Fine Woodworking

Fine Woodworking's online courses are on-demand video classes for woodworkers who want to learn from the people behind the magazine. The course site promises "Online Courses Created by Master Woodworkers" under the headline "Learn the Skills to Fuel Your Woodworking Journey." It sits alongside Fine Woodworking itself, which one instructor bio on the site calls "the leading print and online resource for passionate woodworkers everywhere." The homepage lists the on-demand courses and course bundles on offer, and says students can "Access the below courses at any time."

How the courses work

Every course is self-paced. The help center explains that the "premium online courses are On-Demand, which allows you to learn at your own pace," and that "Video lessons are not live events, and you are not expected to log in at a certain date or time to participate." Each course is divided into chapters, and each chapter holds related video lessons. After signing in with the email address used at purchase, a student lands on a welcome screen called the Dashboard.

Some courses add a live element. "When specified on the course information page," the help center says, the question and answer segments "are held live in a webinar format." Invitations arrive by email from Zoom, and students are asked to install the Zoom desktop client or mobile app beforehand so they do not miss the start of a session.

Some courses also include a Community, described as a space "for like-minded individuals" where "Participants can interact with each other, ask questions, problem-solve, and post photos." The help center adds that "The community has direct access to the instructors and Fine Woodworking team members." Courses with a Community also have a Member Directory. Joining it is optional: a student adds social profile links and agrees to share their profile, which makes it visible to other course participants. The help center stresses that filling in personal details is "completely optional," and that a student can take the course and use the Community without opting in.

The courses run on Kajabi, which the help center calls "the business platform we are using for Fine Woodworking eLearning courses," chosen because it delivers the courses "straight to your computer, tablet, and phone." Purchase confirmations, password resets and class announcements all come by email, and the help center lists the sender addresses so students can mark them as safe.

The instructors

The instructors are the core of the offer, and the site introduces each one in detail.

Michael Pekovich holds degrees in furniture making and graphic design from California State University at Long Beach and "has been building commissioned work for over 30 years." He is editor and creative director at Fine Woodworking and the author of The Why and How of Woodworking and Foundations of Woodworking.

Dave Richards "has been a SketchUp user and teacher for more than 15 years." He is an authorized SketchUp trainer, draws project plans for Fine Woodworking, contributes to the blog Design. Click. Build., and wrote the SketchUp Guide for Woodworkers.

Roland Johnson has worked in woodworking since 1976, starting with refinishing and building furniture. A self-confessed "gear head," he is one of the magazine's go-to tool experts and has been a contributing editor since 2002.

Bob Van Dyke has been teaching the craft "for more than 25 years." A contributing editor who has written dozens of articles and appears in popular FineWoodworking.com videos, he owns and runs the Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking, where his teaching centers on "building student mastery of hand tools, power tools, and machines."

David Fisher carves bowls and spoons, makes shrink-pots and also teaches history. He finds inspiration for his carvings on long walks in the woods.

Michael Cullen studied under David Powell at the Leeds Design Workshops in Easthampton, Mass., and set up his own workshop for custom furniture and sculpture in Petaluma, Calif., in 1989. Now based in Kent, Conn., he is a Brand Ambassador for Fine Woodworking and splits his time between making furniture and teaching design and technique.

Matt Monaco trained on the lathe with the Australian master turner Richard Raffan, spent several years as a turner for the Vermont furniture and ceramics company Shackleton Thomas, and owns Monaco Bowls, selling through craft galleries.

Mike Mascelli teaches finishing and upholstery at schools and guilds across the country and directs the Professional Refinisher's Group. He describes his teaching as "a re-packaging of what I have learned from the pros for over 20 years."

Larissa Huff is a Philadelphia woodworker and former math teacher whose designs are often inspired by patterns. She builds furniture from Pennsylvania hardwoods with traditional joinery and likes to add a special element to each piece, recently secret drawers, tambour doors or hot-pipe-bent details. She has completed a residency at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and a fellowship at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, and works on the team at the Wharton Esherick Museum.

Taken together, the roster covers furniture design and joinery, hand and power tools, machinery, SketchUp design, bowl turning and carving, finishing and upholstery.

Discounts, pricing and support

Fine Woodworking offers "a 10% discount to all active duty, reserve, and military veterans." Eligible students fill in a form on the help center, and after approval they receive a coupon code by email. The course site does not show prices on its homepage. Questions go through a contact form on the help center, and the team says "someone on our team will contact you." A mailing list sends free weekly tips.

Who it suits

These courses suit hobby and serious woodworkers who already trust Fine Woodworking and want structured video lessons from its editors and regular contributors. Someone setting up a shop can learn from a tool expert, a furniture maker can study design with Michael Cullen or Larissa Huff, a turner can follow Matt Monaco, and anyone planning projects digitally can learn SketchUp from Dave Richards. The on-demand format fits around a working week, and courses with a live Q&A or a Community add the chance to ask instructors directly and share photos of work in progress.