Apprenticeship

Supercharge Your Hand Tool Skills With

Personalized Instruction

Video lessons and applied projects will get you started, but what about taking that next step towards hand tool woodworking nirvana? After years of running The Hand Tool School and talking with my students about what they struggle with and dealing with their specific questions, I realized that additional guided, personal support is really effective to help woodworkers grow in their hand tool skills.

Two Payment Options Available

There's a lot of great content on the web, but what sets The Hand Tool School above the rest is the personal touch.  With quick responses via forum posts, emails, and even the occasional video to directly address student questions and problems, Shannon makes the learning process personal.  It's the closest thing you can get to private instruction in a digital format.

Cliff McMann 
Member Since 2014

In other words, an actual apprenticeship

Since the school’s inception I have made it a priority to be accessible to my students.  I am here to help with any issues a student may encounter. I quickly discovered that some students needed nothing and just want to download their videos and get to work. Others needed more help, so I began to help with video chats and long, detailed emails.   As the student total grew I started to pull back from these interactions and I relied on monthly live sessions to address questions, but these sessions became cumbersome trying to address so many diverse questions. Suddenly they had degraded into projects and weren’t helping anyone with their specific issues.

In short, I was only adding to the volume of content available to the students but not really addressing specific needs. This began the seed for the Apprenticeship product. There is more needed than just additional videos, but guided support and accountability is the secret.  

Included in Your Monthly/Annually (recurring) Fee

Technique Videos

At least 2 new tip or technique videos each month with topics chosen by the Apprenticeship community geared toward your specific goals.  This also includes an existing archive of hours and hours of video.

Live Training

An hour plus long broadcast to answer questions from Apprentices and to address more in detailed demonstrations.  Each broadcast will be recorded for replay and you will have immediate access to an archive of hundreds of hours of Live Sessions as well.

Apprentice Community

An exclusive community area where the student can blog about their accomplishments, ask questions, share triumphs, and work with their fellow apprentices.  It is here where most of the goal setting an accountability will happen.  

Personalized Learning Path

We work together to figure out your goals for the next month or even the next year, then build a series of tasks, practice exercises, projects, etc to help you get there.  I'll set you on the path and be here to help along the way.

In addition to all the great lesson and projects, the Apprentice videos have been a huge part of my learning process at The Hand Tool School.  Shannon's planing stop video turned on a light bulb for me and dramatically changed the way I think about milling.  It has improved my milling efficiency and enjoyment.

Bill Kerler 
Member Since 2013

A Sample of Our Apprenticeship Videos

• Technique Videos
• Live Training

The Outdoor Woodshop

Pinch Sticks

No Holding Back

Power Tools in the Hand Tool Shop

Sawing Warm Up Exercises

The Peg Hook

Ancient Techniques & the Lumber Industry

Scrapers & Restoring Dado Planes

Block Planes & Installing Lock Sets

Cavetto Moulding

Re-Handle a Chisel

Letter Carving

Shannon Rogers Glue Pot Keeper/Headmaster

And don't forget that you will have priority access to me.  Your emails, private messages, texts, smoke signals, whatever go to the front of the line.  Just use the Bat Phone!