As a beginner, I’m looking to attend a week-long woodworking class sometime this summer. I’ve not been able to find any local schools (I’m near Denver, CO), so widened my search to anywhere in the US or Canada. I’ve found three possibilities that seem to make sense, and was wondering if anybody had heard of these “schools” (one is simply an individual). They are:
- Hendrik Varju, “A Passion For Wood”, in Ontario, Canada. 5-day intensive woodworking course, one-on-one instruction, about $1200.
- The Woodworker Academy in Alameda, CA. 4-day beginning woodworking class, about 10 to a class, $400.
- Rosewood Studio, Ontario Canada, 5-day basic woodworking class, class size about 10, $500 — you have to bring your own tools.
Any information would be welcome, including alternate schools suggestions.
-M.
Replies
Mark,
Check out this one. It is in Indiana, south of Indianapolis.
Chris
Do you mean the Marc Adams school?
Michael
Yes I did. Sorry I forgot to leave the link.
http://marcadams.com/site/index.html
Chris
Edited 3/23/2003 12:35:06 PM ET by Chris
You couldn't find any good courses nearby? How about 160 miles west. Anderson Ranch offers some outstanding programs, it's right near Aspen.
http://www.andersonranch.org
Lee
Furniture Carver
Anderson Ranch thats a blast from the past. I used to help teach photography work shops there. Forgot it even existed.
It's all the way in Maine, but if you're considering traveling anyway, there's the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship:
http://www.woodschool.com/
They've got all kinds of different classes listed for this year:
http://www.woodschool.com/calendar.html
MarkH:
Went to a week long school last October located just off the Pennsylvania Tpke near the NJ border.
Worked my butt off but loved it. I think very highly of Jeff Lohr both as a man and as a top flight woodworking professional.
I have included his web site (lots of good info there) and his E-Mail if you wanted to reach him.
Lots of good luck
http://WWW.jdlohrwood.com
[email protected]
http://marcadams.com/site/index.html
Here is another option--I highly recommend it.
I live in Indiana, and have heard bad things about marc adams school. I have heard that Marc(himself) likes to take 2 hours lunchs(of the time you are paying for) and is prone to leaving early... This could just be hearsay, but I have heard it a couple of times from different people.
I looked at Marc Adam's website over a year ago, and he had an application for apprenticeship. You worked for him without pay, and you were NOT allowed to do any of your own projects or utilize any of his tools. He was very clear about that at the time.. Not the way I like to be treated, so I have always steered clear of him and his school...
I guess some people have had good experiences from him though, or maybe it was from other instructors, but the rumor mill I have heard is pretty long and negative...
No offense to anyone, but just stating the rumormill.... You are more than welcome to take what I say with a grain of salt....
I have been going to Marc Adams school for several years now and I can assure you that the rumors you're hearing are false. I've had a couple of classes from Marc and he does not take 2 hour lunch, nor does he quit early. It is an excellent school and I would highly recommend it.
I have attended Marc's school for seven years now. It has been a constant process of improvement based on input from his staff, faculty, and students. His staff turnover is incredibly low (your visa has to run out :) ). Marc works as hard as anyone at his school.
Marc has ways he wants things done and it is his shop and you will do them that way. In return you get one of the nicest facilities and program available.
I am amazed you would perpetuate such ignorance having not even done a weekend workshop. Shame on you.
Tom O'Flynn
Walton, KY
I too have taken at least 5 courses at Marc's school over several years. The power equipment is available from 7 in the morning until 6 in the evening. For safety reasons he does not want people using the machinery when none of the instructors are around. However, you may stay as long as you want using hand tools. Often we would do all of the machining and then spend the evenings with fitting and adjusting. He even has keys available it you want to come in early or work all night. Lunches are prepared by his wife and mother and are available during the lunch hour. There is no requirement that you stay for the hour, although at that time of the day it is good to sit for a little while. Usually there is more instruction starting around 1 PM. Most days I was so tired at the end that dinner was a hamburger and a beer and then to bed.
I can understand why he does not want the instructors working on their own projects since they are there to help the students. They were always around the large machinery to make sure that we did not do stupid things. They were always available to answer questions and expand on the lecture.
When taking one of the classes Marc himself taught he often gave talks in the evening dealing with adhesives or how to correct mistakes. I was able to take courses from Chris Gouchner, Mario Rodriquez, Garrett Hack, etc.
I found that the courses there so expanded my self-taught techniques that I felt the time and expense was well worth it. Nothing like watching the master do it, asking questions and then doing it yourself with the master and the other pupils around to answer more questions.
Wow Grouchie! What an accusation - I suppose there is a reason that hearsay is not admissible in court. Try taking a class yourself and reach your own conclusions instead of spreading rumors about something which you have no first hand knowledge. I guess your handle is appropriate and folks should take what you say with a block of salt instead of the grain you suggest. I have taken 4 weeklong classes at MASW over the past 6 years and can assure you that the things you accuse him of are false. To the contrary, Marc, his staff, and his guest instructors work their butts off. With an alumni return rate in excess of 90%, this should speak for itself.
Steve
Your rumor mill is FALSE. You should be ashamed.I have attended 8 5-day classes at his school. In one of the classes taught be Marc, his Joinery class, he invites anyone who wants to stay after, to learn more about "glue". He went through the materials from 6 PM to 8 PM, all in addition to teaching a full all-day class. As for lunches, his wife and mother prepare the meals. I would say my lunch periods lasted about 20 minutes.Why do syou uppose that he has a re-attendance rate of better than 90%? Certainly not because he offers less than top quality instruction (instructors) and equipment. Turning students all work on OneWay lathes, the shop has just replaced all table saws with SawStops. Why not stop by and see for yourself rather than repeating unfounded rumors?Frosty
It's good to hear from others that the rumors are false, but we shouldn't shoot the messenger- I believe he did say 'no offense to anyone'. We're lucky to have a forum like this one, so that rumors such as those can be dispelled. But we must remember to not hurt anyone's feelings in the process. I personally live about 45 minutes south of MASW and plan to certainly attend some classes in the future after the glowing reccomendations i've heard here.
It's a bit expensive, but so is any good education. Does anyone have a favorite class?
Vince, I understand your point, but I am not so sure I agree with your underlying assumption that he was merely a messenger rather than a provocateur. This isn't the first thread that Grouchie has come in and stirred the old pot.
I attended 2 classes, each one week long, at William Ng's School of Fine Woodworking in Anaheim, California. (see ad in front of FWW)They were both excellent. William is a craftsman, and I mean that in the highest complimentary sense. I can't wait until SWMBO simmers down about my absence so I can sign up for another one.
I hear you loud and clear- perhaps more time in our knots community will shed new light on the general attitudes and insights of its contributers. As for schools... right now I'm trying to stick close to home (bloomington indiana) and that makes the Mark Adams school my prime interest. I'm just finishing an art degree at IU in may, but I have become an avid woodworker during the past few years. It seems that some formal education in woodworking might be a good idea.
Hmmm? I wonder if Marc Adams feelings may have been hurt or offended by the unfounded rumors on a public forum that is discussing his livelihood?
I don't have a favorite class as they have been all great. I have seen a number of visitors show up Thursday afternoon or Friday mornings to see what the school is all about. Since you live so close, you may want to give them a call and arrange a visit. The average student travels over 500 miles to attend the school.
That's a great idea- I shall certainly schedule a visit to check the place out. I can only imagine the amount of hard work and dedication it must take to create a school for woodworking. It must be very hard to see potentially damaging rumors after one has done so much work to create a top notch learning environment. But it seems (thankfully) that with good schools there is always a loyal army of dedicated students to take up the call and contradict any doubts. vincent
Mark,
I recently completed the "Intensive Course" with Hendrik Varju and would highly recommend it. Like yourself I evaluated the options available at various schools and I settled in with Passion for Wood very quickly. Prior to committing to the course I talked with Hendrik on a number of occasions outlining what I hoped to achieve in the course and this also gave him an opportunity to assess my interests and skill level. I actually changed the project from the hall table to a writing desk which I had more of a need for and the only extra charge was for the additional materials. The main difference with Passion For Wood in my opinion is the "one on one" instruction where you have significant control of the pace and all of the attention of the instructor not possible in a larger setting. This allows you to focus in on areas that either interest you or that you are weak in and in my case I spent additional time on sharpening and hand planing. I found Hendrik very knowledgable and easy to communicate with on any related subject I wished to discuss and I never felt I asked a dumb question. Good luck in your search.
M,
A while back, I posted a similar message called "Woodworking Camp". The number of the message was: 31135.1
If you look up that message, you will get the rest of the thread. I believe that was the longest list of woodworking schools that Knots has ever generated. It was a fun thread.
Good luck.
Mel
Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
Well, it's not a one week course, but Cerritos College in Cerritos, CA (outside of LA, if you're not from around here) offers quite a few semester-long woodworking courses that are really excellent. I'm halfway through the intro class, and really feel that I am getting a lot of information that addresses the things I didn't learn in my "self taught" process up until now. And the price is hard to beat. This class is costing me somewhere around $200 for the 16 weeks of class plus all materials.
More info at http://www.cerritos.edu/wood
Rizzo the Rat, A Muppet Christmas Carol
Here's a place in your neighborhood in Colorado:
http://www.andersonranch.org
I didn't dig too deep into their website, but in the past I've seen their promotional newspaper with their schedule of sessions and they offered a number of woodworking seminars. Not sure what's offered this year, don't know anything about the instructors or quality of instruction (can't even offer any unsubstantiated hearsay), or if it fits your schedule, but it's worth a look!
While I don't have a personal experience to share, I do know one person that attended Marc Adams' school last summer and had an extraordinarily good experience in the program. He intended to go back again this summer.
tony b.
...off to take my two-hour lunch...then it's an early departure from work tomorrow...if you need your chopping tools sharpened, bring 'em to this discussion...apparently someone has a number of axes he wants to grind...
yotonyb, ROTFLMAO with respect to your final paragraph. youz funny!
gary rogowski, contributor to this site has a woodworking school in portland oregon, i believe it's called northwest woodworking school? anyway, i really like his contributions here and his school might be a good one to look into.
I'm in Denver...Red Rocks Community College has a great Fine Woodworking program...they have several seminars planned for the summer, and the full slate of classes starts back up in the fall. In state-tuition is about $500 for a 4 credit course, which will take you all semester.
check out http://www.rrcc.edu/finewood for more information.
I too live in Denver Co. You should check out Red Rocks Community College. Here is the link to their Fine Woodworking program. They have some great classes as well as a few workshops. Nice thing is.... you do not have to go too far.
http://www.rrcc.edu/finewood/
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