October Unplugged - The Unplugged WoodshopThe Unplugged Woodshop

October 5th to 31st

Mondays to Saturdays, 9am-5pm

I’m extremely excited to announce our first Month Long Course is now open for registration!

Join me this October, 2026, and spend four weeks changing the way you work wood.

Regardless if you’re just beginning to get into woodworking or have been at this for decades, this course will motivate, challenge and inspire you to discover your best work is all at the ends of your arms.

From the design to your final project, we’ll spend the days creating, making, discovering and experiencing all of the truly, amazing things that happen when you work with only hand tools.

Not only will there be bench time, but throughout the course we’ll have lots of opportunities for questions and answers, stories and songs. Pencils on paper, tool steel on water stones.

Designing and dimensioning. Materials and tools. Joinery and finishing…

A month gives you the time to really discover the nuances of hand tool woodworking, with details being observed and explored, discussed and deciphered. All while you’re designing and building a custom cabinet.

You’ll have me as a teacher, mentor and friend.

I’ll share what I know through my own career and experiences.

Using hand selected materials and finely tuned hand tools, this will be a month you’ll remember for a lifetime.

I’m limiting this class size to only four students so we’ll have lots of one on one time with ample opportunity to dive deep into your work.

A day class is wonderful for opening the doors to new students and week long courses are great for a little more of an experience, but a month long hand tool only woodworking experience with me here in my home workshop on Cape Breton Island?

If this is something you can make the time for, and you have the budget to make it happen, then I encourage you to look at the details, check over your calendar, and make the decision to come to my shop in October and really, make a positive change in your life.

I don’t say that lightly.

Nothing but good comes from a course like this.

I’ve had the privilege over my career to teach thousands of students all over the world and it’s been an amazing opportunity for me to see first hand, what kind of changes can come from a commitment like this.

Watching how people change through the weeks, not only at the workbench, but how they confront a challenge, how to problem solve in real time. Success and failure, lessons learned with instant feedback and analysis for immediate improved results. This is the stuff you can only get in person, in real time, with instant coaching and suggestions, unique to you and your situation, it’s the devil in the details that make this such a beneficial opportunity.

If you’ve come this far and you’re still interested I say thank you.

I commend you for considering this rare opportunity and have the utmost respect for people doing this kind of thing.

We often sit in front of our screens and dream about doing amazing things. Congratulations to you for taking the next step.

You can reserve one of the four limited spaces available for this inaugural course in Cape Breton this October now.

If you have any questions or concerns about coming to the East Coast, the logistics of lodging or any specific details about the course itself, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m happy to help and truly appreciate the interest.

Hope to see you soon.

Many thanks again and cheers from Cape Breton.

Tom

The Unplugged Woodshop is located at 239 East Margaree Rd. in Belle Cote, Nova Scotia.

Flying:

The Halifax Internarional Airport is 341.7 km ( 3 1/2 hours by car ),

while the Sydney Airport is only 152.5 km ( 1 hr and 50 min by car )

Week long and single day classes run from 9am to 5pm.

Evening classes are from 6pm to 9pm.

Yes.

We’re currently by appointment only but feel free to reach out if you’d like to come by to see what we’re all about.

All of our class registration is online. Navigate through the website to find the classes that suit your needs. Once you find your specific classes or courses, registration is made online with credit card or PayPal. If you’re not able to register online, you can reach out to the school to make arrangements to come for in person payment options.

One day and evening classes are non-refundable 48 hours prior to the beginning of class while our week long courses are non-refundable 7 days prior to the start date.

Yes. If a class you’re interested in is sold out, simply drop us an email and we’ll be happy to put you on our waiting list. You’ll be notified when the next space becomes available. Many of our classes are extremely popular and fill up fast. We encourage you to register as soon as you can when our new semesters become available.

No. We provide all of the tools and materials you’ll need for each of our classes and courses. That said, some of our long term students prefer to use their own tools and we certainly don’t mind if you bring them along.

Unfortunately no. We do not offer accommodations but are more than happy to answer any questions you have about finding accommodations, proximity to the school, travel, etc…Whatever we can do to help you with your visit to Cape Breton we’re happy to do so.

Reach out with any questions, comments or concerns.

Yes indeed! We’ve had students from Italy, England, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the USA to name a few. We suggest that all International students visit the www.Canada.ca website to find out details about visiting and studying in Canada for extended periods of time.

No. We don’t require students to have prior experience. We welcome new students and beginners to our school all of the time. We enjoy seeing the evolution of students as they learn and practice the art of building furniture and cabinets using only hand tools.

We currently keep all of our classes small with a maximum of 5 students. That allows for additional work space and more importantly, gives you valuable one on one time with your Instructor.

We’ve welcomed men and women from all walks of life, from 18 to 80 years old and everything in between. Each week we seem to have engineers and architects, artists and professionals attending our classes. We get a lot of professionals who work online and are in need of a break away from their screens as well as young people just getting started in their careers. Having a wide range of diverse people at the school makes for a well balanced atmosphere.

Cape Breton Classes
October Unplugged

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Cape Breton Classes October Unplugged