The essence of a handcrafted Windsor chair lies not just in its graceful form but also in the intimate relationship between the craftsman and the raw materials. This age-old art, steeped in tradition, carries a deep understanding of the wood grain, the rhythm of hand tools, and the mastery of listening and responding to the wood.
Read MoreCatapults with kids! The Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute partnered with Lenawee Great Start to offer a catapult building workshop during the PlaneWave Open House on October 7th. During the workshop kids were assisted by staff, volunteers and family members to construct their own catapult and then shoot marshmallows into the woods.
Read MoreMany of you may have seen the timber frame pavilion structure standing in front of our school for the past 4 months. This timber frame structure was built by Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute (SBWI) students in May of this year during a 5-day timber frame workshop with jack Witherington. They built and raised the timber frame structure in front of our classroom to be on display during the Great Lakes Woodworking Festival.
Read MoreWhat a historic week!!! We are beyond elated to announce the completion of the first ever helical staircase course offered in North America. Students of the SBWI completed this course with grand success and demonstrated their skill and competency by constructing their own scaled-down model of a spiral staircase.
Read MoreIt’s pretty common for our Windsor Chairmaking students to think of questions after attending one of our 5-7 day classes. It is inevitable as you bring your chair home and start to think about the finish and showing it off to your family and friends, that you might notice an imperfection here or there, or wonder … how much Milk Paint should I purchase??
Read MoreSteve McCarroll served in the US Army for 24 years. In January, 2020, he registered to become a Woodworking Warrior. He took the safety course (which is required for all veterans to use the shop) and then thought “What do I do now?”
Read MoreEvery Windsor Chair Making class is an immersive, unforgettable experience. It is a week of hard, grueling work followed by pride and accomplishment at making an object so incredible it will last well beyond your lifetime. Last month, a father and son, Dean and Ryan Ramsey joined us to build Windsor Continuous Arm Chairs.
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