We’ve Re-Tooled Our Offerings to Support Our Students

The Port Townsend School of Woodworking (PTSW) is pleased to announce a new model for our furniture-intensive programming. 

After a lot of careful consideration and collaboration with our board, instructors, and students we’ve honed a shorter program that we hope will improve the accessibility, quality, and functionality of our furniture intensives. The new Foundations of Woodworking program is now two twelve-week woodworking intensives, Foundations of Woodworking I and Foundations of Woodworking II, which we will offer twice a year. Sequenced together into a six-month program, this intensive woodworking study is designed to build a foundational woodworking education that will serve students for a lifetime. Taking the best elements from our previous intensives, Traditions of Furniture and Art of Furniture, this program is designed to empower students in both their technical skills and their mindset as craftspeople in a streamlined and affordable format. 

We understand that becoming a student again can mean navigating mental and emotional roadblocks when it comes to learning new skills. Our instructors offer a wealth of industry experience and facilitate an atmosphere of patience and support. Small class sizes and a high instructor-to-student ratio allow for more personalized instruction. 

“This course taught me so much and not just in the field of woodworking. I have been challenged and pushed in many ways to see more clearly where I'm at and where I have room to grow. I’m grateful for how I have learned to love myself through all the imperfections, to love the “mistakes,” to drop the perfectionism, to breathe deeply even when I just totally messed up, to really focus, and to cultivate discipline…only competing with myself.”  - recent Foundations graduate Grant Nixon

Our aim is that Foundations graduates feel empowered with the technical skills, decision-making experience, creative expression, and emotional resilience to shape the physical world around them. 

Alongside these changes, PSTW has a renewed commitment to the cycle of reflection, feedback, and revision to keep the intensive program responsive to the changing needs of the growing woodworking community. We are excited at this opportunity to practice our values and be a leader in making woodworking education accessible to all.

If this program is a good fit for you, click here to read more about the Foundation of Woodworking program.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with comments or questions!