Cabinetry Intensive
Foundations of Custom Cabinetmaking
7-Week Spring Intensive | May 3 - June 19
Class meets M-F, 9am to 5pm
No Class on Monday, May 25 (Memorial Day)
Students should also anticipate spending additional studio hours on weekends and/or evenings to complete assignments and practice skills
Downtown Brattleboro location
HatchSpace is pleased to launch a 7-week, full-time, 300-hour intensive program in cabinetry beginning in the spring of 2026. Our intensive program is hands-on, skill-focused, and designed for individuals interested in custom cabinetmaking or related woodworking careers. Over the course of the program, students will gain a range of skills from the use of foundational stationary woodshop machines, to sourcing lumber and sheet goods, to an introduction to cabinet design and how global markets, economic trends and new technologies are impacting the work of today’s cabinetmakers. Utilizing HatchSpace’s digital fabrication studio, students will learn the basics of reading technical drawings and be introduced to CAD (computer aided design) software, as well as gain introductory hands-on experience utilizing CNC machines and laser cutters.
Students leave with the skills needed to secure entry level cabinet shop positions, pursue further training and/or apprenticeship programs, and/or launch one’s own small business.
Delivered in downtown Brattleboro, Vermont, and surrounded by some of the world’s finest hardwood forests, students will gain not only the knowledge of fundamental woodworking practices as applied to the cabinetmaking industry, but also an awareness of the interconnected world of forestry products.
Students leave with a HatchSpace Certificate of Completion, and OSHA 10 Safety Certification.
The Program
The curriculum is divided into four modules across seven weeks, each of which focus on different conceptual and technical lessons for cabinetmaking. Students will benefit from a number of expert instructors and create one finished cabinet project across the seven weeks that demonstrates their newly acquired cabinetmaking skills.
-
From day one, students will be making hands-on in our workshop with the first module focused on casework, wooden countertop design and construction, face frames and joinery techniques such as edge joints, dados, rabbets, butt joints and pocket screws. Students will cover:
Wood Technology: Students will gain an understanding of the fundamental characteristics of wood, including the dynamic qualities of wood moisture and the importance of understanding the basic principles of wood grain, the characteristics and traits of different wood species, and what makes certain woods more desirable for different types of applications. Students will also be introduced to the economic trends, challenges, and topics of importance concerning the cabinet industry more broadly. Students will also learn about lumber and sheet good selection.
Intro to Machine Woodworking: Students will students will learn step one of most any woodworking project: squaring a board. Best practices in rough milling machining techniques including on the jointer, planer and table saw will be instructed. In addition, students will learn to safely operate the bandsaw, compound miter saw, drill press, router table and belt, edge, spindle & disc sanders.
Finish Techniques: Students will gain an understanding of the importance of finish work, from best practices within the sanding process, to the differences between various finish products.
Shop Safety: Best practices relative to shop safety will be covered, and students will complete the OSHA 10 General Industry training.
-
Module 2 introduces students to the language and design standards used in the custom cabinetry industry. Students will gain an understanding of the design process and design tools used in contemporary cabinet making, specifically exploring:
Architectural Styles & Nomenclature: students will gain an understanding of specific architectural styles and eras that have informed current naming conventions of cabinets
Reading Technical Drawings: The basics of how to read technical drawings of cabinets will be covered. In addition, students will gain an understanding of how technical drawings inform design software and CAD (computer aided design) programs.
Computer Aided Design (CAD) Software: Students will be introduced to CAD software and how it is used within the industry to design custom cabinets, and have opportunity to gain some introductory skills using CAD software.
Cutting Cabinet Boxes on the CNC Router: Students will cut cabinet boxes, also called carcasses, on the CNC (computer numeric control) Routers in HatchSpace’s Digital Fabrication Studio, and also explore alternate approaches to carcass construction.
-
Module 3 focuses on frame and panel construction, mortise and tenon joinery, dovetail and box joints. Students will specifically explore:
Doors & Drawers: participants will learn different approaches to the design and joinery choices for the construction of doors and drawers.
Face Framing: students will gain an understanding of different design styles and techniques of face framing, from full overlay, to inset, as well as frameless styles.
Hardware: hardware selection and installation.
Cabinet assembly: students will assemble their cabinet boxes with doors and drawers
-
Module 4 focuses on the installation and finish work necessary to complete a custom cabinet build, including:
Custom Moulding: will focus on the use of the molding planer to make profiled trim moulding pieces, and techniques for installation.
Cabinet Installation: best practices for custom installation including leveling, anchoring, scribing, coping, assessing site conditions and preparing cabinets for plumbing and electrical fixtures will also be covered.
Professional Development: Finally, students will also discuss pricing your work, business management and resources, as well as current trends impacting any aspiring cabinetmaker today.
Meet Our Instructors
-
✺
Heather Tauck is the Program Leader of the HatchSpace intensive, and a woodworker who designs and builds custom furniture and small housewares out of her wood shop in Greenfield MA. She is a graduate of The Evergreen State College, The North Bennet Street School, and has 10+ years of experience working and learning throughout New England in woodworking. Her furniture is modern and contemporary, and has been described as elegant, vibrant, minimal and thoughtful. Above all, she is interested in making functional art objects that embody handmade quality and highlight the intrinsic beauty of wood. Her works are exhibited in stores and at fine art festivals around Western Massachusetts and beyond. View Heather's work at HT Woodshop and on Instagram.
-
✺
Tom Bodett is a lifelong carpenter and woodworker who founded HatchSpace in 2019. In addition to his successful 40-year career in publishing and broadcasting, he now devotes himself to serving the rural communities he has lived in, and has always lived in. With half of his adult life spent in Alaska and the other half in Vermont, Bodett has learned to appreciate the beauty and the bounty of our natural landscape and the indomitable spirit of the communities that occupy it. Through hands-on effort and philanthropy, Tom and his wife Rita work to leave these places better than they found them, and have learned when to leave well enough alone.
-
✺
Erin Bell is the owner and operator of Curiosity Woodworks, serving the Upper Valley community and the surrounding New England area since 2017 with sustainable and locally made furniture and woodworking design. Instead of specializing in one certain genre of furniture, Erin revels in the opportunity to work with different clients on bespoke projects that serve their needs and dreams through imaginative design, innovative resourcing and engineering, and classic hand and power tool fabrication. View Erin's work on Instagram.
-
✺
Heather Dawson is a furniture designer, studio woodworker, and woodworking instructor based in western Massachusetts. A 2014 alumnus of the collaborative Certificate in Furniture Design at Massachusetts College of Art & Design and North Bennet Street School in Boston, MA, Heather is an assistant professor in the program today. She is an experienced journeyman cabinetmaker and project manager and has devoted over a decade to developing curricula for adults to learn new skills in community woodshops. Heather's personal studio practice focuses on thoughtfully sculpted joinery, sustainability, and the invocation of delight. She has exhibited widely and is currently making new work in her Easthampton, MA studio. View Heather's work on her website.
-
✺
Rowan Norlander-McCarty is the Director of Operations at HatchSpace. He is a cabinetmaker driven by curiosity and the pursuit of quality. He believes that in melding the industrial, applied, and fine arts, we all have the opportunity to live in a more harmonious, sustainable world. Rowan has worked as a cabinet maker, fabricator, machine operator, custom millwork installer and artist assistant for a range of design studios and creative businesses. A lover of trees from seed to stump, when not in the shop you’ll find Rowan in the forest or the garden.
How to Enroll
No application required. Participants are selected on a first-come, first-served basis.
Our intensive welcomes those at the beginning of their woodworking journey, though we strongly recommend students complete at least one short-term woodworking class before joining the intensive, or have some prior experience in woodworking or carpentry related fields. We offer a range of short-term classes that can easily be completed before the intensive begins, and we’re happy to advise interested students on which short courses may work best. Please reach out to us to discuss at info@hatchspace.org.
Our intensive is perfect for advanced beginners and intermediate woodworkers looking to take their practice to the next level.
Tuition for Spring 2026 is $6,200. Tuition includes:
Seven weeks of expert instruction
A private and devoted Sjoberg workbench and station in a shared studio workshop that is used only by other students and instructors of the intensive
Access and training for safe use of all needed stationary machines and non-consumable equipment
Tuition does not include:
Most materials (i.e. most lumber, some hand tools)
Consumables (i.e. glue, sandpaper, finishes)
Housing or board / food
Deposit Required.
A $600 deposit is required to reserve your seat in the intensive. Our payment plan distributes the cost of tuition across three installments with payments due on the following schedule:
$600 due at time of registration.
$1,866 due by March 1
$1,867 due by April 1
$1,867 due by May 3
For any student registering after March 1, the payment plan will be adjusted to two installments.
Withdrawals, Refunds & Cancellations
A student who withdraws from the course 45 days or more from the start of class will receive 100% of their deposit and fees, less a $95 non-refundable registration fee. No refunds will be issued for withdrawals less than 45 days from the start of the class.
Vermont Advancement Grants.
Vermont residents are encouraged to consider whether or not they may be eligible for Vermont Advancement Grants. Students pursuing VT Advancement Grants are still encouraged to enroll in the program and submit a deposit to hold their seat.
Other Scholarships
HatchSpace seeks to make our programs accessible to early career & economically disadvantaged individuals. We also acknowledge how women, LGBTQIA+ community members, and people of color have historically been under-represented and under-celebrated in trade and craft careers. With this in mind, HatchSpace makes a limited number of need-based partial scholarships are available via the HatchSpace Scholarship Fund. Awards range in amounts up to 75%, though the highest level of awards will be most limited. Those students who wish to be considered for need-based scholarships should indicate their intention on the enrollment form, and we strongly encourage students seeking scholarship funds to apply no later than March 1, 2026. A $600 deposit is still required at time of registration to guarantee your seat in the program.
Awards will be determined by April 1 for those who applied by March 1, and any remainder funds distributed on a rolling basis thereafter.
Payment Plans are also available to all students.
✺ Frequently Asked Questions ✺
-
At this time, HatchSpace does not offer housing directly, however, HatchSpace has many connections to providers of local housing and we can assist any student needing temporary housing in the Brattleboro area in their efforts to secure housing. We invite students who may need assistance in securing housing to be in communication with us at info@hatchspace.org.
-
Yes! As stated above, partial scholarships up to 75% off are available. Please see the “How to Enroll” section above for more information.
-
Amtrak provides service to Brattleboro via The Vermonter train line, and the MOOver! operates bus routes in our region. If one were able to secure housing in the immediate downtown area, it is conceivable that a car might not be required. That said, students should also know that cabs and ride share services are less available in Brattleboro than in cities, and we encourage you to thoughtfully consider these aspects ahead of time. Most people who live in Brattleboro have access to or share a car.
-
We are currently working to develop a materials list and will communicate any tools and equipment that students should secure themselves, to enrolled students.
-
There will be optional activities on some nights and weekends, but attendance at these events will not be mandatory.
-
Our program is designed for adult learners. If you will have finished high school but not yet be 18 by the start of our program (September 8, 2025), we encourage you to reach out to us to discuss before enrolling.
-
Students leave with a Certificate of Completion issued by HatchSpace that verifies the 300 hours of woodworking instruction. At this time, we are not able to offer college credit or credentials.
Why HatchSpace?
Founded in 2019, HatchSpace is home to a growing community of innovators working with wood like no other. We provide access to the tools and training necessary to build what you love, and launch careers in the trades and crafts. As our founder, Tom Bodett says, we’re all at our best when we’re making. Learn more about HatchSpace by watching the video below, and by visiting our About page above.