Charleston Woodworking School

The calm before the storm! is just as crazy as I am right now. The new school year starts tomorrow. Gotta love those first day jitters! This is going to be a great year with lots of talented students!

Another year in the books. What a wonderful year we had! We learned a lot. We laughed a lot. We made beautiful furniture.

Want to learn more about woodworking and make handmade gifts this year? We still have lots of great courses this fall with perfect opportunities to make a gift they can't get anywhere else! Build a handcrafted picture frame or a box in one of our weekend short courses at Woodworking School. Gift certificates are also available! Sign up here: https://josephthompsonwoodworks.bigcartel.com/product/workshops

Scraps? More like potential future projects. Check this out…

Let’s get scrapping! Come hang with yours truly, Joseph Thompson Woodworks] and The Furniture Society] Sept. 22!

Repost The Furniture Society] with .repost
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Show Us Your…Scraps!
Thursday, September 22, 4-5pm EDT
Joseph Thompson Woodworks]

Looking for the perfect use for that small offcut piece of wood you just can't bring yourself to throw away? Got a whole bucket of those tiny pieces? You're in good company!

Join furniture maker and designers Joseph and Katie Thompson for a fun conversation about conservation and how they make the most out of their vast "collection" of shop scraps. Be sure to bring your favorite scraps to share with the group. We want to see what treasures you’ve created with them!

Register on our website!

Learn from one of the best in some short course formats!! Give Joseph Thompson Woodworks a call!

Workshops Join us for one of our exciting woodworking workshops! There are many topics available for all skill levels and interests. Group classes are taught...

Some more short courses are coming soon!

We still have some fun workshops coming up this fall at Charleston Woodworking School, including Build a Stool, Picture Frame, and more. Sign up today, private classes also available: https://josephthompsonwoodworks.bigcartel.com/product/workshops

LAST CALL for aspiring furniture makers to join the 2022-2023 Professional Course! This course starts on September 12.

We have a couple of last minute openings for the full time Professional Course. Learn a career in just one year. M-F 9-4 September 12-June 3. GI Bill and Voc Rehab accepted. Payment plans for non-Veterans available.

Can I tell you for just a minute how proud I am of my nephew, Clay. He is at Philmont right now. For non-scouts, he is trekking across some of the craziest terrain that a scout can traverse. I went to Philmont when I was in high school. I know how hard it is. Clay is not only kicking ass, but he is also making sure he and his crew mates are in good spirits. Definitely the signs of a great leader. (+2 bonus points for the old school CWS hat.)

If you’re looking to get into woodworking or have always wanted to learn this Intro class is great for beginners. Join us at Charleston Woodworking School Saturday, July 23, sign up by email or online here: https://josephthompsonwoodworks.bigcartel.com/product/workshops

Want to build a box or a table? Learn how to spoon carve or even just the basics of woodworking? I’ll be teaching workshops at Charleston Woodworking School every weekend throughout the rest of the summer. Sign up and get more details here: https://josephthompsonwoodworks.bigcartel.com/product/workshops

Joseph Thompson of is offering group and 1 on 1 instruction this summer. Joseph is a very accomplished woodworker and instructor. His furniture has been featured in museums and his private collection pieces are in some of the finest homes in the Southeast. His joinery and attention to detail are some of the best I have ever seen. I think he possibly might be a part time wood ninja. The classes will fill up fast, especially the 1 on 1 instruction. Please reach out to Joseph if you, or someone you know, may be interested in learning from him.

We have had a lot of interest in 1 on 1 and group classes. Joseph Thompson is offering classes this summer in July and August. He is an excellent instructor.

I am positive that the 1 on 1 classes will fill up very fast. Please reach out to Joseph if you, or someone you may know, is interested in taking classes to get more information.

I’ve been teaching some one-on-one woodworking classes again at Charleston Woodworking School and figured I’d spread the word. I’m now taking students and small groups for July and August, just DM or email me directly to get something set up. We can cover a specific topic or whatever you’re particularly interested in learning. I’m excited to be doing these again, and thanks to Sam for providing the space.

Well, another year is in the books! This was a very talented crew and I know that they will have lots of success in the future. Congratulations to the class of 2022!

Gilding classes with Candace were amazing as always. There is just something amazing about the gilding process. We covered water, oil, and glass gilding. Candace is an amazing conservator, gilder, creative person, and artist, but she is an even better person. Thank you for helping us out! We learned so much!

A lot has been happening in the past few weeks! Solid wood projects are finishing up and veneering projects are starting to come together. I’m really happy with all the work the students are putting in. Even the Blue Angels swung by for a visit last week. They didn’t stay long, but if they would like to attend school, we do accept the GI Bill and Voc Rehab.

What is that saying about the apple and the tree?

While we aren’t exactly sure of this beast’s birthday, we do know he is about to turn two “sometime around now.” We adopted him from the Grand Strand Humane Society on Mother’s Day, so about eight-ish weeks prior would be around now. Woody has been a great friend, companion, and counselor for so many of us at CWS. He will be a certified Therapy Dog in the next few weeks. Just like me, C’s get degrees. He may not be the best therapy dog in the world, but he helps me and our students beyond measure. He is always here for us us and he is one of us. Cheers to Woody! An avid snuggler, hater of birds, protector of his people, and a true friend. Happy Birthday, whenever that may be.

We had a blast when came to teach us how to carve a Philadelphia style Ball and Claw Cabriole leg with an Acanthus leaf on the knee! So many skills were learned! Thank you, Mary, for hanging out with us and teaching us! (I took these photos from Mary’s original post, but hopefully the photo of Woody at the end will make up for it.)

Old growth Mahogany board we got for a project. 10 year old mini-Sprouse for scale.

Chuck’s pie crust table is coming along nicely! Some carving, sanding, carving, carving, rasping, carving, and some finish and it will be done!

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this week is the Charleston Woodworking School

(CWS) is an independent, educational organization dedicated to the design, making and conservation of furniture. This program is unique to South Carolina and the region.

The aim of the school is to develop craftsmen and women with expertise and professionalism, who have a thorough practical knowledge, balanced with a sound theoretical and technical awareness.

To learn more visit their website or find full description via our’s as well.

The Furniture Society is a wonderful organization and we are thrilled to be their Featured School this month!

This photo was from a few months back, but we are so thankful that was willing to work with us and help get our students some amazing tools to start their careers. A huge thanks to John and the rest of the team for helping us so much.

Machine maintenance!!! Always fun, always a challenge, always harder than you think. Alee and Tracey making it look easy though.

We absolutely loved having Mary come teach a couple of weeks ago. (I have been horrible at social media this year) We had so much fun and are looking forward to when she comes back to do even harder stuff in the Spring! Can’t wait for the Ball and Claw with Acanthus leaf knees! I also can’t wait to see how these genuine acanthus plants (Bear’s Breeches) thrive at the school!

We are so grateful and thankful for all of the Veterans that have come through the school. Brett, Chris, Tyler, John, Tony, Mike, AJ, Jim, Todd, Rick, Scott, Giles, Jake, John, Jim, Chris, Tommy, Chris, Justin, Steven, Ray, Tracey, Chuck, Brendan, Isaac, Alee, Gary, Chat, and Joe. Thank you for your service to our Country and for keeping us safe.

Want to learn how to carve spoons? will be teaching a class here at the school on July 24. Abby is an amazing artist and works at the Parsons School of Design in NY. This class is sponsored by and . I am really looking forward to learning a lot from Abby. Spaces are filling up, but I would love to sponsor half of the class fee for two folks that sign up by Sunday. You can find all of the info at Abby’s IG page

🚨Class Announcement 🚨


Abby Mechanic x Women of Woodworking + Pen & Chisel hosted at The Charleston Woodworking School Saturday July 24th 12:00pm - 4:00 pm!


I’m BEYOND excited to announce a Spoon Carving Workshop in partnership with the incredible of and ! This workshop will be hosted by the wonderful folks . Sam thank you for having us, I can’t wait to teach in your space 🙏🏼


will be offering a free 3 months subscription to with every ticket purchase 🤍 We will also be opening a full scholarship to support the tuition of a student, see stories for more info!


Class open to All Genders ✨
Class open to All Skill Levels ✨


Link in bio for sign up! ✨



&chisel

Second post. What a great group of folks! Dedicated, eager to learn, highly talented, and always ready for a challenge. What a great year we had! Thanks to all of the students that trusted us with their education. On behalf of the other instructors, and Peter Moore, we wish you nothing but straight grains and easy cuts from here on out. Jim, Texas Chris, and Steven, we wish y’all were here with us to celebrate.

Well, the end of the year came in the blink of an eye. I am so proud of how hard everyone worked and the amazing pieces they were able to make this year. We had a great time, learned a ton of skills, had a few laughs, and had a great year. I can’t wait to see what all everyone has in store for the future! Post 1 of 2! I couldn’t fit everything into one post!

Thank you Mary! We are so proud of Justin as well! You have been an amazing mentor to him this year. We are so lucky to have so many amazing instructors here in Charleston.

Very proud of accomplishments! He's going places!! Congrats to all of the graduating class of 2021 of . Thanks to the incredible teaching talents of Sam Sprouse, and along with all the guest teachers that contributed throughout the year! Sam, you have created such an amazing learning environment for all! Your devotion to your craft shines in every student's success.

What a great week learning gilding with ! We covered a lot! Oil gilding letters and carvings we did with , water gilding, and eglomise. This was Candace’s first time teaching these arts and she is beyond amazing. Thank you so much for hanging out with us and sharing your knowledge!

We had an amazing field trip to last week! Even better was CWS Alumni giving us the tour! Ashley River Lumber is a full service sawmill with lots to offer including milling, kiln drying, plenty of local lumber, and custom woodworking. They are a great resource for local professional woodworkers and are more than willing to share their knowledge and skills to help make projects perfect. Thanks for letting us hang out with y’all for awhile! great to see you again!

French polish on ‘s solid wood project, caning with , have an amazing new follower (I’ll never get that hat back), and my grandmother’s irises are about to get crazy for the first time at the shop (smarties), and Woody likes the rainwater runoff pond a little too much so baths are too frequent thing now (for Woody).

Just a few things that have been going on in the shop the past month or so. came to teach us some advanced carving techniques with a ball and claw and acanthus leaf knees on a Cabriole leg. is working on a Greene & Greene inspired set of bed side tables, when Woody isn’t begging for wood. is building a tool chest which he can easily fit inside. Some small three legged stools, Oliver’s drawers on the side of his contemporary desk, Woody eating a hickory slab, and Jim’s carcass for his drawers. More to come! We started veneering recently, my favorite time of the year!

One of the best times of the year is when Mary comes to teach the ball and claw foot on a Cabriole leg! Looking forward to adding an acanthus leaf on the knee tomorrow! We learned letter carving earlier in the week that we are going to gild later in the year.

First semester recap! It is always fun to review what all we leaned at the end of each term. I’m sure there are a few things that didn’t make the list, but it is an impressive list nonetheless.

A little update on the past week or so...three legged stools, Krenov inspired saw horses, carving from , steam bending, the list goes on!

A whole lot of brick building was going on today. We started our “curved woodworking week” out with a good one. Brick building has so many uses from round posts to bombe chest of drawers.