Training the Hand Workshop: Frequently Asked Questions

Do I Need Canadian Money?  For non-Canadians coming to the course we highly recommend bringing a credit and/or an ATM/debit card.  Most Canadian businesses take US dollars although they don't give you the best exchange rates.  Credit cards and debit cards generally get good exchange rates, and everyone takes them. For non-Canadians we also recommend arriving to the workshop with some Canadian money in your pocket.  We recommend exchanging about $50 (USD) at the airport before arriving to the workshop.

Is There Any Pre-Workshop Study I Can Do? The most important woodworking skill for a hand tool woodworker is learning to correctly sharpen your tools.  If you cannot sharpen your tools you cannot do hand tool woodworking.  This is the very first skill you will learn in the class and it will be reinforced every day.  To improve how quickly you learn to properly sharpen please visit Rob's YouTube channel at  and watch the sharpening playlist videos. 

What Clothes Should I Wear in the Workshop?  The answer is comfortable.  Rob will be in shorts (he does not own long pants!), T-shirt, and a woodworking apron.  The assistant instructors will wear similar clothing. (You DON'T NEED an apron. If you don't have one, don't go buy one.)

What Time Does Instruction Stop on the Last Day.  On the last day instruction stops at 4:00p.m. then we all clean the shop for about an hour and everyone is kicked out at 5:00 p.m.