the Woodworking Blog

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Hey folks! I received a letter from Mike in Washington and thought I’d share. He was looking for a pdf. for my Cabinetmaker’s Toolchest project and mentioned he had recently finished making a Funeral Chair following the plans in my book, The Unplugged Woodshop. Mike used some cherry and red oak with a bit of […]

After a very long winter here in Cape Breton, we’re pleased to announce our Summer/Fall 2025 class schedule is open for registration. Join me for a one day workshop or a week long intensive. Lots of dates and options are available with topics to suit everyone. Beginners are welcome! If your schedule doesn’t work for […]

What’s all the news? We’ve relocated to the East Coast! Cape Breton Island to be specific… After eight amazing years of UW Toronto, it was time to come home. Back to the Coast where our school will now run on a more seasonal basis. We’ll take these next few months to get things setup, but […]

This is a conversation I recently had with August Winter. August and I discuss ideas on inspiration to individuality, problem solving to wonder, and the diversity of our students here at the Unplugged Woodshop Toronto. The Unplugged Woodshop is a hand tool only woodworking school where our hope is to provide students with knowledge, motivation, […]

Fall 2022. The 2022 Fall semester of “hand tool only” woodworking classes in Toronto is now Open for Registration. Join us for a Saturday Bootcamp, an evening class or a week long course this Autumn. Our classes are technique based where you’ll learn the fundamental skills for building furniture using only hand tools. Dimensioning wood […]

**This is an interview I recently did with Rayonier.com and thought I’d share it with you here. AN INTERVIEW WITH THE UNPLUGGED WOODSHOP’S TOM FIDGEN Hand tool woodworking leader Tom Fidgen shares how he became an internationally-renowned woodworking teacher—and why he gave up power tools. Human beings have used hand tools to transform wood into […]

Looking East from the shop after a late Spring rain. Rainbows over Leslieville and here we are again with summer rolling on and thinking about the Fall semester at The Unplugged Woodshop. You’ll find our September and October classes are listed on the main page and the November/December schedule will be posted in a few […]

Cottage Life TV Hey folks! I’m happy to finally share the documentary I was a part of back in May. It’s a nice look into wood and all of the effects it has on our lives and our environment. “The ancient craft of woodworking has made a comeback!” For the Love of Wood by Cottage […]

Hey folks! Thanks for stopping by. I’m out here on the East Coast in my summer workshop enjoying a little bit of the summertime pace and getting one of my “TO-DO” list projects underway. All through the winter and spring, back at the Unplugged Woodshop Toronto, every time I picked up my crooked knife I […]