10/28/2026
November 15th - Introduction to Hand Tool Woodworking with Neal Keesee
Instructor: Neal Keesee
Location: Hickory
Date: 11/15/26
Cost: $100 per person
Time: 1:00 – 5:00 pm
There is growing interest among woodworkers in hand tools. You may be interested, but where do you start? Join us for an introduction to the basic types of tools used in hand tool woodworking, taught by a woodworker who has been on a ten-year journey into hand tools. The instructor, Neal Keesee, teaches Humanities and a hand tool woodworking class at the North Carolina School for Science and Math in Morganton.
What You’ll Learn:
The Tools: We will explore the five basic types of hand tools needed for woodworking: work benches, hand planes, chisels, hand saws, and marking tools. For each type of tool, we will go over the basic function, set up, and use. Participants will get to try out each type of tool to get a feel for how they work.
Avoid the Hype: We will cover what you really need to get started (and what you don’t!), ways you can integrate hand tools into a power tool shop, and recommended texts on hand tools and their use.
Why Attend?
If you are interested in starting with hand tools, this class will give you both the knowledge you need and the hands-on feel for the tools that you need to jump in. Participants will leave ready to start their own journey.
Neal Keesee, a Humanities teacher at the North Carolina School of Science and Math, has worked with tools since childhood. Ten years ago, he began a journey into hand tool work, deciding to build all the furniture in his house. Over time, Neal has added a host of antique and modern hand tools to his shop, built his own hand-tool workbench, and made many pieces of furniture. Neal teaches an annual hand tool class at his school, where he combines his love of making furniture and hand tools with his love of teaching.