Beginning Hand Tool Woodworking

5 Days, For Beginners

Spring 2025
April 21-25

This five-day introductory course is intended to build confidence, demystify woodworking through the use of hand tools, and get you excited to work with wood on your own. You will be provided with a full-size woodworking bench equipped with all of the sharpened tools needed for the class and led through the construction of a benchtop tool tote project designed to further your understanding of fine bench joinery.

School founder, master woodworker, and author Jim Tolpin developed this class while writing The New Traditional Woodworker. This book is encouraged as supplemental reading and reference for students enrolled in this course.

During this five-day course, you will learn an array of joints, layout techniques, and practical tips for crafting successful joinery through your project: a hand tool tote. You will discover the pleasure of working wood with hand tools, and the confidence to properly set up, sharpen, and maintain those same tools to continue this practice on your own time. This project will include the creation of lapped joints, dados, and grooves by hand and will make for a challenging and rewarding end product. Different design and construction elements will be examined with the final design being determined by you, the student!

Over the course of the week, you will learn a number of joints and put them to immediate practice through the construction of your project. You will learn to choose the right tool for the job, how to set the tools up properly, and practice the skills you’ll need to work as efficiently and enjoyably as possible. These joints and techniques include:

Lapped joints
Stopped dados
Floating panels in grooves
Dovetails (as time allows)
Bridle joints (as time allows)

This course will also cover the following topics and techniques:

Handsaws
Handplanes (for joinery, sizing, detailing and smoothing)
Chisels (for hewing and joinery)
Precision layout

Tools

Required:

PTSW will provide all the tools for this course. You do not need to bring any tools for this class!

Prerequisites

For beginners.

Class Information and Registration

Class is 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday in Building 315 at Fort Worden. Map
Please read our What to Expect page for general information about the School.
Please also read our Registration Policy.
Please sign up for the waitlist if the course is full.

Class size: 12
Cost: $940
Materials Charge: $100

Beginning Hand Tool Woodworking 2025