School is always in session at The Wood Joint in Long Branch, where learning has no expiration date and people of all ages explore their artistic abilities through woodworking.
The nonprofit organization has preserved woodworking as an intergenerational craft since August 2016, offering hands-on classes for every skill level. Students train in a fully equipped workshop alongside experienced instructors, learning both technique and tradition.
The Blueprint
Bruce Hogan, founder and lead instructor, said the idea for the space began after he answered an advertisement from the Monmouth County Vocational School District.
“Originally, it was to substitute teach,” Hogan recalled. “When I started substitute teaching, a night class was available, so they offered it to me. It was carpentry, but I changed it to cabinetmaking.”
Hogan, who grew up in Southern California, discovered his passion for woodworking while building a boat with his father in the family’s backyard. His interest deepened through an apprenticeship, eventually leading to a career in cabinetry and furniture design that continued after he moved east.
His cabinetmaking class quickly gained popularity. What began as a 10-week course offered twice a year on Wednesdays soon expanded.
“There were so many people coming in,” Hogan said. “At one point, there were 21 people in the class.”
The first two sessions had seven and 10 students, respectively. As demand grew, the single weekly class expanded to four nights.
A Vision Becomes Reality
Before opening The Wood Joint, Hogan often joked about starting his own shop. When interest continued to rise and the opportunity presented itself, he turned the idea into reality in 2015. By the following year, the space was complete, and Monmouth County’s School of Woodworking officially opened its doors.
Classes are designed to be inclusive, welcoming beginners and advanced students alike.
“The variety of people who come in for classes is unbelievable,” said Gary Chasser, an instructor who also serves as treasurer and board member. Chasser was once one of Hogan’s students through the vocational school district.
“From people who are 12 years old to people who are 75 or 80, we have retired surgeons and homemakers,” he said.
For many, The Wood Joint is their first experience in a workshop.
“Most people, when they come in, they have never even looked at a shop, but they want to try and build,” Hogan said.
He believes the innate desire to create draws people through the doors.
“Classes automatically fill up,” Hogan said. “There’s always new people signing up.”
Introductory courses cover the fundamentals of woodworking. By the end, students complete a tool tote and a small gift box. In addition to three monthly introductory classes, the workshop offers a Saturday session from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., during which participants build the gift box in a single day.
Confidence as Strong as Wood
With continued instruction, projects grow more ambitious. Tool totes and gift boxes give way to bookcases, file boxes, side tables, chairs and even floating mahjong tables. Whether it is a Girl Scout troop or a group of friends gathering around a workbench, The Wood Joint welcomes all.
For Hogan, the most rewarding moment comes at the end of each project.
“The look in people’s eyes when they finish,” he said. “They did it. And it’s this gorgeous little box—their box—that they took from a stick of wood to the finished project.”
The Wood Joint NJ Inc.
400 Wharburton Place, Long Branch, NJ 07740
908-601-1424
thewoodjointnj.com