Timber in 2026: A Big Year at SBWI
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!
We won’t be offering our full-time trade school curriculum expansion until 2027, when our $16.5 million Enrollment Growth Project will culminate in the opening of our state of the art Trade School for Tomorrow.
But you don’t have to wait to learn the techniques of timber framing! We have one-day, weekend, and weeklong intensives all year, with a very special series of courses this fall. So, what type of timber class will you try this year?
April
Wood Species Identification
Saturday, April 11, 2026 | 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Instructor: Tom Nehil
Learn how to confidently identify common North American hardwoods and softwoods in this hands-on, tool-driven class. Participants work directly with wood samples, hand lenses, and microscopes, leaving with practical skills and take-home reference materials.
Cost: $250
Register Today
Timber Frame Mailbox
April 18–19, 2026
Instructor: Bob Goppold
Build a beautiful, functional mailbox while learning the fundamentals of timber framing in this approachable weekend class.Larn layout, mortise-and-tenon joinery, and essential hand and power tool techniques. Take home a finished project you and your mail carrier will love.
Cost: $325
Register Today
Timber for Today and Tomorrow: Sustainable Forest Management for Landowners
Saturday, April 25, 2026 | 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Join industry expert Bob Vogel for a can’t-miss class for forest owners looking to understand whether timber markets are right for you and your family, now or in the future. Class size is limited to 20 and includes a guided walk in a working forest where sustainable harvesting methods are employed.
Cost: $85 (free for members)
Register Today
May
Timber Framing
May 4–9, 2026
Instructor: Ethan Higgins
Spend six immersive days building a full timber frame pavilion alongside fellow students. This course blends traditional joinery with modern techniques and culminates in a live frame raising: a signature SBWI experience.
Cost: $1,250
Register Today
Round Log Timber Framing
May 11–16, 2026
Instructor: Ethan Higgins
Explore the sculptural beauty of round log timber framing using full-scribe joinery and traditional tools. Students learn to work with the natural shape of logs from layout through raising, creating a one-of-a-kind timber frame structure.
Cost: $1,250
Register Today
Purchasing a Timber Frame Pavilion
Individuals and organizations can purchase the timber frame structures built during SBWI classes for the cost of materials. Purchasers are invited to attend the associated six-day timber framing course at no cost, supporting hands-on education while taking home a beautifully crafted structure for parks, private land, or community spaces.
For details, contact Dena Koehn, VP of Enrollment
dena@sbwi.edu | (517) 442-4560
Looking Ahead: Walden Cabin Classes
Recreate Henry David Thoreau’s iconic cabin by hand in SBWI’s immersive Walden Cabin Series, where students work together using 19th-century methods to build a full-scale historic timber structure in Michigan. Choose from standalone hands-on workshops like traditional hand tool timber framing, historic window and door crafting, or shingling and siding with hand-split materials, or take the whole series and be part of the cabin’s complete construction.
Art & Craft of Axes and Hewing
Historic Windows and Doors: Construction & Repair
Riving, Shingling, and Siding a Timber Frame Cabin
No experience is required; all courses blend collaboration, historical techniques, and real woodwork that connects you to the legacy of self-reliance and craftsmanship that inspired Thoreau himself.
October
Introduction to Timber Frame Engineering: Design / Make / Break
October 9–11, 2026
Instructor: Joe Miller
Design it, build it, then break it. In this one-of-a-kind class, students learn how loads move through a timber frame, fabricate a real joint, and test it to failure using a hydraulic load frame—bragging rights included for the most accurate strength predictions. No prior engineering experience required, just curiosity and a willingness to learn how timber frames really work.
Cost: $1,250
Register Today
Timber Framing
October 12–17, 2026
Instructor: Ethan Higgins
Spend six immersive days building and raising a full timber frame pavilion from start to finish. Students learn traditional joinery alongside modern techniques, culminating in a live frame raising. The frame for this class is still available for purchase from individuals or other organizations. Read More on purchasing a timber frame.
Cost: $1,250
Register Today
Whether you’re managing land, learning to identify wood, or building a cabin in the woods to get away from it all, we welcome you to learn more about timber with us in 2026.