Furniture Design & Woodworking
The Furniture Design & Woodworking program at Anderson Ranch draws upon the world of studio furniture, but pushes the boundaries of woodworking by mixing contemporary and traditional techniques and incorporating alternative materials. Anderson Ranch offers an inspiring range of workshops for all levels in topics such as cabinetry, wood bending, kinetics and carving.
The Maloof Wood Barn, divided into a machine room, assembly room, and bench room, provides participants the ideal workshop for realizing technical and creative goals. The machine room houses stationary equipment including SawStop table saws, jointers, planers, bandsaws, drill presses, edge sander, disk sander, drum sander, spindle sander, radial arm saw, chop saw, router table and multi-router. In the assembly and bench rooms, a library of clamps, hand tools, and hand-held power tools line the walls for student use to complete their woodworking projects.
The Furniture Society and Anderson Ranch are partnering this year to offer a scholarship for one BIPOC applicant to attend a workshop for the 2025 summer season. This opportunity includes tuition for a one-week workshop, room and board for a Furniture Design and Wood workshop, and a 1‑year membership to The Furniture Society. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS
Anderson Ranch is happy to extend a tuition discount* in summer one- or two-week adult furniture design and woodworking workshops** for Furniture Society members at the student membership level or above. Please email reg@
Lane Preston
Studio Coordinator, Furniture Design and Woodworking
Lane Preston, originally from Houston, Texas, received his BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago with an emphasis in Photography and Sculpture in 2016. After graduation he worked as an exhibitions coordinator and photographer for art and design galleries to put on exhibitions all over the world. In 2021, he went to Florence, Italy, for his MFA in Furniture Fabrication and Design, after teaching abroad for two years.
Anderson Ranch Campus
Upcoming Workshops
-
I
Level I
Students are new to Furniture Design & Woodworking and have no formal training.
Jul 14 - 18, 2025
9AM-5PM
Beginning Furniture Design
Lane Preston
Tuition $1,240
Code W0715-25
This beginner's workshop focuses on introducing and demystifying the world of woodworking. Arriving with designs in mind, students spend the week making basic stools and small tables, learning how to make their designs come to life. Students learn how to operate and understand the machinery, focusing on safety and craftsmanship. At the end students leave with beautiful, personalized, well-built furniture that will stand the test of time.
-
O
Open to All
Students of any skill and knowledge level.
Jul 21 - 25, 2025
9AM-5PM
Sculptural Lighting Design with Biomaterials
Adrien Segal, Fiona Bell
Tuition $1,240
Code W0807-25
In this workshop, students design and make custom sculptural lighting. We create a hanging pendant or table-top lamp from a combination of wood and other translucent biomaterials such as bioplastics, paper, bark, or found materials. We discuss media experimentation, shadow play, surface patterns, texturing, and luminosity with an emphasis on exploring how material interacts with light. Students gain experience making biomaterials and employ creative woodworking skills, and each student creates an illuminating sculptural wood lamp that they can take home.
-
II
Level II
Students have experience working with stationary machines and power tools and are familiar with basic principles of joinery and 3-D design.
-
III
Level III
Students have some formal training in 3-D design, experience with a variety of materials and fabrication processes, and know how to use machine and hand tools competently and safely. Students have a portfolio of their artwork.
Jul 28 - Aug 1, 2025
9AM-5PM
The Wonders of Bent Lamination
Alison Croney Moses
Tuition $1,240
Code W0908-25
Students gain a foundational understanding of bent lamination in this introductory woodworking course that focuses on the potential of the curved wood form. Through a process of gluing multiple layers of wood and employing a variety of special jigging techniques, we explore how bent lamination can expand a creative practice. Students learn how to use a combination of accessible equipment such as tire tubes and clamps, as well as professional equipment including molds and vacuum bag systems. Students will walk away with new skills, as well as curved bent forms created in class to exist on their own or be incorporated into a larger sculptural or furniture piece outside of class.