Class: Restoring Wooden Handplanes with Bill Anderson (2 Days)

About the Instructor:

Bill Anderson is a hand tool expert who lives in Chatham County, North Carolina. In addition to building beautiful period furniture, he teaches woodworking classes at Roy Underhill’s Woodwright’s School and the John C. Campbell Folk School. He is a member of the Society of American Period Furniture Makers, Midwest Tool Collectors Association, and Early American Industries Association. Below you can watch the video of our tour of Bill’s workshop, and read the article & see photos here.

Materials Fee:

There is not a material fee for this class, unless students wish to purchase a new plane iron or special material. These will be reasonable fees. Students who don’t have wooden handplanes can email Bill before the class to arrange the purchase of planes from him.

How to Get Here & Where to Stay:

The address of the school is 5700 Buffalo River Rd. Earlysville, Virginia 22936 (Google Maps here). The school is convenient to quite a few hotels, stores, and restaurants, and is only 8 minutes from the Charlottesville airport. Many more details are listed on the school's main page here.

Class Policies, Liability Waiver, & Cancellations:

No students under 18 years of age are allowed. A PDF document with the full class policies and a liability waiver will be sent in the order confirmation email. All students are required to sign and return this document prior to attending the class. Anyone can cancel a class up to 2 weeks prior to the class for a full refund (minus a $25 fee that covers credit card processing fees and administrative work). Cancellations under two weeks before a class begins will be given a refund (less $25) if we can find someone else to fill the slot. If we have to cancel a class for an unforeseen emergency, inclement weather, or low number of registrations, a full refund will be given to students.

BILL’S COVID-19 REQUIREMENTS: Because Bill has a compromised immune system, he has specifically requested that all students in his classes be fully vaccinated for Covid-19. He will not require masks, but he will require that proof of vaccination be emailed to him at least one week before the class starts.

Student Tool Discounts:

After you’ve registered for a class, you are eligible for a discount from Lee Valley (Veritas) and Taylor Toolworks. Lee Valley offers a 15% discount, and a discount form PDF will be available for download in your Wood and Shop dashboard after your purchase. For a 10% discount from Taylor Toolworks fill out this form and upload a photo or screenshot of your class order email (under the “Student ID” section). The discounts may not be available after the end of the class, so try to place your orders before then.