Chapter 2 — Selecting a School
Finding my place
About 5 years ago my family vacationed on the Olympic Peninsula for two weeks. We fell in love with the people, the geography, the culture, and places. I still remember taking a day trip into this cool little seaport town of Port Townsend, really to see the lighthouse at Fort Worden. It was on this trip that I secretly scoped out the Port Townsend School of Woodworking (PTSW).
It was on this trip that a seed was planted in my mind. At the time, I had no idea how I could manage to come back to the Pacific North West (PNW) and attend a course or two, let alone a long-term intensive. But the seed was planted and I let it germinate for years.
Upon my return from our vacation, I started to compare woodworking schools, looking at what they offered and what they produce…What philosophy were they founded upon…What programs did they offer that aligned with my desires? It was through this investigation that I discovered the book By Hand and Eye, by Jim Tolpin and George Walker.
WOW…that book changed how I looked at the craft of woodworking and specifically the design of furniture. Through that book, I began to rethink how I wanted to approach woodworking and ultimately learn this craft. I realized I needed to learn through traditional and pre-industrial methods the craft of furniture making and woodworking.
I began to devour books, videos, blogs, anything I could find on traditional woodworking, otherwise known as “handtool” woodworking. I had nothing against power tools, I built my desk and dining room table using power tools, but I found peace and joy in working by hand. My approach to the process was different and I loved it…
So like many woodworkers, I began to acquire tools and attempted to learn to use them through YouTube videos, blogs, and books. I’d spend hours learning something only to put it into practice once or twice, but never long enough to master any one thing…But I kept telling myself, “one day, you’ll get to a woodworking school and learn from real masters.”
As the end of 2019 came upon me, I did a good bit of self-reflection. I looked at my life and my future and realized that if I was going to take action on this dream it needed to be now and it needed to be at a school that took traditional methods and design seriously. That seed I planted 4 years prior began to sprout…I began to look at woodworking schools that offered assistance through the GI Bill, a benefit of my service in the US Army I had yet to use.
Another criterion I evaluated in my search of schools was to find those schools that offered programs that took amateurs like myself and turned them into professionals capable of standing on their own in the market place of custom makers and designers. Sure a week course here and there would improve my skills, but I was looking for something drastic and life changing. I wanted to be immersed and the intensive programs of a few schools became my research focus. Additionally, I needed to sit down with my family and evaluate if this path was even possible. Could we take 9 months to pause our lives and allow me to pursue this dream? In the end, I had the support of my wonderful wife and kids to “go for it.” Let’s go into this adventure together and live life to its fullest.
In selecting PTSW, I found the intensive programs to be set up perfectly for my goals. In the faculty, I could see a commitment to excellence and a commitment to teaching the traditional methods of crafting furniture and wood. In the school philosophy, I could see the commitment to the student while staying true to their vision of teaching woodworking as a true craft. As a bonus…it was located on the Olympic Peninsula one of our favorite places to visit as a family.
So here we are, back on the peninsula, living full-time in our RV (something we’ve been doing for over a year) about to begin this journey of becoming a craftsman. I have awoken each day since our arrival to sites and sounds of Puget Sound in the anticipation of getting started in the first course, Foundations. I see my adventure beginning to take shape, to see it form in my mind, yet remain unclear.
My college daughter asked me, “what are you most looking forward to in this adventure?” to which I pondered for a good minute or two, then replied…
“I’m mostly looking forward to learning to put my ideas into reality and into something of beauty and function for others…or maybe I’m just really looking forward to the rap of a mallet, the swish of a saw cut, and the smell of the wood being shaped into something of beauty…” then I paused and I said… “No, what I’m really looking forward to the most…is meeting and getting to know the people who love to make as much as I do…that’s what I’m mostly looking forward to…my new community of people.”
So here we go…Week One is about to begin and I can’t wait to meet my new community of fellow makers as we embark on these next 12 weeks of becoming craftspeople in working wood.
The Making of a Craftsman follows Roy as he journeys into the world of professional woodworking through both formal education and self-taught experiences. You can follow his projects and journey here and on Instagram @themakingofacraftsman
