What are the top woodworking schools?

[Malcolm Schweizer]

As the title suggests, I would like to know what are the most highly regarded woodworking schools that teach furniture design and construction methods, and would include modern CAD and CNC along with classical construction methods?

I am helping someone who is seeking credentials and instruction.

Thank you in advance.

[Stephen Rosenthal]

On the west coast: https://thekrenovschool.org/about-the-school/

Also, College of the Redwoods offers certificate programs in various woodworking and construction disciplines.

[Don Stephan]

Is this person looking for one week classes or quarter/semester length classes?

[David Bassett]

... I am helping someone who is seeking credentials and instruction. ...

What sort of credentials? Degree? Certificate, for what, from whom?

One possible place to check out is Palomar College (https://www2.palomar.edu/) (in San Marcos, outside of San Diego, CA.) I don't know much about their programs other than I'm told they have a great reputation. But I did see their facility when at FWW's Hand-On 2019 (https://www.finewoodworking.com/hands-on-san-diego-2019) event (webpages have shots of the some of the site.) The facility was incredible and they had extensive space dedicated to woodworking. They offer two year degrees, as well as shorter courses, but you're friend will have to dig to see if they match what he wants.


Of course, there are other classic schools. In addition to the Krenov School, there is North Bennet Street School (https://www.nbss.edu/) and several other famous ones I'm brain-cramping on right now.

[David Bassett]

... and several other famous ones I'm brain-cramping on right now.

Found two more (seemingly very different) schools with programs.

First, profiled by This Old House because of their degree/certification programs for entering home building trades is American College of the Building Arts (https://acba.edu/). HERE (https://www.thisoldhouse.com/this-old-house/21016189/trade-routes-american-college-of-the-building-arts) is bit of the info from TOH.

The other was Berea College (https://www.berea.edu/) mentioned by Lost Art Press. It's way outside of my experience with mainstream colleges where bigger is better, and more costly, seems to be a common characteristic. They have a Technology and Applied Design department, plus every student works at the university. The jobs in line with woodworking are in the Student Craft (https://bcstudentcraft.com/) shops, some of which include traditional wood working and woodcraft activities. (LAP especially recommends their traditional broomcorn brooms.)

[Richard Coers]

North Bennet School, Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Kendall College of Art and Design

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Thanks for the replies. This person is a very skilled woodworker and furniture restorer/builder who wants to go deeper into the craft. He is looking at schools in Europe, which are costly, but well-respected. The program he is most looking at has a 9-month program where at the end you get a certificate, and although he is seeking knowledge, the certificate adds value as he breaks into furniture design and marketing his designs. High-end furniture distributors have said it would benefit him to have some credentials to add to his experience. Imagine a musician who is a really good musician with no credentials trying to break into the industry, versus a graduate of Juliard.

***Added bonus is just the life experience, so it is not only the credentials.

[William Hodge]

One reason to choose a certain school is to take advantage of the contacts one makes. Which school is best depends on whom the person wants to work with.

What field is this person going to work in? The range is from art to general contracting, all called woodworking.

[Mark Gibney]

I'll vouch for the woodworking program at Cerritos College, Los Angeles.
They can teach you everything from handtools - how to restore them, use them, even make them, to CNC and other digital fabrication.
They have a fantastic shop with any machine you could wish to use, great instructors and a friendly atmosphere.
You can take as many classes as you can manage, or just one class a semester.
Classes are scheduled in the mornings, afternoons and evenings, so it can suit your work schedule if needs be.
I know that years back when Bay Area woodworker Jared Rusten went looking for a woodworking school he visited many of them far and wide and settled on Cerritos.
The Krenov school is different in so far as it's a destination school - it's in a small town far from any metro area, has a fairly small intake, and I gather that students form a tight group identity. Cerritos, like many other schools, is in a big metro area, for some students taking classes is a social outlet, for others it's a career training, so the atmosphere will reflect that.
Later today I am going to the retirement party for Carl Stammerjohn, who was head of the program at Cerritos. Carl was an incredible woodworker and teacher, and administrator. Along with Tony Fortner, who thankfully is still at Cerritos, they made that place special, never hesitating to offer help and encouragement above and beyond the course outline.

[Richard Coers]

Thanks for the replies. This person is a very skilled woodworker and furniture restorer/builder who wants to go deeper into the craft. He is looking at schools in Europe, which are costly, but well-respected. The program he is most looking at has a 9-month program where at the end you get a certificate, and although he is seeking knowledge, the certificate adds value as he breaks into furniture design and marketing his designs. High-end furniture distributors have said it would benefit him to have some credentials to add to his experience. Imagine a musician who is a really good musician with no credentials trying to break into the industry, versus a graduate of Juliard.

***Added bonus is just the life experience, so it is not only the credentials.
Your musical theory has some validity, but I don't think any one of the Rolling Stones, The Who, The Beatles, etc went to Juliard. I've been selling my work and my woodworking skills for over 40 years. What your friend really needs are some patrons. The high end world of hand made furniture and art furniture is driven by patrons. You can be the greatest in your field, but when wealthy patrons tell their friends, you really have made it. Reference Sam Maloof, George Nakashima, Wendell Castle

[Mike King]

Center for Furniture Craftsmanship.
Rowden Atelier
Waters and Acland

Those in addition to the others mentioned.

[Don Stephan]

Your friend would be well advised to study the type of furniture the "high end distributors" are selling, and actually are willing to distribute. My take on today's furniture purchasers, 25-50 years old, is they want the latest trendy look (look in Crate & Barrel and similar catalogs) at low prices, and don't care if it has a 3-5 year life span because within 5 years it will not be the latest trendy look and they don't want people coming to their house seeing an older trendy look. To minimize shipping cost the furniture has to be assembled with screws, cross grain construction is fine, and the poor screw holding capability of particle board is not an issue.

[Dan Lambert]

There are several other schools that teach woodworking, design, and other associated skills that are highly regarded by many. you might also consider the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).

[William Hodge]

I have run into professional furniture makers that are well equipped, make nice stuff, but not a lot of it. They also live well. They have trust funds.

Perhaps the person in question is independently wealthy, and just wants training to be better at their art or craft.

OP, what's the story?

[Mark Gibney]

This afternoon I ran into someone I know who spent a year up in the Krenov school - Covid cut off the very end of it.
She said as a student you spend long days doing essentially handtool woodworking, and you can get very good at it. If what you are doing isn't perfect you start again.
She had a few observations. She said there is not that much instruction. And she was lonely - she said the students mostly kept to themselves and friendships didn't blossom (she is a happy social well adapted person). She doesn't drink, most of the students did and going to the local bars was a big part of many student's life. As a result she got two major projects finished before the end of the academic year while most students were putting shellac on their one and only piece the day before the show.
She didn't think the course prepares you for making a living as a woodworker. She would, however, recommend anyone take the course if they can.
Another friend who got his associates degree in woodworking from Cerritos is just finishing a year at the Rhode Island School of Design. He said he needs that qualification (or similar) to be able to teach at a college in his future.
I hope that info might be of some use to the OP's friend.

[Edwin Santos]

On the west coast: https://thekrenovschool.org/about-the-school/

Also, College of the Redwoods offers certificate programs in various woodworking and construction disciplines.



I have visited the Krenov School when it was still called College of the Redwoods Fine Woodworking Program, and I was fortunate to attend a lecture and shop tour given by James Krenov.
Unless it has changed a lot, it was very much of a bohemian hippie atmosphere with an emphasis on design in Krenov's style, with extensive but not exclusive use of hand tools.
I would be surprised if they are teaching CAD or modern CNC techniques which was part of the criteria indicated in the OP. Not that this is a criticism because it is a marvelous program for certain people.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I have run into professional furniture makers that are well equipped, make nice stuff, but not a lot of it. They also live well. They have trust funds.

Perhaps the person in question is independently wealthy, and just wants training to be better at their art or craft.

OP, what's the story?

My shopmate is wanting to attend the Chippendale International School of Furniture in Scotland. It is a 9-month course. I really didn’t want to make the thread just about them specifically. I wanted to see what else is out there because this is a big commitment for money and time. I was asked if I would go as well, and I am considering it. For me it isn’t as big of a burden financially, but it is a lot of $ and I’m a return on investment kind of guy. In this case, part of the ROI is simply the life experience. In fact, for me it’s a big chunk of the ROI. For him, the education is a bigger chunk of it.

He is focused on restoration of antiques, with an emphasis on West Indian (Caribbean) furniture of the 1700’s and 1800’s. He wants to learn more about joinery, finishing techniques, and design- especially design. For him, the program has a lot to offer.

I have more experience in both design and woodworking than my shop partner. I teach basic woodworking, and I design and build furniture. For me, just the life experience is going to have to be a big part of it for the first month or two because they start with the basics and you can’t skip any courses if you want to get the full certificate at the end. So, I may not learn a lot of new stuff the first six weeks or so, but I will be exploring Scotland, making connections, and have a side gig sourcing antiques for a buyer in the US. The biggest thing I will get educationally is CAD experience and hopefully what I call “nuggets” of information in regards to joinery, design, shop jigs, etc. There are always things to learn. Also, the networking and connections are a plus.

We both have some big opportunities in the business with a recent joint project making replicas of antique furniture. I am wanting to add CNC production to automate some of the process. Where I teach, we have four CNC machines, and I work with the CNC shop on my designs, and he plugs them in. Basically, I draw it on paper and he plugs it in and cuts parts. In my own business, I am wanting to be able to do all the CAD and CNC myself. I also would like to further explore furniture design and broaden my influences.

Financially, I am able to take a year off better than he. If we both went, we could share a flat and cut down the individual cost of room and board and share a vehicle. All of this said, the same formula could work for any school offering a 9 to 12-month program, so I wanted to know what is out there, and am genuinely looking for other options before I commit.

[Thomas Wilson]

The School for Art, Craft, and Design is an accredited degree granting school at Tennessee Tech. The Appalachian School of Craft is part of the larger program. I don’t know the school personally but the guys who built my timberframe all went there. (Most also graduated.). They were solid woodworkers and all had portfolios of first rate furniture they designed and built.

https://www.tntech.edu/fine-arts/art/index.php

[Alan Lightstone]

Not to hijack Malcolm's thread, but are there any schools that have predominantly or exclusively CNC courses?

[Mick Simon]

Center for Furniture Craftsmanship.
Rowden Atelier
Waters and Acland

Those in addition to the others mentioned.

Glad to see Waters & Acland (https://www.watersandacland.co.uk/) included. The quality of student work coming out of that school amazes me.

[roger wiegand]

It really doesn't sound like this person needs instruction in woodworking, but rather just a ticket punched to say they have a credential. A degree in art or design may be much more appropriate to their needs in terms of career growth and filling out their skill set. Lots of places can provide that; plenty of opportunities for folks with an MFA in design.

To just learn CNC I have to imagine that there are dedicated classes that can be completed in weeks to months that will provide what one needs.

I'd take the opportunity to go to Scotland for a year almost no matter what!

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Not to hijack Malcolm's thread, but are there any schools that have predominantly or exclusively CNC courses?

That wouldn’t be hijacking. I would like to know as well.

[Mark Gibney]

Where do you teach, Malcolm? It sounds like a very well appointed facility.
And does your market reach outside of the Islands? - finding clients is always a concern and I'd imagine even more so when you're some isolated geographically.

The year in Scotland sounds like it could be a great experience. Bring some wooly socks.

[Richard Coers]

Not to hijack Malcolm's thread, but are there any schools that have predominantly or exclusively CNC courses?
CNC operators don't need to be woodworkers. Many schools and community colleges teach CNC.

[Richard Coers]

I have visited the Krenov School when it was still called College of the Redwoods Fine Woodworking Program, and I was fortunate to attend a lecture and shop tour given by James Krenov.
Unless it has changed a lot, it was very much of a bohemian hippie atmosphere with an emphasis on design in Krenov's style, with extensive but not exclusive use of hand tools.
I would be surprised if they are teaching CAD or modern CNC techniques which was part of the criteria indicated in the OP. Not that this is a criticism because it is a marvelous program for certain people.
I wouldn't go to a woodworking school to learn CAD or CNC anyway. There is zero knowledge of woodworking needed for either of those skills. I ran a 5 axis CNC for 12 years. The nearest knowledge I needed about woodworking was climb or traditional cut. That can be taught to any CNC operator in 5 minutes. But most operators don't do programming. Software in the office does the programs. The operator just needs to understand when the cutters get dull, how to locate the sheet, and where to set up the home point. Then it's just hit the green button and possibly make a feed speed change it the cut isn't doing well.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Where do you teach, Malcolm? It sounds like a very well appointed facility.
And does your market reach outside of the Islands? - finding clients is always a concern and I'd imagine even more so when you're some isolated geographically.

The year in Scotland sounds like it could be a great experience. Bring some wooly socks.

www.mybrothersworkshop.org We take at-risk youth and teach them woodworking, boatbuilding, and other trades. I run the wood shop and teach woodworking. I’m upping the curriculum- it was mostly construction and building park benches. Now we are building tables, doors, and other higher-end stuff.

At my own shop I do a lot of work for yachts and high-end stuff locally. There is something in the works to start marketing furniture made from local mahogany and outsourced mahogany and other woods. Stay tuned. Don’t want to get off track, but it is a big step.

A year in Scotland is 50% of my ROI- in other words, I’m willing to accept that I’m not going to make back the cost of the school, but I will get an experience.


answering others about CNC- Yes, I can get that elsewhere. I also have the machines here at work to play with but I want to get some formal training. I’m buying a CNC of my own and will get some training with that. What I liked about this school is they combine woodworking, design, and cad. It just makes it more of a package deal and justifies the trip.

[William Hodge]

It seems like different industries used different CAD programs. When I started drawing with a computer, in 1994, AutoCad was pretty standard. Now the cabinet industry has developed software that works great with sheet goods.Because I work only in solid wood, I have stuck with AutoCad. At this point drawing anything with dimensions feels intuitive in AutoCad.I still draw cats and dogs by hand. The point here is to train in the right CAD system for your work. Being able to share drawings with architects, my market, has helped me a lot.

[Mark Gibney]

I checked out the MBW website - looks like you guys are doing some really relevant work within your community. Congratulations and well done!

[andrew whicker]

Edinburgh is amazing. I'd live there for 9 months. I would still like to go to skye isle, see more castles, hike more in the north, try the fly fishing, etc.

Loved Scotland. 10/10 would go again.

[Peter Kelly]

There are several other schools that teach woodworking, design, and other associated skills that are highly regarded by many. you might also consider the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).Having gone through undergrad Industrial Design at RISD I cannot imagine how anyone would be able to just pay off the tuition as a furniture maker. You could almost certainly buy a home for less money.

[Jim Matthews]

American schools are generally organized around other trades, as the business left in the 1980s when Broyhill decamped to Vietnam.

If you're looking Stateside, an apprenticeship might serve. I highly recommend Brian Boggs for this.

His production is mainly in Asheville, NC.

I couldn't speak to either duration of the program or selection process. I believe his wife, Melanie, is the principal contact.

They make a wide array of furniture and use a blend of handcraft with modern gear, including CNC.

https://brianboggschairmakers.com/

[Mike Walsh]

In addition to the regular programs, North Bennet St used to offer private instruction options, which might be worth looking into