Upcoming Green Woodworking Workshops

3 Legged Perch
Come carve your seat and learn the ins and outs of basic Windsor joinery. Head home with your own perch ready for your final finishing touches!
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August 7-9
$600
Register one spot left!

August 14-16
$600
​Register one spot left!

Spoon Carving
In these hands-on whittling sessions you will learn about wood structure to carve your own woodenware from greenwood. All tools and materials provided.
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September Thursdays (3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th) 5:30-7:30
$60 drop in, $200 for all 4 sessions
​Register

Fan Back Side Chair
Construct a fan back side chair for your living space. This course offers a well rounded exposure to all things Windsor Chair. Great for beginners or for fine tuning your skillset.

September 28-October 3
​$1500
​Register

Firewood Carrier
Get ready for firing up the wood stove! Winter is coming and these firewood carriers will hold more than you want to carry. Based on a design by Dave Sawyer.

October 17-18 10AM-4PM
$250
​Register

​Continuous Arm Rocker
My personal favorite chair for sitting. We'll steam bend a 60" arm bow and learn how to fit rockers so you can take home your own comfy rocking chair.

November 8-14
$1600
​Register one spot left!

Continuous Arm High Chair
We'll cover all the basics of Windsor chairmaking sized down for a toddler to join  you at the table! Greenwood working and carving experience recommended but not necessary.

November 29-December 6
$1600
Register

Democratic Rocking Chair
If you didn't get enough work with the drawknife on the democratic side chair, this rocking chair should satisfy. To build the democratic rocking chair you'll shape 16 parts with the drawknife. This is a 7-day labor intensive workshop. You'll need to take a sit when we're done!

$1600
Register
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More Workshops

From time to time I can add a workshop to my schedule. If there is a course you are interested in but do not see listed on my schedule, please get in touch.

Curved Leg Stool
This 4-day workshop will focus on durable undercarriage joinery, seat carving (all hand tools, of course), and a spokeshave finish for the legs and stretchers. Head home with your new favorite stool, originally designed by Pete Galbert. 

$1000

Continuous Arm
Shape and steam bend the show stopping 60" arm bow - and that's just day 1! You'll become competent in spindle shaping and fitting; she's got 13!

$1500

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Hoop Back Chair
Some people call this a balloon back, I've just always called it a hoop back. Either way, it's an ambitious bend and runs through all the finer points of green wood working. 

​$1500

Finishing with Milk Paint Workshops

BYO piece or arrange with me to stay after your workshop and we can work through finishing together!

These courses will be priced based on the size of the piece and the time needed. They can be virtual or in person at my shop in Sheffield.

​Reach out to schedule!

Email me

Course outline

During my chair making classes, we'll cover splitting and riving, wet-dry joinery, basic wood technology and much more, as you create an heirloom quality Windsor chair.
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Materials, instruction and use of all applicable hand tools included. The basic outline is as follows and can be tailored to student strengths and areas for growth and learning.
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• Day 1 -- splitting and riving, spindles and bow. Lots of draw knife work on the shave horse and steam bending the bow.
• Day 2 -- seat layout and mortise boring. Leg joinery, stretcher measurements. Arm support joinery and measurements. Start carving the seat.
• Day 3 -- Finish carving the seat and leg up. Clean up the arm.
• Day 4 -- Bore mortices and ream to get the arm set. Clean up tenons to prep for assembly.
• Day 5 -- Fit spindles and prep for glue up!
• Day 6 -- Glue up on day 5 or day 6, depending on progress. If glue up is on day 5, the final day can be spent on prepping for paint. 

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Students take home a piece ready for finishing. I finish my chairs and stools using RMP Co Finishes. You can use coupon code Jack10 for 10% off their finishing products.

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Workshops in the new space made possible in part by support from the Connecticut Office of the Arts, which also receives funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), a federal agency.

Register for classes

Contact me to schedule or register for a workshop in the Berkshires (292 S Main St Sheffield, MA).

• 7 day chair classes cost $1600
• 6 day chair classes cost $1500.
• 4 day stool classes cost $1000
• ​3 day perch classes cost $600.

​Chair classes are limited to 4 students. A non-refundable $250 deposit will hold your spot. To sign up, email [email protected] or use the registration links below the course description. I can accept payment via Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, or check. 

For those traveling from a distance, please see this list of options for nearby accommodations. 

Intro to Slöjd: Greenwood Spoon Carving

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Join me for hands-on whittling lessons. Learn the basics of wood structure and traditional knife grips in a supportive setting, while you produce your own butter paddle and spoon(s). Tools and materials will be provided. 

Sundays in June 10-12 
$60 drop in, $200 for all 4 sessions

Thursdays in September 5:30-7:30
$60 drop in, $200 for all 4 sessions

Pre-Register here for Spoon Carving Session(s)

"The perch class was a game changer for me that increased my confidence and interest in chair making ten fold. Andy is a knowledgeable, patient instructor who is certainly a leader in the craft willing and able to share all the tricks of the trade. My only complaint was that I don't live several hours closer and will have to wait to have more time to take another class. Great job Andy - I'll be back!"​ - Tom
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"I took a six-day instruction from Andy, building the democratic chair. It was a wonderful, fulfilling, useful and joy filled experience.  Between riving the wood, shave-horsing the chair elements, scorping the seat, drilling and shaping the mortises and gluing the whole thing up, in only 6 days, it was a beautiful and meaningful experience." - Peter
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"I can't thank you enough for making this dream a reality - for your patient and thorough instruction, flexible scheduling, excellence, and all the rest... I'm thinking it might be good to come back for another week with you at some point this year, if you'd be open to that. Not sure what form I'd like to tackle next..." - Daniel

I am offering personalized, virtual chairmaking skills workshops!

So, you went and made a chair in a class and you got home to your own shop and realized you didn't take the notes you needed...

Fill in the blanks with me virtually, one-on-one. I can answer, demonstrate and troubleshoot your specific questions and help you craft a chair in the comfort of your own space. 

Build confidence on your schedule, in your space, and target the skills that you want to hone to construct your own Windsor chair.

Every session is catered to individual student needs. Possible topics include:

• Layout
• Flattening and carving the seat
• Angled drilling and reaming
• Splitting and shaving
• Bending
• Shaping spindles
• Joinery

The price is $100/hour. I can accept payment via Venmo, PayPal or check. Contact me to schedule.