Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute

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Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute is an accredited, hands-on trade school in Adrian, Michigan. We are located in Adrian, Michigan.

SBWI offers full-time programs in Furniture Design, Carpentry & Timber Framing, and Architectural Carpentry & Preservation. The SBW is a non-profit 501c3 organization dedicated to promoting personal development through woodworking. We provide woodworking classes for all ages as well as job training, workforce development and rehabilitation services for Lenawee County residents. The SBW is an accredited education center recognized by the Woodworking Career Alliance of North America, the woodshop provides certification for over 250 different machine operations. We are a certified evaluation center that awards certificates, credentials, and transcripts that are recognized by thousands of woodworking manufacturers as proof of skill level and job experience. In partnership with the WCA, the current credentials program is recognized by the State of Michigan for its respective state-sponsored career and technical education programs. Aside from workforce training, our certified woodworking facility allows us to offer art classes and machinery resources to the public. Class offerings include sculptural woodworking, woodcarving, wood turning, instrument building, and canoe building, along with many other offerings. The woodshop is ran by a ten person board and a strong volunteer base. We have 3 part time instructors employed with us. Our great team allowed us to serve almost 1000 students at the woodshop in the past year. The large majority of those students received free tuition and materials for their classes.

09/29/2026

Preservation trades skills can take you all over the world!

From historic sites across the United States to traditional-skills work in Japan and the Caribbean, Ryan Prochasksa, Nathaniel Ulfers, and Rebecca Torsell share the places and possibilities their careers have opened.

Their stories reveal a field filled with variety: carpentry, conservation, teaching, fieldwork, and preservation leadership.

Where could your curiosity and craftsmanship take you?

09/29/2026

SIP Panels are going up fast! Thanks for the video Scotty's Trucking

09/17/2026

A Trade for Your Head, Heart, and Hands

You do not have to choose between thinking deeply and working with your hands.

Historic preservation brings together architecture, history, creativity, technical knowledge, and problem-solving. It challenges your mind while giving you the satisfaction of making something tangible.

Ryan Prochasksa, Jessica Flores, and Nathaniel Ulfers share why the preservation trades are intellectually engaging—and why skilled craftsmanship can be an art.

Could this be the kind of work you have been looking for?

Explore ACP at SBWI:
https://sbwi.edu/architectural-carpentry-preservation

Beautiful, organic, functional… students in Luke Barnett’s Design & Build Stools class gained inspiration from Wharton E...
08/26/2026

Beautiful, organic, functional… students in Luke Barnett’s Design & Build Stools class gained inspiration from Wharton Esherick to sculpt their own version of the iconic three and four legged stools. The seats were sculpted from walnut, the legs are hickory, finished with Heritage Natural Finishes

08/26/2026

“I had no hands-on experience. I didn’t know what a Phillips head was.”

Natalie Henshaw earned a master’s degree in history, but she struggled to find work that felt meaningful. Then she discovered the preservation trades—and realized how much she loved working with her hands.

The first time she could point to brick piers she had built and a window she had restored, she experienced a kind of fulfillment she had never felt before.

Today, Natalie is the Director of Historic Trades for the Campaign for Historic Trades.

Her story proves that you do not have to begin as an expert. A rewarding new career can start with curiosity, training, and the willingness to try something different.

Watch “I Didn’t Know What a Phillips Head Was,” the second film in our “A Career Worth Building” campaign:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-96bydTTwOk

Learn about SBWI’s Architectural Carpentry & Preservation program:https://sbwi.edu/architectural-carpentry-preservation

Build a career with skill, craft, and purpose.Preserve the past. Build the future.

08/12/2026

What is historic preservation—and why does it matter?

Preservation is more than repairing old buildings. It is the stewardship of historic places, materials, skills, and stories. It connects us to the people who came before us while preparing a new generation to carry their craftsmanship forward.

In our first film from the “A Career Worth Building” campaign, five preservation professionals share why they chose this work, what makes it meaningful, and why skilled preservation craftspeople are needed now more than ever.

If you are looking for a career that combines history, problem-solving, creativity, and working with your hands, this may be the path you have been searching for.

Learn about SBWI’s Architectural Carpentry & Preservation program:https://sbwi.edu/architectural-carpentry-preservation

Build a career with purpose.Preserve the past. Build the future.

Address

1375 N. Main Street #41
Adrian, MI
49221

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4pm
Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm
Saturday 8am - 12pm

Telephone

+15177593070

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