Over the years, I stocked my modest storage room with a variety of hardwood boards that I had painstakingly examined before choosing. The guys at the lumber stores soon learned to leave me to my own devices until my selection was complete. As I began focusing on woodturning, I harvested a few trees, again adding to my wood inventory.

Somewhere along the way, and I’m not sure how it happened, I started saving the best wood for use later—for when I became a really good woodworker. So instead of using up the choicest pieces of wood, I would get rid of the worse ones first, culling my inventory.

Fortunately I came to my senses a few years ago and realized that sort of thinking and acting was totally backward: if I followed that regimen, I would always be using the worst piece of wood, even when I got to the last board on the pile!

I now select the best wood I have available for whatever I want to make. This way, as I work through my stored wood, year after year, project after project, I’m always using the best piece of wood. When I finally get to the very last piece, it too, will be the very best one.

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These woodworking schools aren’t anything like your high school shop class. Instead, they’re geared toward students enjoying the entire experience:  instruction, hard work, camaraderie, good food, and a chance to get away from a regular routine. Even with the intense work involved, most students feel revitalized after a solid week of focusing on their woodworking endeavors.

One of the side benefits of taking a class with other woodworkers is that you will learn from their mistakes. And since your spouse and friends won’t be popping into your shop, information about any mistakes you make will remain back in the classroom. A few years ago, one of my students ruined almost every bowl he attempted, finally finishing a respectable one the last day of class, so that’s the one he went home with. The rest of his experience, well . . . that remains a secret. Even so, I regard him as one of the most successful students ever. He definitely learned a lot!

Safety is a major component for woodworking schools—a must for maintaining a quality program. As a result, it’s guaranteed you’ll gain knowledge of safe and efficient methods of processing wood. Additionally, the better woodworking schools have the latest, up-to-date equipment and machinery, offering you the opportunity to try out new lathes, table saws, planers, jointers, and band saws. Just think of the possibilities for new toys in your own shop!

The five schools I’m most familiar with are Marc Adams School of Woodworking (Indiana); Anderson Ranch (Colorado); Appalachian Center for Crafts (Tennessee); Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts (Tennessee); and Center for Furniture Craftsmanship (Maine). These schools have been around for years and have a reputation of hiring excellent instructors and providing topnotch programs. There are many other schools, and a bit of research will reveal the perfect one for you. I strongly urge you to head back to school!

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