Workshops with Expert Craftspeople
Learn greenwood and artisan crafts with renowned teachers from across the U.S.
Adult Workshops: $70-$140
- Duration: 3 or 6-hours
- Spoon and bowl carving
- Chip carving
- Kolrosing
- Basketry
- Cattail hats
Children’s Workshops: $30-40
- Duration: 1.5 or 3 hours
- Ages 9 and up (beginner adults are welcome too!)
- Butter knife carving
- Spoon carving
- Tree branch hooks
Select workshops require an additional materials fee, paid directly to the instructor.
Greenwood Workshops
Learn to carve and decorate spoons, bowls, letters & more.
Chip Carving Basics
Instructor: Daniel Clay
Friday 1-4PM
In this introductory class to chip carving students will learn the basics of the Swiss chip carving technique including standard knife grips, body mechanics and safety, carving basic chip shapes, and knife geometry and sharpening concepts. Swiss chip carving knives will be provided for use during the class. No prior experience is necessary. All students will be provides with practice boards and one beginning project.
Introduction to Greenwood Spoon Carving – SOLD OUT
Instructor: Tad Kepley
Friday 1 – 4PM
1-4PM: Learn to carve a spoon from green wood using just a few hand tools. Start with a hatchet, straight knife, and hook knife to create a functional item that can be used on a daily basis. Learn a new hobby or sharpen your skills with a relaxing and therapeutic craft. All skill levels are welcome and tools will be provided for the ones that do hot have carving tools. Moderate hand strength is required. Contact Tad Kepley with any questions about carving tools or skills that will be covered in this three (3) hour class.
Suggested Tools
- Carving Knife (ie: Mora 106)
- Hook Knife (ie: Mora 164)
- Carving Hatchet
Quick and Dirty Shrinkpots
Instructor: Ty Thornock
Friday 1 – 4PM
Want to learn to make shrink pots but don’t want to spend all day? Come learn all the essentials of making shrink pots in a half day course. We will learn all about tools, techniques, wood selection and some tips to troubleshoot problems and make things easier.
Carving Spoons – SOLD OUT
Instructor: Ty Thornock
Saturday 9AM – 12PM
Spoon carving has taken the world by storm and there are many techniques that can be used to carve beautiful, functional spoons. Join me in exploring those techniques and finding ones that play to your strengths. From roughing out blanks to finishing with knives and possibly decorating, we will explore the world of carving beautiful, functional spoons.
Carve a Wooden Spoon
Instructor: Barron Brown
Saturday 9AM – 12PM
Beginner course using with a knife and gouges to carve a basic functional spoon or two. This is the workshop for you if you are a little intimidated by using an axe. Bring your chair or enjoy some time getting grounded.
Advanced Chip Carving
Instructor: Daniel Clay
Saturday 9AM – 4PM
In this 6-hour class, students will learn Swiss chip carving techniques including standard knife grips, body mechanics and safety, carving basic chip shapes, and knife geometry and sharpening concepts. Swiss chip carving knives will be provided for use during the class. No prior experience is necessary. All students will be provides with practice boards and one beginning project.
Bowl Carving Basics
Instructor: Jason Lonon
Saturday 9AM – 4PM
Have you wanted to try your hand at carving a wooden bowl, but needed an extra push to get started? If so, then his class is for you. In this introductory class, we will explore the basics of bowl carving. Starting with a piece of fresh, green wood, we will discuss basic layout of Scandinavian-style bowls and then each student will rough carve a small bowl using the axe and the adze. (We will also use planes, drawknives spokeshaves, and gouges.) This class will focus on good technique and building skill with basic bowl carving tools. Be inspired by just how simple and accessible carving your own wooden bowls can be. My goal is for each student to rough carve their bowl to a state where it is ready to take home for final drying and finish carving. This is a fast-paced, and very physical class. Beginners are welcome, and loaner tools are provided if you don’t already have your own.
$20 materials fee to be paid directly to instructor
Intermediate Spoon Carving
Instructor: Sunny Beach
Saturday 1 – 4PM
This intermediate course focuses on improving your spoon design and carving skills. We will review a large collection of spoons from other carvers, identifying design elements of interest. Additionally, we will spend time evaluating and understanding spoon design templates that can be used to improve carving consistency and scale. Several spoon mules and draw knives will be available for carving. Please bring your carving tools and examples of your current spoons. If there are specific areas of interest, please reach out to Sunny.
Sharpening
Instructor: Don Nalezyty
Saturday 1 – 4PM
During this workshop, you’ll learn to sharpen sloyd tools for working greenwood. We’ll start with a sloyd knife and work on the basics to get a nice “Scandi” grind needed for carving. We’ll cover sharpening hook knives and carving axes. We’ll finish with honing to maintain that sharp edge longer. Sharpening supplies provided, but participants should bring their own tools to be sharpened.
Kolrosing
Instructor: Don Nalezyty
Sunday 9AM – 12PM
Learn to decorate your treen with the ancient technique of kolrosing. A simple incised line filled with pigment and burnished closed, Kolrosing can transform your craft. Students will learn to not only handle a kolrosing knife, but how to prepare surfaces, execute simple designs, and finish pieces to ensure designs are long lasting. Tools and materials will be provided, but students are encouraged to bring finished treen to be decorated after practicing the basics of kolrosing.
Carving Kuksas
Instructor: Ty Thornock
Sunday 9AM – 4PM
Students will learn to carve kuksas using a variety of hand tools. We will address common issues such as avoiding cracks while carving, drying and making them safe for hot drinks.
Carving White Pine Bowls
Instructor: Barron Brown
Sunday 9AM – 4PM
Learn how to make a simple white pine bowl from freshly cut wood from the mountains, using primarily an axe and gouges. Barron shows how to get beautiful results with minimal tools, and offers insight into essential green woodworking skills.
$25 material fee to be paid directly to instructor
Advanced Spoon Carving
Instructor: Don Nalezyty
Sunday 1 – 4PM
This workshop covers spoon-carving beginning to end and is designed to provide you with advanced techniques to continue improving your skills. You’ll learn skills for selecting the best trees for greenwood spoon carving, breaking-down logs and branches into usable spoon blanks and overall approach to help you carve the best spoons you can make. We’ll cover carving techniques with axe, sloyd, and hook knives that will allow you to carve safely and up your spoon game. You’ll walk away with at least one spoon of your own and the confidence to finish it and skills to create more.
Required Tools
- Axe
- Carving Hatchet
- Hook Knife
Cattail Hat Weaving – SOLD OUT
Instructor: Delia Fian
Saturday 9 AM – 4 PM
Transform cattail and invasive yellow flag iris leaves into a beautiful and unique hat! In this class you will learn how to harvest and prepare the leaves, weave decorative twill designs using a variety of techniques, and create a comfy basket for your noggin! All experience levels are welcome, and the instructor will provide the necessary materials and tools.
$25 material fee to be paid directly to instructor
Foraging, Processing, and Weaving with Wild Vines – SOLD OUT
Instructor: Anglea Eastman
Sunday 9 AM – 4 PM
This class will cover weaving a sturdy gathering basket using plentiful materials found in the woods. I will cover harvesting and processing of various wild vines such as wisteria, kudzu, honeysuckle, and bittersweet, then teach participants to weave a basket using material I have brought with me.
$25 materials fee to be paid directly to the instructor
Children's & Beginners Workshops
Shorter, more accessible classes for ages 9 and up. Adults new to woodworking are welcome to join too!
KIDS: Carve a Butter Knife
Instructor: Callan Burton-Shore
FRIDAY 4-5:30PM
Learn how to carve a butter knife or make a replica of your metal knife using wood. This is a great workshop for adults and kids alike to get their feet wet into green woodworking. Wooden knives are extremely useful!
KIDS: Carving Small Bowls
Instructor: Nico Piedrahita
Saturday 9AM – 12PM
Come carve yourself a little bowl! We will learn how to layout and carve the hollow on a bowl in this class. Small bowls like this require only a gouge and a knife, and we’ll show you how to use both to create the shapes and textures that you want in your finished bowl. Use your bowl for snacks, dips, and more! This class will take a full 3 hours, so we’ll take a little break in the middle to rest our minds and hands, and then get back at it!
KIDS: Wand Lore
Instructor: Nico Piedrahita
Saturday 2:30 – 4PM
Learn the art of wand making – turn a simple stick into a beautiful wand. We’ll learn the basics of knife safety and knife use, then shape and decorate our wands to fit our own style. What magic does your type of wood hold? Learn about the ancient associations of trees with special powers.
KIDS: Spoon Carving: Make a Tea Spoon
Instructor: Callan Burton-Shore
Sunday 9AM – 12PM
Learn how to carve a simple tea stirring spoon. This class will give you the foundation to explore more complicated spoon shapes in the future. Even those who already have experience with spoon carving will surely get something out of this class!
KIDS: Tree Branch Coat Hooks
Instructor: Callan Burton-Shore
Sunday 2:30 – 4PM
Learn to turn a branch into a hook to hang your coat on! We will start the class by going to find the perfect branch/ crook of a tree and then learn to carve them into functional and unique hooks!