Material Requirements
What to bring for a semester at VWS
Woodworking tools are a major investment, so the Vermont Woodworking School provides every student with a starter tool kit to use while they're in the program. These kits are intended to provide experience with hand tools, enabling students to make informed decisions about which tools they want to add to their own collection.
Students that already have some tools of their own are more than welcome to bring them.
The materials we require students to supply for themselves are listed below.
Safety Glasses
Keep a backup pair in case you lose or break yours. Eye trauma is no joke.
Sturdy, Close-toed shoes
You want good traction and protection against dropped materials.
Respirator
Woodworking creates a lot of dust. None of it is good to breathe.
Container
Keep your waterstones soaking in a plastic container so they're always ready to use.
Sanding disks
Make sure these fit your sander! You'll want 120, 150, 180, and 220 grit.
Hearing Protection
It gets loud in the shop! You don't need extra fancy ones, but you'll want over-the-ear muffs that are comfortable.
Masks
We may ask you to wear a mask in the shop—especially if we know there have been local Covid cases.
Sharpening Stones
We recommend Norton combination waterstones—grits 220/1000 & 4000/8000.
Orbital sander
These sanders save a lot of time—especially on a larger project. You won't need this until the middle of the semester, so you can wait to get one.
Clamps
Not required, but definitely useful. We recommend 6" or 12" clutch-style bar clamps.