WCA Overview

Founded in 2007, the mission of the Woodwork Career Alliance (WCA) is to support workforce development for the woodworking industry, which includes certification and training of new and existing woodworking professionals as well as students at both the high school and post-secondary level.

For the first time, woodworking students and professionals can earn an industry approved and recognized credential based on observable, measurable standards and evaluations. Every participant in the program starts by purchasing an Individual Membership to allow them to start recording their achievements.

Learn more about how it all works in the lesson below…

 


 

Woodworking Fundamentals

Welcome to the WCA Woodworking Fundamentals online training course. In this course, we will explore a number of topics related to planning and building a woodworking project including panel products, adhesives, fasteners, abrasives, basic joinery, cabinet construction methods, and shop drawing reading skills.

To take this course, you must be logged into this website and be in possession of a WCA Individual Membership. If you are not able to access the course, please contact us for help.

Get started by clicking the “Take This Course” button in the upper right. You will be asked to purchase the course, which is free, but you still need to go through the checkout process to access the course. Once we mark the order as Complete, you will get an email notification indicating that you now have access to the course; until then, you won’t have access.

 

Milling and Machining

Welcome to the Milling and Machining online training course. In this course, we’ll talk about the process and tools required for milling rough lumber into a flat, square, and properly dimensioned piece of wood, also called “Milling 4 square”. This is one of the most important woodworking skills you can master because precision work begins with wood that has precise dimensions and is as flat and square as possible.

Prerequisite: Woodworking Fundamentals.

To take this course, you must be logged into this website and be in possession of a WCA Individual Membership. If you are not able to access the course, please contact us for help.

Get started by clicking the “Take This Course” button in the upper right. You will be asked to purchase the course, which is free, but you still need to go through the checkout process to access the course. Once we mark the order as Complete, you will get an email notification indicating that you now have access to the course; until then, you won’t have access.

 

Math, Measuring and Layout

Welcome to the WCA Math, Measuring, and Layout online training course. A thorough knowledge of math, measuring, and layout skills are a must in order to do high quality work. In this course, we will cover a variety of topics including decimal and fractional math. We also delve into both imperial and metric measuring systems and learn about common measuring tools. Accurate layout skills leads to more accurate work, so we’ll finish by talking about common layout tools and techniques.

To take this course, you must be logged into this website and be in possession of a WCA Individual Membership. If you are not able to access the course, please contact us for help.

Get started by clicking the “Take This Course” button in the upper right. You will be asked to purchase the course, which is free, but you still need to go through the checkout process to access the course. Once we mark the order as Complete, you will get an email notification indicating that you now have access to the course; until then, you won’t have access.

Outside reading is required.  Required reading is assigned from Modern Cabinetmaking. If you want to dive deeper into measurement and layout techniques, another great book is Measure Twice, Cut Once by Jim Tolpin. A very easy read with lots of great information,

 

Wood Theory

Welcome to the WCA Wood Theory online training course. This course will teach you the foundational knowledge you need to understand the primary material used in woodworking; wood, also called lumber. You will dive deep into wood theory and how the various properties of wood affect subsequent woodworking operations.

This course relies heavily on the information in the famous textbook on wood theory: Understanding Wood by R. Bruce Hoadley as well as information in Modern Cabinetmaking by William D. Umstattd, Charles W. Davis, and Patrick A. Molzahn. Reading is assigned out of both books in this course, so it is highly recommended to have a copy of both books handy, especially Understanding Wood.

To take this course, you must be logged into this website and be in possession of a WCA Individual Membership. If you are not able to access the course, please contact us for help.

Get started by clicking the “Take This Course” button in the upper right. You will be asked to purchase the course, which is free, but you still need to go through the checkout process to access the course. Once we mark the order as Complete, you will get an email notification indicating that you now have access to the course; until then, you won’t have access.

 

ASE Online Training

Welcome to the WCA Accredited Skill Evaluator (ASE) online training course. This course will teach you the foundational knowledge you need to understand in order to become a become a certified evaluator. In order to complete this phase of your training, you must complete each of the lessons and pass the quiz at the end with a score of 80% or higher.

To take this course, you must be logged into this website and have completed all of the previous steps in the ASE application process. If you are not able to access the course, please contact us for help.

Get started by clicking the “Take This Course” button in the upper right. You will be asked to purchase the course, which is free, but you still need to go through the checkout process to access the course. Once we mark the order as Complete, you will get an email notification indicating that you now have access to the course; until then, you won’t have access.

 

Sawblade Certificate Online Quiz


This is a simple multiple choice quiz of 40 Questions to test the knowledge of student woodworkers gained from their instructors and reading on their own. You must pass this quiz, along with passing the required tool operations, in order to earn the Sawblade certificate. If you don’t pass the first time, you may retake the test at any time.

Important: You must be a WCA Individual Member and be logged into this site in order to take this quiz. If you are not logged in, click on the Login menu item in the upper right, and return to this page [Member Resources > Sawblade Online Quiz] after you’ve logged in.


INSTRUCTIONS :: The quiz has four (4) pages of ten (10) items each. Click ONCE on the button for the BEST answer to each question or statement. You can change your answers as many times as you want before you press FINISH at the end of the 4th page. You must answer every question in one session. If you stop before you are done you will have to start over from the beginning. Each correct answer is worth 4 points. Best possible score is 160 points. A minimum of 128 points (80%) is required to pass (32 questions out of 40 correct).

Click on the Quiz below to get started…