The Guild · skilled trades & applied crafts
Carpentry & Woodworking
From framing square to smoothing plane — building work that stands plumb, level, and true.
Tapes, squares, and levels — reading sixteenths and laying out work before a single cut.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~12 hours
Unit I — The Tape and the Sixteenth
Reading a tape measure to 1/16 inch · Adding and subtracting fractional inches · Marking with a sharp pencil and a knife line · Measuring twice as a habit, not a slogan
Unit II — Square, Level, Plumb
The speed square and the framing square · Checking level and plumb with a spirit level · The 3-4-5 triangle for square corners · Snapping and reading a chalk line
Unit III — Layout in Practice
Laying out a stud wall on the plate · 16-inch and 24-inch on-center spacing · Marking rough openings for doors and windows · Transferring layout from plan to lumber
The skeleton of a house — sills, studs, joists, and rafters, framed in the order a crew builds them.
Syllabus · 4 units · ~40 hours
Unit I — Lumber and Load
How framing lumber is graded and sized · Nominal versus actual dimensions · Load paths: how weight finds the ground · Fasteners: nails, screws, and hangers
Unit II — Floors
Sills, rim joists, and joist layout · Bridging and blocking · Subfloor installation and glue-and-screw practice
Unit III — Walls
Plates, studs, and headers · Framing rough openings · Raising, plumbing, and bracing a wall
Unit IV — Roofs
Rafter anatomy: ridge, run, and rise · Laying out a common rafter with the framing square · Trusses versus stick framing · Sheathing and preparing for the roofer
Saws, planes, and chisels kept sharp — and the joints that hold without a single screw.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~30 hours
Unit I — Sharp Is Safe
The cutting edge under magnification · Sharpening on stones: bevel and burr · Flattening a plane sole · Tool care and rust prevention
Unit II — Sawing and Planing
Rip cuts and crosscuts by hand · Sawing to a knife line · Setting and using a bench plane · Reading grain direction
Unit III — First Joints
The butt joint and why it fails · Lap joints and dadoes · Cutting a mortise and tenon · The dovetail, one tail at a time
Casework that closes with a click — carcass construction, doors, drawers, and finish.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~45 hours
Unit I — Carcass Construction
Sheet goods versus solid wood · Dadoes, rabbets, and case joinery · Squaring and clamping a carcass · Wood movement and how to allow for it
Unit II — Doors and Drawers
Frame-and-panel doors · Drawer construction and slides · Fitting to an even reveal · Hinges and hardware
Unit III — Surfaces and Finish
Surface preparation and scraping · Stains, oils, and film finishes · Rubbing out a finish · Repairing mistakes honestly
The visible last mile — casing, baseboard, hung doors, and stair work that reads straight to the eye.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~36 hours
Unit I — Trim
Casing windows and doors · Baseboard and coped inside corners · Mitering and burnishing joints · Caulk, filler, and what paint will forgive
Unit II — Doors
Hanging a door on its hinges · Mortising for hardware · Fitting a door to an out-of-square opening
Unit III — Stairs
Rise, run, and the code limits · Laying out a stringer · Treads, risers, and balustrade basics