Mike Siemsen at the Mike Siemsen School of Woodworking in Minnesota has agreed to put on a low-cost hand-tool immersion course in June 2016 that is based directly on the two classes I ran in 2015 for new woodworkers who are 35 and younger.
The class will run June 13-17. Attendees will camp and cook on his farm property (just like the class at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking). Also good to know: Mike has bathrooms and showers. The cost is an amazingly low $450 for the week. That includes materials and the camping (bring your own tent). If you are 35 or younger, you cannot beat this week-long experience as a way to get started.
Attendees will be fixing up tools, learning about sharpening and building the same tool chest we built at the New English Workshop in Bridgwater, England, and at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking. I’ve given all my teaching materials to Mike, and it will essentially be the same class, only in a Minnesota accent.
Sign up quick. Here’s the link. Or send an e-mail directly to Mike to secure your place at mike@schoolofwood.com.
Mike is an outstanding woodworker, a great teacher, funny as hell and crazy generous to be doing this. He has an outstanding shop for this sort of thing and a beautiful farm for camping.
As with the other classes, we would love to have your help getting tools and/or cash donations to help outfit the students. Mike has already had offers of people volunteering to assist him during the class – and he could use a few more assistants. I’ll discuss the tools the students need in a future blog post.
Thanks to Mike for picking up the torch on this important way to give the next generation of woodworkers a fast start.
— Christopher Schwarz
Chris,
It looks like you may have started a movement. Let’s hope, and good for everyone if you have.
Please let us know where to send tool donations.
Awesome!! I too would love to donate either materials or tools. Question tho, why is there an age limit for the class? Purely out of curiosity, and no disrespect intended.
John
Why are you limiting this class to 35 and under?
To encourage younger woodworkers to get into the craft.
You should make a 55 and over class.
Let’s see who learns faster and has better craftsmanship !!
I’ve been running “55 and older” classes for 10 years now.
I don’t think you want to know the answer…..
I thoroughly enjoyed Mike’s Naked Woodworker videos, finding the instructions and his general approach very easy to follow. I’ve yet to attend live training from Chris or Mike but can venture a guess that the next batch of future woodworkers is in very capable hands. Good on you, Chris, for starting something (else) wonderful!
Since of course I had to miss the one in my back yard, I’m going to have to try to make this one. 🙂
What a great opportunity. I would have jumped all over this if it had been around 7 or 8 years ago. Would have saved a lot of the frustration of trying to figure out hand planes and saws on my own.
This is an awesome opportunity for those who are new to hand tools! Kudos to Chris and Mike for doing this, it’s something that we need more of!
I did contact Mike directly regarding donations, he said there would be updates on the blog regarding where to send tool and cash donations as they could use both…Alas I am about 15 years too late to take the class. How have I missed the over 50 classes?