SBWI students and staff attended the Michigan Mass Timber Update in Kalamazoo, connecting with industry leaders, exploring new career pathways, and touring the mass-timber renovation of the Kalamazoo Country Club. With Michigan’s momentum growing and a first-of-its-kind MSU curriculum underway, the future looks bright for students entering mass timber careers.

“For a while it was just a dream, like, what if I went to woodworking school?” she says. She began researching the program, imagining what it might look like to go back to school and get the experience she’d been craving. “I kept thinking about it more seriously — what would this actually look like?” When she finally visited the campus, everything clicked. “I really fell in love with the building, and the people,” she says. “It just seemed like where I was meant to be. So I took the leap and did it.”

We’re thrilled to share that the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute (SBWI) is partnering with Michigan State University’s Construction Management program to design the nation’s first non-union Mass Timber workforce curriculum.

This collaboration is a huge step forward for our students, our community, and the future of sustainable building in Michigan.

Can you really make money woodworking? Absolutely — if you treat it like a profession, not a pastime. From Orville D. Merillat building cabinets in his garage to Herman Miller crafting period furniture before becoming a global design leader, the woodworking industry is filled with people who turned sawdust into success. At the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute (SBWI) in Adrian, Michigan, we teach exactly how that happens. Our students learn fine furniture making, cabinetry, timber framing, and historic preservation — while developing the business and design skills needed to earn a living doing what they love. Whether your goal is a career in a high-end shop or to launch your own woodworking business, SBWI provides the hands-on training and mentorship to get you there.

Something extraordinary is taking shape in Michigan.

The Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute (SBWI) has now raised $16.5 million toward the first phase of our long-term campus expansion—an incredible show of support from the State of Michigan, private donors, and community partners who believe in the power of craftsmanship.

The Michigan Historic Preservation Network (MHPN) and the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute (SBWI) are thrilled to announce a groundbreaking partnership aimed at revitalizing historic preservation trades education in Michigan.

A new partnership is carving out fresh opportunities in higher education by blending handson craftsmanship with academic innovation. Adrian College and the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute have announced a partnership

The Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute (SBWI) has been named a 2025 School of Distinction by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), a national accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Luke Barnett believes that the intersection between fine arts and skilled trades is a lot bigger than most people think. Showcasing that intersection is the goal of “Michigan Contemporary Craft,” an exhibit by staff and alumni of the SBWI

This prestigious recognition highlights SBWI’s commitment to supporting student veterans and their families through dedicated services, resources, and programs that help them succeed both in school and in their future careers.

If you asked TripAdvisor what there is to do in Adrian, Michigan, the very first suggestion is... a tour of Ann Arbor….. In other words: go somewhere else.

Tourists don’t come to Adrian. Few people on planet Earth come to Adrian.
It’s in the middle of nowhere — an hour and a half from Detroit. The town center features a Taco Bell and a locksmith. That’s about it.

And for the 5 days, I’ve chosen you to join me on this journey.
I’m in Adrian to attend the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute, where I’ve enrolled in a weeklong class to build a Mid-Century Chair.

Americans have always been bold. We’re explorers, builders, rebels, and artists. It takes grit—real grit—to stare down the unknown and say, “Bring it on.” Our history is full of people willing to battle the odds for a better tomorrow. We leave the doubters in the dust and rise from the ashes, again and again.

As wood artists and furniture makers, we always look within ourselves for perfection. The perfect design, perfect joinery, the perfect finish, etc. I suggest that we force ourselves to the self-realization that perfection is never going to happen. Everything we do is practice. Furniture design and carpentry practice, and we are all engaging in the practice of making. 

Carolyn’s journey to this leadership role is as inspiring as it is unconventional—full of curiosity, creativity, and a bold willingness to reinvent herself. Born and raised just 20 minutes from SBWI, Carolyn studied Creative Writing at the U of M before heading west to California, where she spent more than a decade immersed in the world of stand-up and sketch comedy.

In the mid-20th century, Michigan emerged as an epicenter of modern design, where industry and art intersected. The state’s prosperous manufacturing base – from automobiles to furniture – attracted visionary designers who revolutionized American offices and homes with new looks and materials. Michigan furniture companies didn’t just build chairs and desks; they set trends that defined modern living and working spaces.

When Alexander Grabovetskiy first held a chisel at just six years old, guided by his grandfather’s experienced hands, no one imagined how profoundly those first lessons would shape his destiny.

Thoreau’s time might feel distant, but his central belief—that slowing down to live deliberately and in tune with nature can restore balance—resonates sharply in an age defined by constant alerts and digital chatter.

At the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute, our timber framing classes are designed to provide you with a transformative carpentry experience that combines hands-on learning with a vibrant, global community. Here’s what you can expect when you join us:

For too long, society has diminished the importance of the trades, treating them as an "alternative" to what is considered a “higher” education. I firmly believe this needs to change. SBWI is redefining a college education.

What do you do about storing 250 diverse types of clamps used by 24 Furniture Design Program students? The Sam Beauford Woodshop was growing driving the need for more woodworking clamps. Our goal was to store all the needed clamps in as little space as possible, keep the storage system flexible and organize it so students would be able to quickly find their needed clamp.