Instructor: Gene Shaw
Cost: $100
Want to learn the fundamentals of woodworking?
This introductory course is designed for beginners with little to no prior woodworking experience. Students will learn proper workshop safety, tool identification and handling, and foundational joinery techniques. Emphasis is placed on working with hand tools and traditional methods, building a strong skill set applicable to both modern woodworking and historic restoration practices.
Each participant will complete a handcrafted wooden box, gaining practical experience in measuring, cutting, assembling, and finishing wood. Along the way, students will be introduced to the principles of material selection, grain orientation, and craftsmanship standards rooted in preservation trades.
Skills & Topics Covered:
Workshop safety and best practices
Introduction to hand tools and their uses
Measuring, marking, and cutting techniques
Basic joinery and assembly methods
Sanding and finishing techniques
Understanding wood movement and grain
By the end of the course, students will have completed a functional, heirloom-quality wooden box and leave with the foundational skills and confidence to pursue further woodworking projects or coursework.
Appropriate for students aged 12+. Ages of 12-17 must be accompanied by an adult.
Financial assistance available, if needed. Please email Info@LancasterWorkshop.com.
-
Workshop safety and best practices
Introduction to hand tools and their uses
Measuring, marking, and cutting techniques
Basic joinery and assembly methods
Sanding and finishing techniques
Understanding wood movement and grain
-
Gene Shaw moved to Lancaster, PA, in 1972 after receiving a Fine Arts Certificate from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Philadelphia College of Art. While at PAFA, he received numerous awards, prizes, and grants, including the J. Henry Scheidt European Traveling Scholarship (1971), the Wilson Woodrow Graphics prize (1969, 1970, 1971), and the Klein grant (1969, 1970).
Once in Lancaster, he combined his fine art/design training and his love of woodworking, a skill he learned from his father, to establish The Wooden Plane, a custom cabinetry and home-restoration business. He and his wife built a new home in the city of Lancaster which was featured in the 25th anniversary “Houses” issue of Fine Home Building Magazine in 2006. The Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County (HPTLC) awarded him the C. Emlen Urban award twice; in 1989, for preservation leadership and, in 2003, for new home construction in an historic district.
To encourage young people from his hometown high school in Grundy Center, Iowa, to pursue careers in art, he established the Gene A. Shaw Art Travel Fund through the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa. He also funds an annual fine art scholarship at the school.
Since 2005, he has traveled to Maine annually to attend the Woodenboat School in Brooklin, ME. While at school, he has made numerous sketches which are the basis for the woodcuts he creates upon his return to Lancaster, PA.
He has exhibited his work at the Benjamin Mangel Gallery in Bala Cynwyd, PA, Gallery Doshi in Harrisburg, PA, Chestnut House Gallery, Lancaster Country Day, and Lancaster Art Walk, all in Lancaster, PA
-
We know life happens! If you need to cancel or reschedule your workshop, here’s how it works:
More than 7 days before class → Full refund (minus a 10% admin fee) or a 100% credit toward another workshop (good for 6 months).
1 day before class → No refund or credits.
No-shows → Not eligible for refund or credit.
If we cancel a workshop → You’ll get a full refund or a 100% workshop credit — your choice.
*Special note: If you’re sick or have an emergency, please reach out at least 24-48 hours before class. We’ll do our best to offer a credit or transfer.
To cancel or request a change, email us at Info@LancasterWorkshop.com or call 717-951-6037.