PTSWW ATC Class Summer 2024 by Megan Fitzpatrick

 I just signed up to take a class at the Port Townsend School of Woodworking in the summer of 2024.  I will be taking the Anarchist Tool Chest class from Megan Fitzpatrick in Jun.  I am very very excited about this.  To understand why is a bit of a backstory.

Firstly, it was a combination of the ATC book and Paul Sellers videos back in 2013/2014 that convinced me I wanted to woodwork with hand tools.  I had just remodeled my garage and was saving up to buy machines.  Naively (or sleep deprived from my young child), I though the ATC would help me understand what machines I needed. to buy.  As such, that tool chest book and that tool chest in particular has had a warm spot in my hard.  So much so, that in Dec 2019, I had signed up to take the ATC class from Megan Fitzpatrick in the summer of 2020.  We all know how 2020 turned out.  To PTSWW credit, they were excellent at making a refund (wish I could say the same for the airline we had purchased tickets from in Dec 2019 to go to Italy in fall of 2020).  

I did make it to PTSWW summer 2022 (Laura Mays small dovetailed boxes) but I still wanted to take the ATC class.  In fact, shortly after I signed up for ATC class, I made a mid-sized Japanese carpenters tool box to take own tools for the class.  Wasn't really necessary to do as PTSWW provides all the tools.  Yet, I wanted to use my own tools.  In fact, I ended up making later on a mini-ATC (half size dimensions approx from what book uses) just to make an ATC of some kind.  I like the mini-ATC I made but it's a little tight for tools so the one I will be making at PTSWW will be bigger and better suited for traveling.  I can't wait.

If you are on the fence of going yourselves, the Port Townsend School of Woodworking and the town of Port Townsend itself are absolutely amazing places.  I used to live in WA state 2000-2004 and made many trips to Port Townsend because I liked it so much there.  There is a very good chance I may retire there; having a woodworking school where I can take classes/maybe work part time is just icing on the cake.