Classes start promptly at 9:00 am, so students should plan on driving up early or arriving at their hotel the night before (book your hotels early). But please don’t arrive earlier than 8:30 am.

We ask that students do not park in the driveway, but park on the grass, in front of the school, facing the black fence. We need to keep the driveway & turnaround spot clear so cars and trucks can turn around rather than backing int othe street.

Classes start with getting to know each other, followed by safety instruction and a gathering of the project material fees (if applicable). Then your instructor(s) will dive into the subject matter.

Each student will have a traditional woodworking workbench to work on, with a stool.

Each class has different tool requirements. Most classes provide all the necessary woodworking hand tools. However, in these classes, students are welcome to bring their own hand tools (properly sharpened, of course). But a few classes require students to bring their own tools. These requirements will be specified in the class page where you enrolled.

A one hour break will be taken around noon. To allow students to make more progress on their projects, students are encouraged to bring their lunches to eat at the school (we have a fridge). However, there are some convenience stores a few minutes away that make sandwiches, and also restaurants are a short 8 minute drive from the school. Don’t be late getting back from lunch or you might get behind!

Classes will generally end around 5:00 pm (some instructors go a little later), after which students are encouraged to join each other for dinner & socializing at one of many nearby restaurants (8+ minutes away). The historic downtown Charlottesville area is known for it’s amazing local restaurants (20 minutes away). Most students are typically working earnestly to finish their projects on the last day, but we’ll always take time for a class photo!

So glad you asked! Ha, ha. We sell school T-shirts & hats, our woodworking DVDs, our beeswax wood finish, and maybe a few other things. We accept cash, card, or check.

No grades are given out at our school, so don't fret. If you find that you're a bit behind by the end of class, no problem. Not every detail of every project gets completed by every person, but students should be able to leave the class feeling confident in their newly learned ability to complete the project on their own when they get home.

Absolutely. Students of our woodworking school are entitled to discounts from woodworking hand tool companies like Lee Valley / Veritas and Taylor Toolworks. You can use the discount between the day you signed up and the last day of class. After registering for your class, reach out to us and we'll email you a student discount form.

Our school isn't equipped with indoor plumbing, but that's okay, because this is a historical hand tool woodworking school. So we've got an outdoor outhouse just steps away from the school. If you've never used an outhouse before, then you'll love this experience! Ours is clean and airy. You can see a photo further down this page.

Of course! But we do ask that you don't overdo it, because it could be distracting to your instructor and classmates. But please feel free to share pictures of your class with your family and friends! Just no embarassing photos :)