Education and Classes

Please note:

  • You must be a Guild member in good standing to attend classes.
  • Members of other recognized Woodworking Groups or Guilds will be considered Members for purpose of class registration.
  • Non-members may join now.   Join Now
  • Liability Waivers plus Equipment Operation and Safety Training should be completed before the start of class.
  • You may apply for tuition assistance from the Master Class Scholarship Program.   Application Form

2025 Class Schedule

 

Advanced Intarsia Class(Teddy Bear)
Instructor: Linda Simcik
Date: May 24, 2025 and May 25, 2025
Time: Saturday 9:00AM-4:00PM Sunday 1:00PM-4:00PM
Cost: $65
Class is limited to 3 participants.

Description:
This class takes you one step further in Intarsia beyond the Beginning Intarsia class. We will create this teddy bear from three different types of wood and utilize shaping and shims as well as other tools to create texture and depth.

This is a two day class.
Participants must be certified and have a working knowledge of the scroll saw, drill press, and sanding machines in the WEC. If possible, the participants should take the Introduction to Scrolling class and Beginning Intarsia class or equivalent amount of practice using the scroll saw to cut out patterned pieces.

Limited to 3 participants
Class cost: $65 ($50 to the guild and $15 in materials)
You must be a member in good standing to attend.
You may pay using the PayPal button below to reserve your place in the class. Please respond via email at education@alabamawoodworkersguild.org with your name if you plan to take the class.





Beginning Laser Software Class
Instructor: Henry Raymond
Date: June 14th, 2025
Time: 9:00am-1:00pm 


Description:
This class will concentrate on the software necessary to design a project, and assign burn patterns to the project to get the desired results.

AWG members get a 75% discount (your cost is $50) on the software when taking a laser class. Those who sign up for class will be given a link for the software and you can purchase and download software before the class. Lightburn also has a free trail that you can use for 30 days. It’s a fully functional free trial however you must have Lightburn up and running at the time of class.

WE WILL NOT HELP YOU DOWNLOAD DAY OF CLASS

After you have paid for the class please contact Henry Raymond (205) 602-7661 and he will walk you through the set up of Lightburn on your computer. You will also be asked to watch several starter videos on the software, and practice using software to draw a project prior to the class.

Requirements:
You must have a laptop that meets the following requirements:
Operating system: 64-bit Windows 7.0 or later, macOS 10.13 or later, or 64-bit Ubuntu Linux 20.04 or later. A SSD is recommended but not required.
You must watch several YOUTUBE videos prior to class. A link will be sent to those signed up.
You must purchase a copy of Lightburn if you don't already have one, and have it installed on your laptop prior to attending class.
This is not a subscription, and can be used indefinitely.

Estimated class time will be 3-4 hrs.

Those that successfully complete this class will then be eligible to take the intermediate laser operator class. In order to graduate from the Beginner Level, you must be able to create a project in LightBurn that will successfully function on the Laser.

Cost of this class will be $50 and this is in addition to the purchase of the software.
Class will be limited to 10 persons.

The fee for the class is $50. You must be a member in good standing to attend.
You may pay using the PayPal button below to reserve your place in the class. Please respond via email at education@alabamawoodworkersguild.org with your name if you plan to take the class.





Viking Gnome Woodturning Class
Instructor: Dwight Hostetter
Date: June 28, 2025
Time: Saturday 9:00AM-4:00PM
Cost: $45
Class is limited to 6 participants.

Description:
Students will carve out the basic body shape of the gnome on the lathe and will also use the lathe to make the nose, hand, and shield from provided milled wood.

Students should have basic lathe experience using lathe tools such as a skew and gouge.

All materials for the gnomes will be provided. Students are welcome to bring their own lathe tools or use the shop’s tools.

Limited to 6 participants
Class cost: $45 ($25 to the guild and $20 in materials)
You must be a member in good standing to attend.
You may pay using the PayPal button below to reserve your place in the class. Please respond via email at education@alabamawoodworkersguild.org with your name if you plan to take the class.





Sharpening 101
Instructor: Terry James
Date: July 12, 2025
Time: 9:00am - 4:00pm
Class Size: Class is limited to 8 participants
Class Fee: $40

Description:
Sharpening 101

There is nothing in a woodworking shop more frustrating (and dangerous) than a dull chisel. But a sharp one is a joy to use and can accomplish dozens of tasks quickly and safely. The same can be said for a sharp (and properly tuned) hand plane.

There are scores of systems and tools around for sharpening chisels and plane irons. Each of them has their fans and each can get the job done. It can be intimidating to try to figure out which one works best for you. The costs also vary enormously from under $20 to well over $1000.

Rather than trying to teach them all, this class will show you how to get razor-sharp results using a very inexpensive honing guide. In order to teach sharpening effectively, the cost of the guide used will be included in the class fee; so you will go home with the same guide you used in class. We will also use our chisels to make a simple setup block that assures you can resharpen your tools quickly and consistently.

This class will be geared towards beginners, so no experience is required. Please bring your chisels you’d like to sharpen to class as well as any planes you’d like to tune up.

Although the class is in sharpening, we will be using our sharpened tools and we will demonstrate how to set up a plane as well. I recommend you invest in good sharpening stones (I use diamond plates) but you can use the ones at the Guild for the purposes of the class. We will not teach using water stones or oil stones, but feel free to bring those if that’s your preference.

Time-permitting, we can discuss various other sharpening systems like Work Sharp and Tormek. There are also dozens of styles of honing guides we can discuss, but the class will use a very basic one (provided)

Some chisel and plane blades require special setups and/or guides (i.e. skewed blade, mortising blades, or very short blades). We can discuss those but we will focus on more common chisel/plane blades.

Feel free to contact Terry James if you have questions about your blades or if you are thinking of investing on sharpening stones. (Not required for the class).

Cost of this class will be $40 and includes the cost of a sharpening guide.
Class will be limited to 8 persons.

The fee for the class is $40. You must be a member in good standing to attend.
You may pay using the PayPal button below to reserve your place in the class. Please respond via email at education@alabamawoodworkersguild.org with your name if you plan to take the class.





Habitat for Humanity Cabinet Build Class
August 23th, 2025
9:00am-4:00pm
Cost $100.00

Each year the Guild builds kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities for a Habitat for Humanity Holiday House. This class will take you through the complete steps of building cabinets, from face frames, carcass construction, doors, dovetailed drawers, finishing, and installation in the home. You work in teams of 4-5 people and everyone gets to do every step of the project. Starting the end of August and finishing with installation mid December, the class will meet once or twice a month to complete the cabinets.

Class 1 - August 23, 2025 - Orientation and Face Frame Build
Class 2 - September 13, 2025 - Drawer Boxes
Class 3 - September 27, 2025 - Doors and Drawer Fronts
Class 4 - October 11, 2025 - Carcass Construction
Class 5 - October 25, 2025 - Spray Finish
Class 6 - November 8, 2025 - Attach Doors, Drawers, and Pulls
Class 7 - Early December - Installation of Cabinets at Holiday House
Class 8 - TBD - Holiday House Dedication

The fee for the class is $100. You must be a member in good standing to attend.
You may pay using the PayPal button below to reserve your place in the class. Please respond via email at education@alabamawoodworkersguild.org with your name if you plan to take the class.