This five-day introductory course is intended to build confidence, demystify woodworking through the use of hand tools, and get you excited to work with wood on your own. You will be provided with a full-size woodworking bench equipped with all of the sharpened tools needed for the class and led through the construction of a benchtop tool tote project designed to further your understanding of fine bench joinery. During the course, you will learn an array of joints, layout techniques, and practical tips for crafting successful joinery through your project: a hand tool tote. You will discover the pleasure of working wood with hand tools, and the confidence to properly set up, sharpen, and maintain those same tools to continue this practice on your own time. This project will include the creation of lapped joints, dados, and grooves by hand. Different design and construction elements will be examined, with the final design being determined by you. Over the course of the week, you will learn a number of joints and put them to immediate practice through the construction of your project. You will learn to choose the right tool for the job, how to set the tools up properly, and practice the skills you’ll need to work as efficiently and enjoyably as possible. Woodworking spaces are historically and presently male-dominated spaces. Our intention here is to provide training and support for people who, through long-enduring and systemic inequalities, have been excluded due to gender or identity. This class welcomes cis women, trans women and trans men, gay men, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, genderqueer, and any woman-identifying people. This distinction is less about who we do not let in the door and more about who this space is intended for. As such, we ask that you thoughtfully determine your own eligibility. Required Tools: PTSW will provide all the tools for this course.