So this one time i was trying to cut a piece of plywood and the blade went completely sideways. I mean like literally the wrong direction. My wife was watching from kitchen and she just walked away without saying anything. That was the moment i thought okay maybe i need to actually learn this properly from someone. Thats how clark college woodworking came on my radar and honestly it changed how i think about learning this skill.
Thats how i ended up going deep into researching clark college woodworking programs. And honestly what i found was kind of surprising. Because i was expecting it to be expensive or complicated to join. But it was neither.
If you are someone who is just starting out and you want to learn woodworking the right way without spending too much money, then this post is for you. I am going to share everything i found out about clark college woodworking, the courses they have, what it costs, and some stuff that other websites simply forgot to mention.
So What Even Is Clark College and Why Should a Beginner Like You Care
Okay so Clark College is this public community college sitting in Vancouver, Washington. Not Vancouver Canada, the one in Washington state in USA. Its been around since 1933 so yeah its not some new thing that opened last year.
I remember when i first typed clark woodworking into Google i wasnt even sure if this college had anything related to hands on wood stuff. Most community colleges near me just have accounting and nursing right. But Clark is different.
They have this whole department called Advanced Manufacturing and Mechanical. Sounds very serious and technical i know. But basically what it means is they have actual shop spaces where students go in and work with real tools and real machines. Not just watch a powerpoint about tools. Actually use them.
That alone made me very interested because, okay so the problem with most woodworking videos on YouTube is they show you what to do but you cant ask questions. You cant say hey wait what just happened there. In a actual clark college woodworking class you can do that.
Two Ways to Learn at Clark, and This Part Gets a Little Confusing
Right so this is where i had to read the Clark website like three times before it made sense to me. They basically have two different tracks and people mix them up all the time.
Track one is the credit based program. This is the proper college level thing where you work towards a qualification. They call it the Advanced Manufacturing and Mechanical program. You can get a Certificate of Proficiency, a Certificate of Achievement, or go all the way up to an Associate of Applied Technology degree. The new facility they opened in Ridgefield, the Advanced Manufacturing Center, is apparently 49,000 square feet. I dont even know how big that is in my head but it sounds massive.
For somebody who wants clark college carpentry type skills and maybe wants to actually get a job doing this stuff, the credit program makes more sense.
Track two is the Community and Continuing Education program, CCE they call it. These are non credit classes, no grades, no transcripts, nothing serious like that. Just come learn a skill, pay a smaller fee, go home with knowledge. Perfect for hobbyists. Perfect for people like me who just wants to stop ruining plywood on weekends.
The CCE catalog is on a separate website and you literally shop for classes like adding things to a cart. You can browse their full listing directly at Clark CCE catalog to see whats available this quarter.
Clark College Winter Classes, the Question Everyone Asks
Okay a lot of people search specifically about clark college winter classes and i get why. Not everyone can join in fall or spring. Sometimes life is busy. Sometimes you only decide in December that you want to learn woodworking. Normal thing.
Clark College does a quarter system. So there is fall, winter, spring, summer. Winter quarter usually starts somewhere in early January and goes roughly ten weeks.
For the credit based manufacturing program you register through the MyClark student portal. There is an enrollment appointment thing which basically means you get a specific date and time when registration opens for you. It sounds more complicated than it is.
For CCE classes, those get listed on the campusce.net catalog and they open up for registration seperately. These clark college winter classes specifically fill up very fast. I talked to someone who said they saw a woodwork workshop listed on a Thursday and by Saturday it was showing waitlist only. So checking early is not just advice, its actually important.
The Money Part, Because Lets Be Real That Is What Matters
I know i know everyone wants to know the price first. Fine lets talk about it.
For the CCE non credit clark college woodworking type classes, you are generally looking at somewhere between $49 to maybe $150 or $200 depending on the class length and what materials get included. Short one evening workshops can be cheaper than that even.
For credit based clark college courses in the Advanced Manufacturing program, Washington state community college tuition is roughly around $100 to $120 per credit hour for residents. Certificate programs are usually somewhere between 20 to 45 credits. So do the math, it still comes out way cheaper than most private trade schools.
One thing i want to mention and this is something most blog posts skip over. Clark College Foundation gives out scholarships worth over a million dollars every year. Worth checking their scholarship page before you assume you cant afford it.
Compare all this to some private woodworking studio in Vancouver WA where one single session, like two three hours, can already cost you $100. Yeah. Suddenly clark college woodworking looks very very reasonable.
What You Will Actually Learn, Specifically
This part i think is important because when i was researching i kept finding websites that just say “learn woodworking skills” without telling you what skills exactly. Very frustrating.
In the Advanced Manufacturing credit program, clark in college courses cover things like precision measuring, material science, computer aided drafting which is like drawing on computer, welding, fabrication, and they also have modern things like what they call subtractive and additive manufacturing. Basically CNC machines and 3D printing type stuff alongside traditional methods.
I know that sounds very heavy. But the whole point is it prepares you for actual work in the real world, not just a hobby.
For the CCE non credit woodwork classes, you are looking at more foundational beginner level things. Safely using hand tools and power tools. Basic joints, the kind that hold pieces of wood together properly. How to read a simple project plan. Sanding and finishing, which sounds boring but honestly makes such a big difference to how the final thing looks.
These exact skills, i am not even joking, would have saved me from throwing away three pieces of good pine wood last year. Three. Because i had no idea what i was doing with the jigsaw.
My Personal Experience Trying to Figure All This Out
Okay let me be honest here. Finding information about clark college woodworking online is not super easy. The Clark website has a lot of pages and sometimes finding the right one takes patience.
I spent honestly like one whole evening just clicking around clark.edu trying to understand which program is which. The Advanced Manufacturing section and the CCE section are kind of seperate worlds on the website.
What helped me most was going directly to campusce.net/clark for the hobby classes and clark.edu/advancedmanufacturing for the credit stuff. Those two pages give you the actual current information.
Also i will say this. If you email start@clark.edu or call 360-992-2078, the people there are actually helpful. I know calling sounds old fashioned. But sometimes just talking to a person saves you 45 minutes of clicking around confusing web pages. I have done it.
Is Clark Woodworking Better Than Just Watching YouTube
Oh man i get this question. Because YouTube has so much free stuff right. Why pay money.
Look i love YouTube woodworking channels. Some of them are really good. But here is the real thing nobody tells you. Watching someone else cut wood perfectly does not mean you will also cut wood perfectly. Your hands need to actually practice.
Clark college woodworking classes, especially the in person CCE workshops, give you access to proper workshop space and tools that most beginners simply do not have at home. A decent table saw alone costs like $500 to $800. A random orbital sander, a router, a planer… these things add up very fast.
Plus when something goes wrong, and trust me something always goes wrong when you are a beginner, there is an actual teacher there to help you fix it. YouTube cannot do that.
Online woodworking course usa options like Udemy or Skillshare are decent for theory. But for real skill building i think in person classes at a place like Clark win every time.
Other Options Near Vancouver WA, Just to Be Fair
I dont want this to sound like i am only promoting Clark because honestly that is not the point. But when i sat down and compared everything side by side, clark college woodworking through CCE kept coming out as the better value option for someone just starting out.
Vancouver Parks and Recreation does have some craft and woodworking workshops occasionally. These are usually shorter and quite affordable. Good for a first taste of hands on work.
The Vancouver Woodworkers Guild is also something worth looking at. Its a community of people who are into woodworking and they do workshops and open shop days. Very friendly group from what i have heard.
There are also some private studios that do paid classes. But again when you compare the cost per hour of learning, clark college woodworking through CCE comes out better value most of the time.
Some Things i Wish Someone Had Told Me Before i Started Researching
Okay so this section is just real talk. No fancy structure.
When you look at clark college course descriptions on the website, some of them use very technical language. Words like fabrication fundamentals, metrology, blueprint reading. Do not let these words scare you off. For CCE classes especially, the descriptions are usually more scary sounding than the actual class is.
Also the clark college carpentry thing specifically. Clark does not have a program called exactly carpentry. But the Advanced Manufacturing program covers a lot of the same ground, working with materials, hand tools, power tools, understanding structures. So if you are searching for that exact word and not finding it, try searching advanced manufacturing or just call and ask.
Clark college courses also have prerequisites sometimes. For the credit program this matters. For CCE it usually does not, you just sign up.
One more thing. Parking at the main Vancouver campus can be annoying sometimes. Take the bus if you can. Or go early. Just a practical heads up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Clark College offer woodworking classes?
Yes, through their CCE non credit catalog for hobbyists and through the Advanced Manufacturing program for people wanting a proper qualification.
What does the clark college carpentry program cover?
Clark calls it Advanced Manufacturing but it covers fabrication, hands on shop work, tools, materials and blueprint reading which is all very closely related to carpentry skills.
Are clark college winter classes available for woodworking?
Yes, Clark runs on quarters including winter. CCE classes are listed on campusce.net/clark and credit classes through MyClark portal. Winter term usually starts in January.
How much do clark college courses cost for woodworking?
CCE classes roughly $49 to $200 depending on length. Credit hours in the manufacturing program are around $100 to $120 per credit for Washington residents.
Can a total beginner join clark college woodworking classes?
Yes absolutely. CCE classes are made for exactly this kind of person. No experience needed at all.
Is in person woodworking at Clark better than online woodwork classes?
For building actual hands on skill, yes. You get real tools, real workspace and real time help from a teacher that no online woodworking course usa can give you.
Where is Clark College located?
Main campus in Vancouver Washington. The new Advanced Manufacturing Center is at their Ridgefield site at Boschma Farms.
Final Thoughts From Me
You know when i started this whole DIY wood hobby thing i genuinely thought i could just wing it. Watch some videos, buy some tools, figure it out.
And to be fair i learned some things that way. But i also wasted money on wrong tools, wasted wood on wrong cuts, and spent way too many weekends being frustrated at myself.
Clark college woodworking, whether through the CCE hobby route or the full credit program, is the kind of structured learning that actually fills those gaps. And for what it costs, especially at a community college, it is hard to find a reason not to at least try one class.
If you are seriously thinking about clark college woodworking, just go check what is available this quarter on clark.edu and the CCE catalog.
And if you already tried clark college woodworking and have experience with it, please drop a comment below. I would genuinely love to hear how it went. Always nice to connect with people who love this stuff as much as i do.
Happy building everyone. Take care of your fingers near the saw.
And while you wait for the next clark college woodworking class to open up, dont just sit idle. Start small at home. I have a list of completely free beginner woodworking projects that need almost no tools to get started. Perfect for practicing before your first class.
