# SW Ohio Woodworking School Experience, Definitely Recommend



## FoundSheep

Here are some more pictures I took around the classroom. There was so much to take in, I kept noticing details throughout the week class.

They have a wide variety of saws hanging in tills on the wall:









And here is *one* of the tool shelves they have, ready for any student to experiment with:









And this is the front showroom, with windows to the main street. Here some of the projects the students work on are showcased, to inspire and draw people in.


----------



## rad457

Reminds me of when I stumbled across Inside Passage, stopped for lunch took the dog out back and there it was in the back court yard. I can honestly say that day changed my life! I was lucky enough to have my parents living in the area. The classes are 10 weeks long but the first session can be split up into separate 1 week courses.
Probably not for everyone, follows James Krenov ideology and for an old *********************************** like me was culture shock in the beginning! I won't mention the West Coast Beauty as it's kind of a local secret!


----------



## FoundSheep

I just read about Inside Passage in the latest edition (June 2017) of Popular Woodworking magazine. That would be fantastic to attend one (or all) of their sessions.

At least for me, the education aspect of woodworking has changed as I've gotten more into it. In the beginning, it was mostly reading blogs and magazines, and later watching videos to learn a specific skill or project. It wasn't until later that I learned that dedicated woodworking schools existed, and I highly recommend people to seek out and take classes, because it allows concentrated growth and the passage of skills, often times in wonderful environment and with friendly people.


----------



## TheGman

Awesome! I live in the Dayton area and have been looking for a place like this. Thanks.


----------



## FoundSheep

Definitely Gman, I don't live very far from the school, so I'm glad I stumbled across it!


----------



## AM420

I live in Cindy and seriously considering this. The basic class sounded less like formal instruction and more like allowing students to experiment with an assortment of hand tools. Sounds more like something for people who already have experience and working knowledge of hand woodworking tool basics rather than a total novice like me. Is that how it is or more structured instruction?

Thanks.


----------



## FoundSheep

AM420, from my experience it would be a great experience no matter what your experience is. The three basic classes teach different things (joints, operations, sharpening), but they would be accessible for a novice or someone who has some skills already completed.

If you've never picked up a hand tool, they'll show you the proper points of every operation, and make sure you get things right. If you know some stuff, then they'll show you the instruction and let you work, correcting and guiding where necessary. The amount of "structure" depends upon your level and the class size, of course, but I would encourage you to seek it out if you have the time.

Being able to experiment with different tools is definitely a positive, so when you're ready to get your own you know "I like that Lie-Neilsen saw" or "A Stanley 77 would be great". But I wouldn't say that's the primary purpose. If you just used one saw and one plane for the entire course, then you'd still get a ton of information out of it.


----------

