Build Your Fundamental Hand Tool Skills & Make Yourself a Better Woodworker
Semester 1 is an introductory hand tool woodworking online course and assumes no prior woodworking experience. It will take a small kit of tools and walk the woodworker through all the fundamental skills to build furniture. Each lesson lays out a technique, provides practice exercises, then applies that technique in a simple shop project.
These projects require little wood and don’t have to be of museum quality. They are jigs and appliances that the hand tool woodworker will reach for time and again while working in the shop. Each lesson builds off the previous until the end of the semester when every small project and technique work together to build an heirloom tool cabinet to store all your new hand tools.
Projects, Lessons & Tools
- Applied Projects
- Final Project
- Tool List
Lesson 1: Setting Up Shop
- Learn how to set up your workspace
- What tools are needed
- Introduction to milling boards by hand
Lesson 2: Sawing
- Learn about the various types of saws and cuts you can make by hand.
Lesson 3: Planecraft 101
- How a plane works
- Essential techniques to go from rough sawn board to flat on 6 faces
Lesson 4: Dados, Rabbets & Grooves
- Establish your ability to make straight and square cuts using very few tools
Lesson 5: Half Laps
- Build on basic sawing skills by learning to cut 3 types of half laps.
Lesson 6: Mortise & Tenons
- Learn to cut this iconic joint well and you can build just about anything
Lesson 7: Miters
- Learn to strengthen the joint 3 different ways.
Lesson 8: Dovetails
- Dispels the myths and lays out a simple method to quickly make air tight dovetails
Lesson 9: Sliding Dovetails
- This lesson illustrates 4 methods for making sliding dovetails:
Lesson 10: Inlay
- This lesson turns to embellishment and shows how to inlay patches to cover mistakes and to add a decorative element to your work.
Lesson 11: Planecraft 201
- Review of planing techniques
- Apply them to 3 real life board scenarios to teach you how to:
Lesson 12: Build Without a Plan
- No more cut lists and exacting measurements of the power tool work
Jim Meltsner
Shannon Rogers is a dedicated and caring woodworking instructor who is invested in growing the craft and his students.
When I was looking to buy a couple handsaws online, I asked Shannon for advice. He was extremely knowledgeable about the vintage saws in question, but also took the time to look at the listing and provide me extensive and insightful comments in a timely fashion. He even sent me a piece of 16/4 Cherry from his own stash when I made a mistake building my workbench!!
He cares deeply about his students and building a supportive community. If you are just starting out, or a seasoned hand tool woodworker, Shannon has something to offer. I recommend the Hand Tool School without reservation!
Virtual School? Support?
Yep this is all virtual instruction using video, PDFs, and good old fashioned community forums. But I'm never more than an email away or a private message through the forum. Plus there are LOTS of woodworkers active every day in our Community that are ready and willing to help you as your skills grow.
Unlike brick and mortar classes, there is no start time and no need to take vacation time or travel to a location. With The Hand Tool School you can work at 2 AM in your own shop, with your own tools, and stark naked! I advise some protective footwear at least.
Of course I'll be here every step of the way answering your questions. Ask any of my students, I'm always ready to help.
Join the Best Hand Tool Community on the Net
"The Shop Floor" is an extremely active community of your peers waiting for you to share your triumphs, project pictures, and to help you when you have troubles. Even though Shannon is always around to help, you can also tap into this vibrant community of thousands or other woodworkers. If you are struggling with a technique or project, many of them are building the same thing or have already built it and can offer advice.
