Blacksmithing for Woodworkers

*(After your order is complete, you will be emailed an invitation to begin viewing the course. This typically takes a few minutes.)

Woodworkers have always sought the village blacksmith for the tools, hardware, and fasteners they needed for their work. Everything from nails for construction and trimwork, handles for chests, hinges for doors, laminated irons for handplanes – all of these were the workmanship of the smith, formed at his forge and anvil. His craft was held in high esteem, laden with mystery and a touch of magic. After all, manipulating white-hot metal skillfully with tongs and hammer, shaping it as desired, is beyond the ability and knowledge of most of us. 

But in this M&T video course, professional blacksmith and teacher Jordan Goodwin of Axe & Anvil Hand Works unlocks the secrets of blacksmithing for the average woodworker. Jordan has years of experience at the anvil and has distilled the essence of the craft through a series of enthralling step-by-step lessons and projects that are sure to get you on your way. Beautifully filmed by videographer Bo Schultz at Jordan’s Tennessee forge, these lessons build on one another as they present the art of the blacksmith in an approachable, understandable, and lighthearted way.

As hand-tool woodworkers, we admire the beautiful tools and artifacts forged centuries ago by skilled hands, but our connection to that craftsmanship has, in many regards, been lost. But not lost for good. Through Jordan’s rich instruction, a revitalized understanding of the craft is revealed – how the worker approached a task, how metal was heated and shaped, and how through just a handful of techniques (bending, upsetting, punching, drawing out), most any useful metal object could be made.

Beginning with a cold forge and a collection of simple tools, Jordan explains the process of lighting the fire, discusses types of coal and how they work, and shows what to look for in a basic forge setup. Then, once the coals are glowing, he demonstrates a number of tasks that illustrate many of the essential skills of the blacksmith, including nailmaking, modifying tools to suit, forging chest hardware, making hook-and-eye latches, fashioning snipe hinges, and heat-treating old tools. It’s 6-1/2 hours of captivating instruction.

Even if you never intend to build your own forge or try your hand at blacksmithing, the value of this course is immense. Jordan offers a number of fascinating anecdotes and pointers that will help you unlock many of the mysterious aspects of the craft –  “Aha!” moments abound. You will gain a new appreciation for your old hand-forged tools and hardware, not to mention the inspiration and confidence to put your hand to the smith’s hammer and strike the anvil for yourself. 

We are thrilled to offer this course – it is truly a one-of-a-kind, deep dive into the mindset and skillset of the pre-industrial blacksmith, made approachable for today’s woodworker.

Lessons:

• Introduction: 3 minutes
• Shop Setup: 49 minutes
• Basic Tools (2 parts): 40 minutes
• Firing the Forge & Coal: 17 minutes
• Techniques: 3 minutes
• Hook & Eye and Snipe Hinges (2 parts): 40 minutes
• Punches, Making a Nail Header, & Making Nails (5 parts): 169 minutes
• Heat-treating Antique Tools: 5 minutes
• Chest Lift (4 parts): 91 minutes
• Outro: 1 minute

No time constraints – you'll get lifetime access to this course material!