Finding Inspiration in Foundations

Meet our Fall 2016 Foundations of Woodworking students. What inspires these individuals to dive into 12 weeks of woodworking? 

"A group of friends and I are starting an intentional community and farm, so we're all going out and learning some useful skills to build it from the ground up...my dream is bring some beauty to the "hippy natural building" scene. "-Kathryn (San Francisco) 

 "I went to the NW School of Wooden Boat Building and worked on a boat that we built there. I've always frankly been a little overwhelmed by the full spectrum of building or maintaining a wooden boat well, so what I hope to learn is the foundational skills in woodworking and hand tools. " -Josh (Port Townsend, Wa)

" I'm in the process of building a hand tool specific shop in Portland. I'd like to learn everything I can. I'd like to learn natural building. It seems like that's the way people go: the more you get into this, the deeper you want to go and you want to find the breadth of it at the same time." -Mike (Oregon)

"This town (Port Townsend) is my woodworking experience. I was wandering through and ended up working on a boat replication project and the Maritime Center for about seven months or so. Then I moved back to Idaho and turned wood for about 3 years. I spent the last month working on boat repair with a friend. I'm just trying to learning the skill and what I like to do personally with wood. My dream project is a 30 foot boat." -Bradley (Idaho)

"I was working at a barnwood furniture production shop. I'm really hoping to learning how to work with wood instead of just machine it and just churn out a product. I want to be able to enjoy the process." -Corey (Colorado)

 "My dream project is to learn it all." -Steve: (Sequim, Wa)

 "I've been a wood turner. I've been using a lot of big machinery to do a lot of nasty things to wood, and I'd like to learn how to do it right." -Andy (Redmond, Wa) 

"I was working in a shop and realized that I needed to step back and learn a little bit more about woodworking. I'd like to start like a foundation... I'd like to encourage women and figure out ways to get women into the building trades." -Alli (Vermont/Tacoma)  

"I was working for a construction company doing a carpentry apprenticeship. In doing that job there were some really great moments of building, but then there were other moments of like, oh my goodness, what are these materials we are working with? I'm wanting to build beautiful things and really discover my relationship to the building world." -Dee (Nevada) 

"I got to do an independent study doing wood sculpture last semester. What I want to learn is that if I have something that I want to make but I don't have a big shop and all these tools, I can do it with hand tools. Also, I'm kind of obsessed with turkish rugs and would like to weave one of those!" -Katie: (Olympia, Wa)