I clearly remember the first tool I owned. My parents gave me a Black and Decker Jigsaw when I was 8 years old. Countless hours were spent cutting wood and making small projects. There was no internet, no dvds or videos so my woodworking education was trial and error.

My first real piece of furniture was a set of book cases to go in my college apartment. It wasn’t pretty and it certainly wasn’t sturdy but it was mine and made by me. Through out the years I continued making the occasional piece of furniture or gift item.

In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, I discovered hand tool woodworking which in turn led to Sloyd. Sloyd is the method of teaching children useful skills, such as woodworking, to help them develop patience, creativity, and problem solving. Though old, having been developed in the 19th century, it is as relevant and important as ever.

In 2022 Ancient City Craftworks was launched with the idea of making woodworking available to the community of Saint Augustine regardless of age. We offer power tool classes for adults with access to our fully equipped shop. We also offer hand tool classes for children where we use the Sloyd methodology to help them learn critical skills and to gain confidence. Sloyd avoids tedious exercises and instead focuses on learning skills through the execution of increasingly difficult projects. These projects are useful items that can be put in service in the home or given as gifts such as the child’s toolbox you see above.