Flashback Friday – November 15, 2021 – Go To School

For Fandango’s Flashback Friday Challenge

You can find out what grit of sandpaper you need to use on the internet. But learning what that thin whisker of a wire edge really feels like on a just sharpened gouge or chisel may be more challenging. And while Youtube videos can walk you through many processes learning how to glide a gouge with the right amount of force through teak might not be one of them. So for these and many, more in-person instruction is still the best answer.

There are many places where you can get intensive training in craft skills that are hard to master on your own. My own experiences as an instructor have been at WoodenBoat School in Brooklin, Maine. At places like WoodenBoat, the courses are a week or longer. During that time, you will get immersed in the craft in which you are interested. For most, it will be the closest thing to a craft internship or apprenticeship that can be achieved.

Schools like WoodenBoat offer great value for what you pay, quicken your skills and accelerate your mastery of skills that are very hard to learn from books and videos.