At Hands On Deck we offer elemental knife woodworking classes for youth. Here were look at the teachings of the 19th century Swedish educator, Otto Salomon that centered around using a knife he developed.

The Mackinaw boat, as a distinctive type, dates back to the early 1800’s.  It was the “pickup truck” of Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior  for over a century.

Hand tools are magic for kids of all ages, and Hands On Deck just sets the stage. Using a beautiful well sharpened tool is addictive and rewarding.

All of our mentors will be trained and certified through the Woodworking Career Alliance (WCA). Thanks to the WCA training, our new heated shop at 101 Bay Beach Road will be a safer place to build boats and train future generations.

I thought I should take a minute to give an update on our boat shop. The entire space has a ton of potential and we have a great team who worked on the design and layout of flooring, light fixtures, etc. It’s the best space for meeting and teaching.