lamination Fabrication and Carving

Instructor: Taeyoul Ryu
5-day course: July 13 – 17, 2026
Price: $950

Wendell Castle changed furniture history when he incorporated stack lamination techniques into his work. This allowed him to move away from “stick build” to more fluid pieces. This course will take you through the entire stack lamination process but will focus on the fabrication and carving steps. (The companion, 2-day, course will focus on the design front-end.) Each student will choose one of four designs to build or they can build what they designed if they took the preceding 2-day course, Design Techniques and Tools for Stack Lamination. Designs should be limited to a 12″x12″x24″ envelope in order to finish the glue-up and carving within 5 days.. Templates of your chosen design will be provided to you. You’ll then trace the template on prepared stock, cut it out on a bandsaw, glue-up the laminations, and carve. We’ll progress through various power carving tools starting with an electric chainsaw and/or an angle grinder. We’ll then finish with hand tools. Instructor Taeyoul (Terry) Ryu was a longtime employee of Wendell’s and is a master of the stack lamination technique. There will also be at least one full-time assistant instructor. Class size is limited to 8 to ensure plenty of individualized attention.

Read about Castle’s pioneering techniques in this Fine Woodworking article, originally published in 1976.


Class fee: $850

Materials: $100

Class size limited to 8

Taeyoul Ryu is a furniture designer with a BFA in Sculpture from the Chung-Ang University in Seoul, Korea and an MFA in Woodworking and Furniture Design from the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y. Taeyoul worked for Wendell Castle for 17 years on all aspects of his work. Taeyoul is an expert in design, sculpting, and the stack lamination method.

Taeyoul’s work has been featured in at least ten exhibitions at the Burchfield Penney Art Center, including six iterations of Art in Craft Media, a biennial juried exhibition at the center,In 2022. Ryu was named Langley Kenzie Prize winner and had an exhibition of his work, Royalty, featured at the Burchfield Penney Art Center.

http://taeyoulryu.com/