Wood Spoon Carving with Fred Livesay
Age/Level: Beginner and above. Minimum age 15
Date: Saturday & Sunday, February 27 & 28, 2027
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Registration Deadline: February 6, 2027
Location: Milan Village Arts School
Scandinavia and many other countries have folk traditions of carving spoons for personal and home use and as gifts. This two day class aims to continue this craft. Come and discover why the satisfaction of spoon carving has taken Europe and the U.S. by storm. Spoon carving opens the door to a host of other woodcraft skills using axes and knives.
The focus of the class is to develop the student’s confidence in the use of an axe and knife for roughing and finishing of a beautiful, durable, and usable wooden spoon. During the first morning session, students will learn carving strokes using “try” sticks, then move to making a set of chopsticks to improve their skills. The afternoon session and following day are devoted to carving the spoon.
Other aspects of the class will cover sharpening, design, decorating, and finishing of your spoon. In addition, stretching and exercises, as well as posturing for fatigue-free carving will be covered to make your carving experience more enjoyable.
Please bring your own old and new spoons to share with the class. Fred will assist returning students with additional techniques to improve their skills.
Tuition: member $150 non-member $165
Supplies/materials: $30 payable to the instructor. Fred will have some tools for student use and additional spoon blanks for sale.
Click here to register.
Read Fred Livesay’s bio.
Advanced Wood Spoon Carving with Fred Livesay (Spoon Gathering Pre-event Class)
Age/Level: Experienced spoon carvers. Minimum age 16
Date: Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday, May 31 and June 1 & 2, 2027
Time: To be decided
Registration Deadline: May 22, 2027
Location: Milan Village Arts School
Two days will be spent in the rigorous pursuit of better spoons with Fred Livesay, who began carving spoons at age 7 and who now has 40 years of teaching from which to draw. Class begins with a thorough examination of spoons from all angles and what makes good and great spoons. Discussions, including; wood choice, design and proportions, bowl and handle shapes are in order. You will be challenged to design new spoons, copy others and learn how to “see.” There will be ample time for class critiques each day, as well as, demonstrations on efficient chopping out of blanks, using crooks, and getting the best edge on tools.
This class is not open to beginners. You must have completed at least 20 or more spoons to take this class. Good hand strength is a must for this class, as well. An example of necessary hand strength for this class is the ability to open a tight jar lid.
Tuition: $225
Supplies/materials: $25 payable to the instructor at the conclusion of class.
Click here to register.
Read Fred Livesay’s bio.
Slöjd Essential: Creating Your Custom Carving Knife with Fred Livesay
Age/Level: Beginner and above. Minimum age 16
Class 1: Saturday & Sunday, November 14 & 15, 2026
Registration Deadline: October 24, 2026
Class 2: Saturday & Sunday, November 13 & 14, 2027
Registration Deadline: October 22, 2027
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location: Milan Village Arts School
The carving knife is an essential tool for any serious woodworker or craftsperson. This two day class will teach you the skills to take a beautiful piece of wood, custom fit it to your hand and fit a blade to the handle. You will also learn how to keep the knife “scary sharp” which is critical to doing good work and getting an excellent finish on your projects. Students who take this class will easily see how the skills learned will translate to other similar tools. Students are welcome and encouraged to bring their own pieces of wood for handles, as well as any loose blades they may have in need of handles. Extra handle blanks and knife blades will be available from the instructor.
The instructor will supply all necessary tools for this class. However, if you have a carving knife already and your own sharpening equipment, you are encouraged to bring it to class.
Tuition: member $200 non-member $215
Supplies: $50.00 (includes knife blade, two handle blanks, tool usage, epoxy and finishes for handle)
Click here to register.
Read Fred Livesay’s bio.
Scandinavian Flat Plane Carving with Bill Jaeger
Age/Level: Beginner and above. Minimum age 16
Date: Saturday & Sunday, April 3 & 4, 2027
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Registration Deadline: March 13, 2027
Location: Milan Village Arts School
Bill provides carving students with carving designs for this class that highlight the historical and unique aspects of traditional Scandinavian style figure carving. Students will practice the particular knife strokes and techniques to achieve the look of the old carvers. A good carving knife is the only tool needed, but students should bring their palm gouges. Carvers with some experience should be able to carve and paint a figure in this weekend class.
Tuition: member $145 non-member $160
Supplies: Students should bring their carving tools. Bill will provide blanks which are band sawed out of basswood. Finishing materials such as paint and Danish oil will be supplied by the instructor.
Click here to register.
Read Bill Jaeger’s bio.
Shrink Box Magic with Scott Johnson & Bill Rickard
Age/Level: Beginner to Advanced. Minimum age 16
Date: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday
May 30 & 31 and June 1 & 2, 2027
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Registration Deadline: May 22, 2027
Location: Milan Village Arts School
Taking advantage of the characteristics of greenwood to shrink as it dries, the shrink box is a fun and magical way to craft a container. Shrink boxes are made from a hollowed out green tree branch, which is grooved on the inside at one end.
A section of tree or branch is hollowed out and a groove is cut towards the bottom. Then a dry piece of wood is cut to loosely fit in the groove. The green wood dries and shrinks around the dry bottom, hence the term shrink box. You will start with a piece of greenwood, bark on. You will remove the bark, hollow it out, fit the bottom in and carve and fit the lid. Then you may add different types of lids and knobs, and decoration, such as carving, kolrosing, acrylic or milk paint, and other types of finishes.
A focus of the class will be on completing lids for your shrink boxes.
Tuition: $275
Supplies: A supply fee of $40 is payable to the instructor at the conclusion of the class. A Supply List will be sent out at the time of registration.
Click here to register.
Read Scott Johnson and Bill Rickard‘s bios.
Wood Bowl Turning on a Lathe with Steve Mullins
Age/Level: Beginner and above. Minimum age 16. Younger students welcome if accompanied by an adult.
Class 1: Saturday & Sunday
Date: October 17 & 18, 2026
Registration Deadline: September 26, 2026
Class 2: Saturday and Sunday
Date: March 6 & 7, 2027
Registration Deadline: February 13, 2027
Class 3: Saturday & Sunday
Date: October 16 & 17, 2027
Registration Deadline: September 25, 2027
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Milan Village Arts School
In this class, we will focus on developing the basic skills needed to turn a wooden bowl from “green” unseasoned log wood.
Working at the power lathes, students will learn how to properly execute bevel rubbing cuts and scraping techniques using bowl gouges. We will also cover wood selection, bowl blank preparation, bowl mounting methods and lathe safety. Each student will turn bowls they can take home.
The instructor will provide all necessary tools and equipment, but students may bring their own tools if they wish. Please note that tools with carbide cutters will not be used. Students will need to provide their own face shield.
For questions, please contact Steve at info@mullinswoodworks.com.
To view examples of Steve’s bowls, please visit: www.mullinswoodworks.com – click on Etsy Store
Tuition: member $295 non-member $310
Supplies: A supply fee of $45 is payable to the instructor at the conclusion of the class. All supplies and materials will be provided.
Click here to register.
Read Steve Mullins’s bio.
Dragon Head Carving with Jock Holmen
Age/Level: All levels: beginner to advanced. Minimum age 15.
Date: Friday through Sunday, March 19, 20 & 21, 2027
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Registration Deadline: February 27, 2027
Location: Milan Village Arts School
Inspired by Nordic dragons on the Oseberg ship, dragon heads served as fierce protection in Norse culture. They were carved onto the prows of Viking longships to ward off evil spirits and terrify enemies.
Currently, dragons are used as indoor and outdoor ornamentation. Students will have the option to choose among several dragon patterns. Drawings and previously carved samples will be available. Finishing options will also be discussed.
Tuition: member $200 non-member $215
Supplies: Either pine or basswood blanks will be available from the instructor, $25-75.
Click here to register.
Read Jock Holmen’s bio.
Hand-Carved Wooden Signs with Jock Holmen
Age/Level: Beginner and above. Minimum age 16
Date: Friday, Saturday & Sunday, August 20, 21 & 22, 2027
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m
Registration Deadline: July 31, 2027
Location: Milan Village Arts School
Personalize any place by creating a hand-carved wooden sign roughly 30” x 8”. Woodcarver Jock Holmen will teach the entire sign-making process, from proper design to layout, letter and incised carving, painting, and finishing options while students work on a personal project. Whether it will hang at the cabin, the garden, a business, or bedroom, a handcrafted sign is a great addition.
Instruction will include both incised and raised letters, focusing on design, layout and carving.
Finishing options will be discussed so that students will leave with a clear idea of how to paint and complete their carved sign.
The instructor will contact students ahead of time to discuss their projects; there may be limitations due to time and materials.
Students are requested to bring two examples of letter styles they like to class. A printout with upper case letters approximately 3” tall and lower case approximately 2” tall would be helpful.
Tuition: member $185 non-member $200
Supplies: Approximate project size, 30” x 8”.
Materials fee: $25 for basswood. Students are welcome to bring their own wood.
Supply fee: $25 for basswood. Students are welcome to bring their own wood.
Click here to register.
Read Jock Holmen’s bio.
Scandinavian-Style Kuksa Carving with Alexander Yerks
Age/Level: Age/Level: Beginner and above. Minimum age 16
Class 1: Friday, Saturday, & Sunday
Date: November 20, 21 & 22, 2026
Registration Deadline: October 31, 2026
Class 2: Friday, Saturday, & Sunday
Date: November 19, 20 & 21, 2027
Registration Deadline: October 30, 2027
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location: Milan Village Arts School
In this 3-day class you will be fully immersed in the ancient world of Scandinavian-style kuksa carving. The goal of the workshop is to build a relationship with each of the tools we will be using while gaining an understanding of how they work in relation to the timber itself. This is a great course aimed at both beginners and more experienced wood carvers. We will be swinging axes and adzes, and using gouges, hook tools, and the humble, but versatile, sloyd knife. This is a very unique opportunity because you will be learning to use such a large array of tools while developing techniques which bridge the gap between spoon and bowl carving.
The course will cover just about all you need to know, including sourcing wood, carving and learning advanced techniques. Safety will also be a priority. We will even discuss some basic tool maintenance.
Some specialty bespoke adzes and gouges will be used. In addition, some lovely fresh cut timber will be provided that you will transform from raw material to a fine kuksa by the end of the course.
The goal of this workshop is to gain confidence in yourself and the tools being used. We will spend two and a half days building a relationship with each specific tool – the axe, adze, gouge, froe, and straight and hooked knives. This is the key to understanding the function of tool and timber.
Tuition: member $225 non-member $240
Supplies: $40 paid to the instructor at the conclusion of class.
Click here to register.
Read Alexander Yerks’ bio.