Foundations of Woodworking II

12-week intensive program for intermediate students

Winter 2025
January 6 - March 28
Spring 2025
April 7 - June 27

About

Foundations of Woodworking II is intended as the second half of a comprehensive introductory woodworking education. It is suitable for students interested in pursuing these lifelong skills professionally or for personal enrichment. It offers continued foundational woodworking knowledge and practice that builds on the skills learned in Foundations of Woodworking I. Graduates of Foundations of Woodworking I and II will become equipped to make intelligent and creative decisions at every step of the furniture making process. 

During this twelve week intensive program, students will learn and practice skills necessary to design and build their own unique furniture pieces. This education will range from project management and workflow, techniques for assembling and shaping furniture, and experimenting with methods for enhancing and altering wood quality and color. Students will begin to develop their personal aesthetic sensibilities, and practice generating ideas through sketching and building scale models. They will be exposed to a variety of joinery, bending, and lamination techniques, and are expected to incorporate these new techniques into their designs. Students will participate in an instructor-led group critique following each project to further hone their self-evaluation skills and reflect on their experiences.

Foundations of Woodworking I and II are designed to build upon each other in a way that is exciting and efficient. Those enrolling in Foundations of Woodworking II are expected to have taken Foundations of Woodworking I, or have equally relevant woodworking experience. At the start of Foundations II students are expected to come prepared with their own personal layout and bench tools. This is a rigorous, full-time course that is physically and mentally demanding. We provide after-hours access to the bench and machine rooms for students to work, as they often need time beyond normal hours to complete their projects.

Course Description

We begin Foundations of Woodworking II by diving into the science and art of chair making. First, students will learn about windsor joinery, seat carving, and revisit turning while building a simple stool. Next we’ll learn how to build an adaptable frame chair that incorporates a curved element. Students will build full-scale mockups to help them consider how the force and comfort of the human body should affect chair construction. They will also be introduced to simple upholstery and weaving techniques, and continue to learn about finish treatments that enhance the color and quality of wood.

The second month is spent building a table of your own design. Students will deepen their knowledge of furniture history and design, and use this to inform and develop their own design aesthetic. They will be introduced to stack, bent and brick-lay lamination techniques, and apply these curved techniques to their piece. Students will learn and practice additional methods for producing furniture parts and joinery on machine tools, including making jigs for common furniture applications.

Our final month of Foundations of Woodworking II is devoted to a self-directed final project of the student’s choosing. This project is meant as a capstone to the cumulation of skills, experiences, and aesthetic preferences that have been honed by the students throughout the first twenty weeks of our two-session program. Students will be well prepared to manage this project on their own from design to finish, bolstered by instructor support along the way. They are expected to make a model and a complete set of scale and full-scale drawings as needed. Students will incorporate at least one of the various techniques learned in Foundations II, such as windsor chair techniques, steam bending, various laminations, etc. They will develop a finishing plan with required finishing samples.

Additional lecture topics throughout the quarter will include forestry and forest ecosystems, mechanical properties of wood, and more. Students will have the opportunity to visit local woodworkers in their shops, and ask questions of experienced makers about topics such as facilities, business practices, marketing, etc. We will also educate students on basic machine tool cleaning, adjusting and tuning, and ask that students participate in the upkeep of the shop.

Student Outcomes

1. Design – Use drawing, modeling, and group critique to design furniture; Practice design ideation. 

2. Shop practice, personal practice and project management – Estimate time and materials, establish production plans

3. Hand tool proficiency – Layout, cut and fit joinery by hand, and be able to determine when it’s appropriate to use hand tools or machine tools

4. Machine tool proficiency – Safely and effectively use machine tools for milling and joinery; make and use jigs for machine tool use

5. Joinery – Select and produce appropriate joinery for strength, movement, and aesthetic value

6. Glue up and assembly – Identify and use a variety of glues and adhesives; Strategize assembly and sub-assembly workflow, and problem solve how to clamp unique/tricky workpieces; Appropriately plan for and execute a variety of lamination techniques

7. Finishing and surface preparation – Develop and complete multi-step finishing plans, including the creation of finish samples; properly prepare surfaces for finishing and/or alter wood surfaces for visual appeal.

8. Stock selection, preparation and materials handling – Prepare materials for curved processes like sequencing laminations; Choose and prepare lumber suitable for steam bending

9. Shapes, curves and details – Effectively sculpt wood with hand and power tools to create apparent thicknesses, comfortable seats and rounded forms; Become proficient with many curved techniques like steam bending and bent laminations

10. Sharpening and tool maintenance – Adjust and maintain machine tools and dust collection system; Change blades and bits

Course Projects

Project 1: Windsor Stool - A one-week module in which students build a small milking stool.

• Revisit turning spindles

• Windsor joinery techniques

• Seat carving 

Project 2: Frame Chair - A three-week module in which students build and shape a simple chair.

• Draft a to-scale technical drawing

• Building a mock-up

• Finishing plan with test samples

• Introduce steam bending

• Basic chair construction and design

Project 3: Curved Table - A four-week module in which students design and build a table that incorporates a curved technique.

• Build a model

• Introduce curved lamination techniques

• Power carving

Project 4: Self-Directed Final Project - A four-week module in which students complete a capstone project of their own design.

• Project design and management

Optional Course Reading

These are texts that your instructors may reference during the course.

Designing Furniture, From Concept to Shop Drawing: a Practical Guide by Seth Stem
Tage Fried Teaches Woodworking By Tage Fried
The Chairmaker’s Notebook By Peter Galbert
The Complete Manual of Woodbending: Milled, Laminated, and Steambent Work by Lon Schleining

Tools

Below are lists of tools required for class, as well as tools and supplies that are optional, though maybe desirable. If you have a favorite tool that is not listed here, please bring it. Tools come in wide varieties of quality and price points. You can read about our specific brand recommendations here. If accumulating the required tool set is financially unviable for you at this time, please inquire as early as possible so that we can discuss alternate accommodations.

Required Layout Tools and Design Supplies:

• Tape measure

• Double square or combination square

• 6-inch rule

• Small pencil compass

• Marking gauge

• Sliding bevel

• Marking knife or sharp utility knife with extra blades

• Sketchbook

• Pencils

• Erasers

• French curve set

Optional (but desirable) Design Supplies:

• Graph paper

• Tracing paper (large as possible)

• Transfer paper or carbon paper (large as possible)

• Eraser shield

• Drawing bow

• Ships curves set

• Colored pencils

• Mechanical pencil

• Sharpie

• Scissors

Required Hand Tools:

• Bench chisel set (minimal set: ¼” ½” ¾” 1”)

• Block plane

• Spokeshave

• Fine cut pull saw (ryoba/double saw—modern-style saw perfectly acceptable)

• Straight and curved scrapers

Optional Hand Tools (If you have any of these tools, bring them. If you prefer to work primarily with hand tools, consider purchasing them):

• Crosscut saw, rip saw, dovetail saw

• Coping saw or fret saw

• Jack plane, smoothing plane, shoulder plane, router plane

• Pullshave, travisher, or rounded/concave spokeshaves

• Dovetail chisels

• Carving chisels

• Cabinetmaker’s rasp or saw-rasp

• Drawknife

• Optional Power Tools

• Cordless drill (Desirable)

• Power carving tools

  
  

Prerequisites

Foundation of Woodworking I (exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the instructors. If you have questions about this, please email info@ptwoodschool.org)

Course Duration & Hours

Class hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday, for 12 consecutive weeks in Building 304. Students are expected to arrive at 8:45 am to practice and prepare for the day.

The workshop is fully available to students during class time Monday through Friday. After the first week, the bench and machine rooms are available after hours and on weekends.

Housing

In collaboration with Fort Worden Hospitality, PTSW is offering communal housing within one of the many large historic homes next to the school. This housing is solely for intensive students attending Fall, Winter, and Spring courses. Read more here.

Other lodging and accommodations in Port Townsend can be found at this link. We also maintain a list of homeowners who enjoy hosting students and offer a range of accommodations and reasonable rates. Students are responsible for all communications with homeowners.

Tuition & Registration Details

Before applying, please review the registration process and deadlines, tuition details, the tuition payment schedule, and our cancellation policies.

• Submission Deadline- Six months before course start 

• Submission Deadline Extension- One month extensions to submission deadline as needed (if course is not full)

How To Apply

Applications for the 12-week intensives are reviewed monthly, starting six months in advance of the course date. After reviewing applications, we will schedule a brief phone interview to get a better sense of your woodworking experience and make sure the class is a good fit for you. 

There is no fee for applying. Applications are completed online by students. You will receive a confirmation of your application by email after you submit your application. Please contact us if you do not receive this email. If you have questions, please call us at 360-344-4455 or email info@ptwoodschool.org.

Before applying, please review these application details.

Scholarships

Our goal is to provide more access to fine woodworking education for all. If you the tuition expense is a barrier, please consider applying for a scholarship. Please note: applications for scholarships must be submitted before registering for a course.

GI Bill® & VRE Funding for Veterans

Currently, both of our 12-week programs are eligible to be covered by your VA benefits. Our two consecutive 12-week intensives provide six months of fine woodworking training and furniture design. Details on how to use your VA benefits.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill   

Vocational Option

The Port Townsend School of Woodworking is licensed as a Washington State Private Vocational School. The school is not nationally accredited and regrettably cannot accept AmeriCorps Funds.

To learn more about our vocational option, including Vocational Rehabilitation for veterans which may cover tools, see our vocational catalog.

Instructors