“Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind.”
Johannes Brahms
The Facilities
The woodshop is located in old cooperage at 930 Mason Avenue in the Smoketown neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky. The shop is fully outfitted with workbenches, hand tools, shave horses, table saws, jointers, planers, band saws, chisels, sanders, drill presses, a dust collection system, clamps, a turning room with several lathes, finishing facilities and more.
Meet the Founder
TED HARLAN
Ted Harlan (1959-2024) was a graduate of the Berea College and a product of the rich Berea, KY crafts heritage. While in Berea, he had the opportunity to study with many of this country’s finest and best known woodcrafters. He served as an assistant to master wood turner Rude Osolnik for two years and ran the Westervelt endowed woodcraft community program for three years. In 1987, he began operating a full time woodworking studio, where he created work ranging from store design and fixturing to architectural woodworking and one of a kind commissioned pieces of furniture, as well as individual instruction. His work has been exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution Craft show, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Orange Co. Museum of Art in California. Internationally, he has shown his work in Paris, France, Munich, Germany, and has had a show of his work tour Great Britain.
In 1996 Ted opened up his studio to students and began teaching fine woodworking and luthierie. Over the years he taught thousands of students, had several assistants, mentees and formec
Meet your Instructors
Amanda wilder
Amanda serves as the Head Steward and Instructor, bringing both skill and heart to the school. A proud Louisville native, she’s deeply rooted in her community and has always been driven by curiosity and a love of learning. Whether woodworking, sewing, cooking, gardening, tackling DIY projects, or even insect collecting, Amanda has always been a maker at her core.
In 2015, she made a bold shift from Medical Practice Management to pursue woodworking full‑time—a decision fueled by her desire to create, teach, and share her craft. Since joining the school, she has worked closely with Ted, and in 2017 she stepped into the role of instructor, teaching woodturning with a natural enthusiasm that inspires her students. Her teaching style reflects her belief that hands-on craft can empower people, spark confidence, and open up new ways of seeing the world.
Her passion for teaching doesn’t stop at woodworking. In 2026, she became a certified Pilates Instructor and now teaches at Holly’s Pilates Village in St. Matthews, where she brings the same energy, encouragement, and dedication to helping people grow.
Amanda’s work—whether in the shop or the Pilates studio—is grounded in a genuine love for guiding others, nurturing skills, and building community through learning.
Katharine King Flamion
Katharine is a life-long lover of all kinds of making and building, from sewing and construction to stained glass, welding and electronics. She discovered the joy of woodworking in 2020 and has not looked back.
She began assisting with classes at the school in November 2021, left her 15 year career in manufacturing to do full-time woodworking in June 2022 and now teaches classes of her own.
She also takes commissions for custom furniture and shelving via her website hmw-woodworking.com.
Mike Payne
Mike Payne is a lifelong resident of Louisville, KY. Having started playing guitar at the age of 14 he has spent the last 36 years learning everything he could about the instrument and the music he loves. Beginning in 2008 by building cigar box guitars he has developed his craft by building acoustic and electric guitars, dulcimers, ukuleles and violins.
Mike has several instruments he cherishes including a 1983 Yairi Canyon Creek, and a 1984 Fender Stratocaster he received for Christmas as a teenager. He loves the art of building acoustic instruments, especially guitars and violins because of the complexity and the anticipation of hearing a new instrument brought to life throughout the building process.
Mike holds both Mechanical and Architectural Engineering and Design Degrees from Sullivan University, where he taught various classes for 11 years, and a BS in Political Science from the University of Louisville.
Michael has has 2 children Katelyn and Christian, and a granddaughter Iyla.
interim Instructors & Assistants
Steve Corwin
Steve Corwin born in Battle Creek, MI, raised by pure grit and possibly a little cereal dust, Steve is our resident Renaissance Man—an all‑terrain human who can fix anything from a broken bandsaw to a broken spirit. After more than 30 years in Louisville, he has achieved local‑legend status and is the proud owner of our building/compound, which he maintains with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker and the swagger of a frontier sheriff.
Steve has lived approximately nine lives, each with its own career path, skill set, and improbable story. He’s an excellent teaching assistant, mostly because he knows everything, and partly because he’s already done everything. If you need help, he’s your guy. If you don’t need help, he’ll still probably fix something nearby just to stay sharp.
He and his wife Barbie have built a lively clan: two daughters, one grandson, and a lifetime of stories that could easily fill a memoir—or a Netflix limited series.
In short: Steve is the glue, the gear, the guru, and the guy who can fix the thing you broke before you even admit you broke it
Frank & Beans
These expert feline woodworkers joined us in December of 2021. They are masters of drawer fitting, flatness checking of table tops, and blending in with many in-house wood species. They thoroughly enjoy every student and love being in the shop.
