Adrian, Season 2: guest blog from student Jeffrey Korbman, New Jersey. Today I returned to Adrian for another week, this time to attempt a classic Windsor rocking chair—or, as my son Sam so encouragingly described it:

"A piece of furniture, Pops, that no one will want."

Thank goodness for grandchildren.

Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute (SBWI) today announced that its new Architectural Carpentry & Preservation program has received approval from the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), a recognized accrediting agency of the U.S. Department of Education. The approval clears the way for SBWI to welcome the program’s first class in fall 2027.

The institute recently became an approved training provider for the Campaign for Historic Trades’ nationally recognized registered apprenticeship program, which is overseen by the U.S. Department of Labor and state work force agencies. Under the partnership, eligible classes at Sam Beauford can count toward the classroom instruction apprentices need to advance in designated preservation trades.

Northern Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters, Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute, and Krieghoff-Lenawee to host hands-on hiring event focused on wood construction, heavy timber, and mass timber careers

The future home of the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute has been officially designated as an Environmentally Verified Forest, Wetlands, and Habitat site through Michigan's Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP).

For years Ben Jonkman taught himself woodworking the way most people learn: one project at a time. When a gift from his wife brought him to SBWI, he learned Mid Century Modern construction techniques alongside the irreplaceable value of in-person instruction.

SBWI has been approved as a related technical instruction provider for The Campaign for Historic Trades’ nationally recognized Registered Apprenticeship Program. This designation opens a new pathway for students and working professionals to apply hands-on woodworking education toward apprenticeship requirements.

Crain’s Detroit Business has honored Luke Barnett as a Notable Leader in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction. Read construction updates about our new campus.

Joe Ritenour came to SBWI right out of high school. At only 22 years old, he is a self-employed artisan whose business, King Solomon Furniture, is off to strong beginning. 

Oh. It’s raffle time.

Experience the incredible results of a trade school education. 

Step inside the very fine work of our graduating students and select SBWI faculty and alumni at the 2026 Michigan Contemporary Craft exhibition.

Presented by the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute and hosted for the first time at the Hickman Gallery on the campus of Adrian College, this annual exhibition is a celebration of craftsmanship, creativity, and the next generation of woodworkers.

Big news for SBWI: Our Vice President of Continuing Education, Carolyn Racine, has been recognized with a 2026 Michigan Works! Southeast Impact Award. Racine was honored during the annual Michigan Works! Impact Awards luncheon held at the Michigan State Capitol, a statewide event celebrating individuals and organizations strengthening Michigan’s economy through workforce development and job training.

When Chase Swatzell left the Marine Corps in 2022, his next move seemed clear, if a bit underwhelming. “I figured I needed to go to college, because that’s what everyone told us to do,” he said. “If I’m being honest, I kind of hated it.” Read how Chase started a business and crafted the foundations of his adult life after military service.

After graduation, Rhiannon went to work for metrica, a company she first encountered when representatives toured SBWI in the spring. “They were already interested in Sam Beauford students,” she says. “So before I had even graduated, I was already going through the interview process. By the summer, I was in the final steps before getting hired.”

For Carolyn, upholstery completes the furniture-making process. “I think woodworking and upholstery go hand in hand,” she says. “You need that attention to detail, and you need to be very methodical about where you’re starting and where you’re going. So, woodworkers can easily pick it up.”

SBWI was awarded $45,000 through the Michigan Mass Timber Catalyst Program, along with a year of technical assistance, to help integrate mass timber into the design and realization of our new educational facility.

“It was actually surreal for me,” Rahme says, “because for the first time I was able to spend my time doing something that was actually enjoyable.” The ten-month program passed quickly (too quickly, in his view) but it marked an important turning point. “It was just a really beautiful chapter in my life.”

As industry interest in sustainable forestry and traditional timber framing continues to grow, we are proud to kick off our biggest year yet for timber classes on campus in Adrian, Michigan! 

I started making things around the house,” he says. “I didn’t know what I was doing, but fortunately there was the internet. As I started making pieces of furniture, those genes that had been hidden all those years came popping out.”

For many makers, the path to craft begins quietly as a small curiosity that, eventually, becomes impossible to ignore. For Daniel that curiosity has turned into a career shaped by exploration, education, and a growing respect for the material he now works with every day.