Woodworking

In this class, students will hand craft a beautiful pine wood box reminiscent of the Shaker craftwork. Students will begin with wood already prepared and cut to finished sizes for the project. They will work on the following skills: cutting and joining the sides/dovetail joints, gluing/planing and sanding the sides, shaping the lid and base, attaching the hardware (hinges), and finishing techniques.

Dates/Times

• Monday, May 4, 2026 – 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
• Tuesday, May 5, 2026 – 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Instructor: Martin Macica

Member Tuition: $230.00
Non-Member Tuition: $280.00

Material Fee: $40.00 Included in fee shown on checkout page

Location: AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY

Behind every timber frame stands a set of drawings – plans that turn an idea into a buildable structure. This 2.5-day weekend course gives you the skills to draft your own timber frame plans by hand, using traditional methods that connect design directly to building. You'll start with the basics of drafting: tools, techniques, and conventions for creating clear, accurate plans. Then, you'll take your drawings off the page and practice the basic mortise and tenon joinery. This is an immersive class that blends drawing and some joinery practice. Expect guided lessons, demonstrations, and plenty of time both at the drafting board and using hand tools to cut the joinery. No prior experience is necessary for this course.

Dates/Times

• Saturday, April 25, 2026 – 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
• Sunday, April 26, 2026 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Monday, April 27, 2026 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Instructor: Nicholas Russell

Member Tuition: $300.00
Non-Member Tuition: $355.00

Material Fee: $15.00 Included in fee shown on checkout page

Location: 1476 U.S. 9, Lake George, NY 12845, Alfred Z. Solomon Lake George Annex, located on Rt. 9 in the Log Jam Outlets immediately behind the Log Jam Restaurant

Behind every timber frame stands a set of drawings – plans that turn an idea into a buildable structure. This 2.5-day weekend course gives you the skills to draft your own timber frame plans by hand, using traditional methods that connect design directly to building. You'll start with the basics of drafting: tools, techniques, and conventions for creating clear, accurate plans. Then, you'll take your drawings off the page and practice the basic mortise and tenon joinery. This is an immersive class that blends drawing and some joinery practice. Expect guided lessons, demonstrations, and plenty of time both at the drafting board and using hand tools to cut the joinery. No prior experience is necessary for this course.

Dates/Times

• Friday, January 30, 2026 – 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
• Saturday, January 31, 2026 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Sunday, February 1, 2026 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Instructor: Nicholas Russell

Member Tuition: $300.00
Non-Member Tuition: $355.00

Material Fee: $15.00 Included in fee shown on checkout page

Location: AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY

In this class, students will create a beautiful cutting board using various woods and epoxy inlay. The wood will be cut to size on a table saw, and students will use a planer after gluing the pieces together. An epoxy accent will be poured to add a striking colored detail to the cutting board, with the option of adding glittering stones to make it a truly unique piece.

Dates/Times

• Thursday, January 22, 2026 – 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
• Friday, January 23, 2026 – 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Instructor: Frank Lagace

Member Tuition: $115.00
Non-Member Tuition: $140.00

Material Fee: $90.00 Included in fee shown on checkout page

Location: AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY

Using only hand tools, students will learn to carve their own bowl or cup. Using the natural shapes, colors and curves of the wood, students will create a unique piece that reflects the beauty of the natural world.

Dates/Times

• Saturday, October 3, 2026 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Sunday, October 4, 2026 – 9:00 am to 1:00 pm

Instructor: Ray Richardson

Member Tuition: $185.00
Non-Member Tuition: $225.00

Material Fee: $25.00 Included in fee shown on checkout page

Location: AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY

This is a simple woodworking project to learn the Dado joint using a hand router and the use of a knife line. Students will leave class with two beautiful, handcrafted bookends. These will be finished with an antique oil finish.

Dates/Times

• Friday, January 16, 2026 – 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Instructor: Martin Macica

Member Tuition: $115.00
Non-Member Tuition: $140.00

Material Fee: $25.00 Included in fee shown on checkout page

Location: AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY

Come build a Paraguayan harp. This harp is characterized by a large soundbox with a rounded base, very light weight, closely-spaced light tension strings (usually nylon), a relatively flat harmonic curve, and with the strings running up through the center of the neck, which are tuned with gear-style tuners (like a guitar). Almost all harps of this style are played with the fingernails, in very rhythmically intricate music. This is the national instrument of Paraguay, and is commonly found throughout South America, Central America and in parts of Mexico. Students will be using tools from the past and today, to fashion an instrument that will last a lifetime. After this class you may even want to learn to play your beautiful new harp!

Dates/Times

• Saturday, August 8, 2026 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Sunday, August 9, 2026 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Instructor: Larry Benjamin

Member Tuition: $230.00
Non-Member Tuition: $280.00

Material Fee: $350.00 Included in fee shown on checkout page

Location: 1476 U.S. 9, Lake George, NY 12845, Alfred Z. Solomon Lake George Annex, located on Rt. 9 in the Log Jam Outlets immediately behind the Log Jam Restaurant

Learn how to make your very own personal hiking stick. Begin by selecting the perfect stick collected by the instructor. Then you will learn how to shave and carve your hiking stick. Once you are happy with your creation, the sticks will be completed by drilling a hole in them and adding a lanyard. Once finished, put your stick to good use on the trail running right by our school!

Dates/Times

• Sunday, August 23, 2026 – 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Instructor: Don Polunci

Member Tuition: $70.00
Non-Member Tuition: $85.00

Material Fee: $5.00 Included in fee shown on checkout page

Location: AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY

Learn how to make your very own personal hiking stick. Begin by selecting the perfect stick collected by the instructor. Then you will learn how to shave and carve your hiking stick. Once you are happy with your creation, the sticks will be completed by drilling a hole in them and adding a lanyard. Once finished, put your stick to good use on the trail running right by our school!

Dates/Times

• Sunday, June 28, 2026 – 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Instructor: Don Polunci

Member Tuition: $70.00
Non-Member Tuition: $85.00

Material Fee: $5.00 Included in fee shown on checkout page

Location: AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY

Kick off your holiday season by learning a new craft. You will select from a variety of holiday and winter inspired images to create one or two pieces that can be used for coasters, decorating or gifting. This abbreviated introduction to wood burning, also known as pyrography, will introduce you to wood burning tools, tips, transferring images, shading and adding color.

Dates/Times

• Saturday, December 5, 2026 – 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Instructor: Lorraine Mara

Member Tuition: $70.00
Non-Member Tuition: $85.00

Material Fee: $8.00 Included in fee shown on checkout page

Location: AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY

Come learn the ancient technique of creating art with heat. You will learn simple pyrography (woodburning) techniques and use various wood burning tips and colored pencils to create artwork inspired by the Zentangle method. You will burn simple repetitive patterns, add color, and leave with one or two holiday images that can be used as coasters or decorations.

Dates/Times

• Friday, December 5, 2025 – 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Instructor: Lorraine Mara

Member Tuition: $65.00
Non-Member Tuition: $80.00

Material Fee: $12.00 Included in fee shown on checkout page

Location: AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY