Peter Scheidt
- Assistant Professor
- Art and Visual Culture
Courses
- ART 2020: Studio Fundamentals: Wood
- ART 3200: Furniture Design and Woodworking
- ART 4200: Advanced Furniture Design and Woodworking
- ART 5200: Advanced Furniture Design
Resource
Case Study
As a furniture design and woodworking educator, I see students enter the wood shop with a wide range of prior woodworking experiences. Many encounter a table saw, jointer, or bandsaw for the first time in my class room. Clearly sequenced safety instruction is essential-not only for preventing injury-but for encouraging students to build confidence and participate fully in (and enjoy) the act of making.
Introduction to Woodworking Machines was developed to support beginner woodworkers in an educational woodshop with foundational machine safety knowledge and operating techniques. This resource is designed to be used before, alongside, and after hands-on demonstrations, allowing students to review procedures, vocabulary, and safe working habits at their own pace. The content includes text, short videos, and pictorial graphics for beginning woodworking machinery operations. The first chapters illustrate the creation of a simple push stick, a practical, real-world project. Completed as the first hands-on activity in the woodshop, this push stick reinforces that safety is fundamental to a successful educational woodshop experience.