Greg Larson

WCA Overview

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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…

 

 

Greg Larson

Woodworking Fundamentals

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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.

 

Greg Larson

Milling and Machining

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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.

 

Greg Larson

Math, Measuring and Layout

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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,

 

Greg Larson

Wood Theory

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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.