Build essential carpentry skills while contributing to a community project!

In this hands-on introductory course, you’ll learn how to safely and confidently use the most common power tools—circular saw, jig saw, drill, driver, and miter saw—while working together as a class to build a full-size picnic bench for the Horn Farm Center's farmhouse lawn.

This collaborative project allows you to immediately apply each skill as you learn it and experience the satisfaction of creating something useful that will serve the community for years to come!

Through guided demos and supervised practice, you’ll learn how to measure and mark wood, understand tool settings and blade types, make straight and curved cuts, assemble with pocket-hole joinery, and choose fasteners for strong, long-lasting outdoor projects. We'll also explore additional hand and power tools that can help make future home or garden improvement projects feel approachable and achievable.

By learning the fundamentals of power tools, you can begin to take charge of improvements in your own home or outdoor space, tackle repairs with greater confidence, and live more sustainably by creatively reusing local and salvaged materials. Join us in a supportive, community-centered environment to experience the joy of working with your hands—an antidote to our fast-paced culture of disposable designs and outsourced labor.

Bring any questions you have about current or upcoming projects—we love helping you build your skillset and vision!

Below is a more detailed look for how we expect to spend our time together. Subject to slight changes based on class pace. 

• 9AM-12PM // Intros; reading plans; circular saw and mitre saw (demos and practice)
• 12PM-12:30PM // Lunch break
• 12:30PM-4:30PM // Drill and driver (demos and practice); bench assembly as a group; questions and outro

Program Notes

What to bring 

• Measuring tape (extras available to borrow) 
• Sturdy, closed-toe shoes
• Clothing suitable for the outdoors and working with power tools (expect sawdust!)
• Lunch & snacks

What we're providing

• All power tools and accessories
• Lumber and hardware for the project
• PPE: safety goggles + ear protection
• A fun, collaborative, and confidence-building experience using power tools! 

Registration

• To leave us enough time for procuring materials, make sure to register for this class by Wednesday, March 18th at noon. Depending on enrollment, we may only be able to take a limited number of sign-ups after this date. 

Before registering, please review the Horn Farm Center's Cancellation & Refund Policy. 

About the Instructors:

Alex Catizone

Alex is a maker from Northeastern Pennsylvania, who has received her training in woodworking, carpentry, and design through Lohr School of Woodworking, Yestermorrow Design/Build School, years of self-directed learning, and experience in the field.  Her journey and fascination with craft all began with a camper renovation in Austin, TX, and the rest has been history.  From there, she continued her education and worked in a traditional furniture shop building chairs.  Alex came to Yestermorrow in 2022 to work as a Shipping Container Teaching Assistant and a Semester Design/Build Teaching Assistant.  Since that time her professional focus has been on design and carpentry.  She is passionate about affordable housing solutions, the effect of built environment on human behavior, and empowering people through the design/build process.

Alex is currently finishing a tiny cabin that she designed on family land in Pennsylvania, and has a piece of furniture she designed and built on display at the University of Madison, Wisconsin. Samples of Alex's work can be seen on her website at alexandracatizone.com/

Matthew Kramer

Matt is a builder, woodworker, DIYer, and community facilitator with a deep commitment to hands-on creativity and land-based learning. His building journey began in the Smoky Mountains, where he constructed his own yurt—up to residential code—with no prior experience. Learning woodworking, sewing, electrical wiring, plumbing, cob, and natural plaster along the way showed him the empowerment of building with your own hands, listening to the land, and meeting challenges that once felt impossible. That experience continues to shape his belief in sustainable, accessible, heart-led ways of living and building.

Matthew brings a grounded, steady presence to collaborative spaces, paired with a creative, expansive way of thinking. He helps reconnect teams to their larger purpose, offers fresh perspectives when conversations stall, and supports thoughtful, inclusive decision-making. His approach blends heart and mind, linking imaginative ideas with practical, real-world solutions.

As a homeschooling father, Matthew carries a lived understanding of intergenerational learning and youth empowerment. He sees resilience as something cultivated through hands-on experience, curiosity, and shared problem-solving — and believes in reconnecting not only young people, but adults as well, with their own inner child who is eager to learn, explore, and play in the creative process.

Matthew is passionate about developing localized, community-rooted systems that integrate shelter, food, education, and belonging. He aligns deeply with Tierra Sagrada’s mission and hopes to contribute natural building expertise, collaborative creativity, and vision-driven thinking grounded in compassion and practical experience.