3-Day Wood Identification Workshop with Randy Wilkinson

What wood is it and why? Seeing and understanding wood in a whole new way.

April 23-25 (Friday, Saturday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Sunday 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.)

Please note: This program is run by Randy Wilkinson. Please visit his website for more information or to register.

Did you ever look at a piece of wood and wonder why it looked the way it did? Were you ever confused about what type of wood it was? …Mahogany or walnut?…Cherry or poplar? …Hardwood or softwood?

This three-day, hands-on workshop is taught by Randy S. Wilkinson in partnership with Historic Deerfield and will answer all these questions and more. It is designed specifically for curators, collectors, antique dealers, appraisers, and conservators. The goal of this workshop is to familiarize the student with the physical properties of wood in order to recognize species’ specific cell structures. No experience is necessary.

Basic wood anatomy will be introduced, including grain, figure, fundamental differences between softwoods and hardwoods, and more. The student will learn to identify 19 common woods that are used in American decorative arts using a 10x loupe.

Students will get to explore some of Historic Deerfield’s collection, using select pieces to identify wood once it is made into objects. To augment the experience, a curator guided collections tour is included.

Registration Details

• Dates: April 23-25, 2027
• Capacity: Space is limited to 15 students.
• Fee: $695 (Historic Deerfield members get a 15% discount with the code HDclass)
• Included: A hardwood sample kit, 10x loupe, the textbook Identifying Wood, and lunch on Friday.