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
- October 15, 2026
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- October 16, 2026
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Youth: Woodworking Apprentice (Ages 10-14)
October 16, 2026 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Woodworking
- October 17, 2026
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- October 18, 2026
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- October 19, 2026
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- October 20, 2026
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- October 21, 2026
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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.
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.
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.
Open Studio
Work on your own projects 30 hours a week! Learn how to qualify »
FAQ
Learn more about getting started in the Woodworking studio and about our programs in Woodworking FAQ »
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.
Studio Files and Recordkeeping
Certified shop safety monitor scheduling sign-in
Join our community on BARN Circle
Join our Facebook group
Contact Us
Message us using our form
Woodworking Studio office phone: 206-842-4475 x205
Woodworking Studio Main Phone: 206-842-4475, ext. 230
Paul Kury
Woodworking Studio Lead
Woodworking Studio News
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
BARN-Built Poetry Library Opens in Bainbridge Town Square
Poetry lovers, rejoice! There’s a new hub for poetry readers and writers on the island, thanks to the efforts of several local nonprofits, including BARN. ...Full story »
Coming Up in the Wood Shop – August
The Woodworking & Small Boat Building Studio is is full of cabinet and furniture making, from a free intro to crafting a liquor cabinet to a six-meeting build of a modern end table. We’re also launching a brand-new Youth Woodworking Apprentice series, where young makers can join for a single month or all four. There is a lot to build! Come find your next project.
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