Women’s Basic Carpentry 101: Build Your Own Tool Box

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A 1 day intensive woman-centered building workshop. Master carpenter, Gwen Watt & ACBA Timberframing student Patricia Willis, & April Magill, Architect / Natural Builder will lead a small group of women through the basics of carpentry & the use of certain hand & power tools.  We will go through the process together and all participants will leave the workshop with a take-home, hand-built item + the knowledge and empowerment to tackle their own small projects at home.  Class is limited to 16 women; ages 16 and up.

We recognize ALL women as women. To be clear, our women-centered courses welcome trans-women.

Teacher Bio’s:

Gwen Watt  – GONE AGAINST THE GRAIN: Owner & Builder

Having grown up in rural Germany as well as the West Coast of Canada, Gwen formed an early interest in the great outdoors and its naturally occurring building materials. After completing a B. Sc. in Physical Geography from the University of British Columbia, she enrolled at the Silva Bay Shipyard School on Gabriola Island, BC and studied and trained under a Master Shipwright as a Wooden Boatbuilder.
A move to South Carolina in 2008 prompted the successful 8 yr ownership of a lumber company in Charleston. Combining her experiences and her background, Gwen is the recent founder of ‘Gone Against the Grain’, and you can follow her wood-dust trail around Charleston where she works on custom wood projects big and small.

gwen@goneagainstthegrain.biz

Patricia Willis  – Senior Timber Framing Student @ The American College of Building Arts (ACBA)

Patricia grew up in Pine Mountain, Georgia in a big family that’s idea of fun was restoring houses. Having been involved in the Construction fields practically her whole life, Patricia has always been passionate about the built-environment. Once graduating high-school, she had a keen interest for art and the outdoors and wasn’t sure quite which direction to go with her life. Spending some time traveling and soul-searching, a family friend suggested she look into American College of the Building Arts. It is there she saw the golden combination she always wanted, art and the built environment. Here she has spent her last four years learning the craft of Timber framing from master timber framer, Frenchman Bruno Sutter. She is in her final year of the four-year program where in May she will receive her bachelor in applied science in the Building Arts. On most any given day, you can find her hand-drafting away or picking out her favorite timbers to cut.

April Magill  – Architect, Natural Builder, Educator

April attended Virginia Tech where she graduated with a BA in architecture.   She is a licensed architect, project manager, and the Principle of her firm, Root Down Designs. April is a leading voice in the advancements of Alternative, Natural, & Healthy building methods and has been a pioneer in the advancement of alternative building methods in the southeast. She has worked with multiple building jurisdictions in helping clients obtain building permits for alternative materials. She has successfully obtained permits for multiple rammed earth projects, compressed earth block, and hybrid methods. April’s conventional background allows her to excel in Project Management and she has led large teams through the conception of an idea through to the completion of a project, with the client’s budget always at the forefront of every project.

April believes that education is a key component to Regenerative Architecture; April has led over 4 dozen community-building workshops and courses, is an Adjunct Professor for the American College of Building Arts, and is a keynote speaker and presenter to many organizations and universities. Her passion for engaging with communities and involving people in the process of building is essential to Affordable Housing, which is an issue April is very passionate about. She is a true visionary for resilient and healthy buildings for the future and for the future of a healthy planet. Most recently, April has co-founded a new 501c3 called the WE BUILD Foundation, meant to empower women-centered building teams and progress the use of alternative & healthy building materials.
Download April Magill’s Resume