During this six day workshop, students will learn to cut and raise a simple garden shed frame that employs traditional Japanese timber framing techniques. An enclosed area to store the various items for the garden and yard, and a sheltered, open area for the mower. A flexible structure that could easily be versioned into a greenhouse with changes to the roof, or a chicken coup with changes to the walls.

A no mercy training block to take a new woodworker and prepare them for a timber framing workshop. In this assault on the senses set up a Japanese chisel, sharpen it, and learn to cut mortise and tenon joinery.

Join us for a unique experience melding the practice of Zen and Japanese Woodworking, training your whole self for two intensive weeks at the Chozen-ji Zen temple in beautiful Honolulu, Hawaii. Students will participate in a rigorous program of Zen meditation and woodworking training learning the fundamentals of Japanese tools and constructing a small timber-frame structure.

In this workshop we will learn the fundamentals of the SketchUp CAD tool, and use it to design joints as a way to understand them in our minds. We’ll then transfer our ideas to the raw material, layout out some traditional joinery.

Join our workshop where we will fell trees, prepare them, and learn the principles of center-line layout on an irregularly shaped timber. Details Coming Soon

Join us for a weekend of inspiration, education, and community as we gather to celebrate traditional Japanese woodworking.

Learn from Japanese master carpenter Kohei Yamamoto of Somacousha and Jon Billing of Big Sand Woodworking during a full immersion in the construction and raising of a Japanese timber frame. Students will learn and gain practice cutting different joints and assembling a large structure to house the NSB sawmill.

Attendance limited to 16 students.

A no mercy training block to take a new woodworker and prepare them for a timber framing workshop. In this assault on the senses set up a Japanese chisel, sharpen it, and learn to cut mortise and tenon joinery.

Attendance limited to 6 students.

Learn the art of hewing logs for Japanese timber framing from Yann Giguere and Kohei Yamamoto. In this workshop we will learn the setup and sharpening of the tools, gain lots of practice hewing logs, and learn irregular log and centerline layout techniques.

Attendance limited to 10 students.

Learning a fundamental joint in both furniture and timber construction. In this workshop we will layout, cut and fit mortise and tenons and explore methods to fix them in place.

Attendance limited to 6 students.

Learn from master carpenter and blacksmith Jim Blauvelt how to layout and cut a dai for a Japanese plane as well as tuning and adjustment techniques to take your planing to the next level.

Attendance limited to 6 students.

An introduction to the fundamentals of setting up and using a Japanese Hand plane. In this workshop we will set up a brand new kanna, learn tuning techniques and practice taking shavings.

Attendance limited to 6 students.

A no mercy training block to take a new woodworker and prepare them for a timber framing workshop. In this assault on the senses set up a Japanese chisel, sharpen it, and learn to cut mortise and tenon joinery.

Attendance limited to 6 students.

An introduction to the Japanese pull saw, its use in joinery, as well as using power hand saws for cutting joinery. In this workshop we will learn proper sawing techniques, understanding basic layout, and cutting to a line.

Attendance limited to 6 students.