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Woodworking and Small Boatbuilding2026-07-31T12:04:55-07:00

Woodworking & Small Boat Building

Regional Woodworking Hub

BARN’s community woodshop welcomes woodworkers of all skill levels from throughout Puget Sound. With a 1,050-square-foot bench room for hand tool use and a 3,500-square-foot main shop with all major power woodworking tools, there’s no better place to work! Seasoned woodworkers share their knowledge, and all members learn from each other.

The studio offers classes and numerous other ways to get involved. For example, you can grow your skills and support your neighbors by participating in community service projects focused on things like building a park bench, fixing furniture for refugees and building a tiny house for people experiencing homelessness.

Getting Started in the Studio

Woodworking Calendar

September 16, 2026
  • Woodworking Open Studio

    September 16, 2026  9:00 am - 3:00 pm
    Woodworking

  • Woodworking Tool Safety Checkout 1

    September 16, 2026  6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    Woodworking

September 17, 2026
  • Introduction to Pen Turning

    September 17, 2026  12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
    Woodworking

  • Woodworking Open Studio

    September 17, 2026  3:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    Woodworking

  • Guided Pen Turning Open Studio

    September 17, 2026  6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    Woodworking

  • Guided Woodworking Open Studio

    September 17, 2026  6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    Woodworking

September 18, 2026
  • Woodworking Open Studio

    September 18, 2026  9:00 am - 3:00 pm
    Woodworking

  • Introduction to Woodturning

    September 18, 2026  3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
    Woodworking

  • Youth: Woodworking Apprentice (Ages 10-14)

    September 18, 2026  4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
    Woodworking

September 19, 2026
  • Woodworking Basics: Hand Tools

    September 19, 2026  9:00 am - 12:00 pm
    Woodworking

  • Woodworking Open Studio

    September 19, 2026  12:00 pm - 6:00 pm
    Woodworking

September 20, 2026
  • Woodworking Tool and Wood Sale

    September 20, 2026  10:00 am - 12:00 pm
    Woodworking

  • Guided Woodworking Open Studio

    September 20, 2026  1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
    Woodworking

September 21, 2026
  • Woodworking Basics: Routers

    September 21, 2026  2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
    Woodworking

  • Woodworking Basics: Table Saw Techniques

    September 21, 2026  6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    Woodworking

September 22, 2026
  • Woodworking Tool Safety Checkout 2

    September 22, 2026  6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    Woodworking

Woodworking Basics Certificate Program

For individuals looking for a comprehensive introduction to woodworking, BARN offers a Woodworking Basics Certificate. This program includes fourteen classes and a one-on-one mentorship. As a certificate student, you’ll learn how to use hand and power tools and how to plan your projects. If you’re interested in exploring a career in woodworking or construction, the Woodworking Basics Certificate provides a solid foundation.

Using the chop saw in the Woodshop
Woodworker using drill press in the BARN Woodworking studio

General Woodworking

The main shop is a woodworkers’ delight with great lighting, efficient dust collection and amazing tools. The shop offers open studio time for personal projects five days a week. A safety monitor and a shop manager are always on duty, and other woodworkers are usually happy to support a long board, assist with a complicated glue-up or help with other tasks that need more than two hands. 

Three single-session certification classes qualify people to participate in open studio and to use woodworking tools such as bandsaws and table saws. A Woodworking Basics series gives novices a solid grounding, and classes from cabinet building to furniture design help woodworkers at all skill levels master new techniques.

Woodturning

Many visitors are enchanted as they watch woodturners spin wood on a lathe and use gouges and other tools to create bowls, tool handles, furniture parts and other pieces.

A structured series of classes takes beginners from Introduction to Woodturning through bowl turning as they qualify for lathe time during open studio. Experienced turners may qualify by scheduling a private check-out session. The Woodturning program also offers an array of project- and skill-oriented classes and a great assortment of tools — including six lathes, one of which is accessible by wheelchair users or others who prefer to sit while turning.

Woodturning
Youth working in Woodshop bench room

Hand Woodworking & Carving

The bench room features 10 woodworking benches, bright task lights and top-quality hand tools, mostly from Lee Valley and Lie-Nielsen Toolworks, as well as a large assortment of carving tools and carver’s vises, luthier tools and jigs, and Japanese woodworking tools. It’s a mecca for woodworkers who like a quieter environment and appreciate the challenge of building projects with hand tools. Of course, it’s also fine to take wood into the main shop and use power tools for specific cuts.

Classes guide beginners and also challenge seasoned woodworkers. Free sharpening classes cover the protocol for tuning up BARN tools.

Small Boat Building

BARN’s Woodshop has a specific area devoted to small boatbuilding, with large exterior doors and easy access to a belt sander (perfect for shaping fair curves, making bevels, rudders, and daggerboards) and other specialized tools. Kayaks, canoes, and a nutshell pram are just a few of the small crafts that have been built at BARN, projects initiated by members with experience building and piloting small boats.

Skin-on-frame canoe build
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Open Studio

Work on your own projects 30 hours a week! Learn how to qualify »

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FAQ

Learn more about getting started in the Woodworking studio and about our programs in Woodworking FAQ »

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Volunteer

Volunteer as a Woodworking Studio monitor or fill another of our many volunteer positions! View opportunities »

Woodworking Studio Resources

Watch informative videos on safe use of the shop’s equipment.

Equipment List

Studio Files and Recordkeeping

Certified shop safety monitor scheduling sign-in

Join our community on BARN Circle

Join our Facebook group

Subscribe to our newsletter

Contact Us

Message us using our form
Woodworking Studio office phone: 206-842-4475 x205
Woodworking Studio Main Phone: 206-842-4475, ext. 230

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Paul Kury

Woodworking Studio Lead

Woodworking Studio News

Rock September at Free Rock Swap and Shop (and Fall Classes)

Don’t miss our free, community-wide swap of rocks, gems, and lapidary finds, from raw stones to polished cabochons, at our Rock Swap and Shop 10 AM to 1 PM on Sunday, Sept. 20. And take a look at our highlighted fall classes in all 11 of our studios.

Everything from Spoons to Ukuleles in Woodworking

September in the Woodworking & Small Boat Building Studio is full of opportunities — turn your first pen on the lathe, carve a spoon at a free community night, or dive into a 10-meeting build and walk out with a liquor cabinet you made yourself. A good month to come in with an idea and leave with something real.Free spoon carving, a tool sale, and five classes that need you

September 2, 2026|Classes/Events, Woodworking|
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