The Orleans Technical Institute in Northeast Philadelphia features a six-month trade diploma in carpentry. The program teaches construction, installation and renovation techniques using a variety of materials including wood. Some other skills taught include building a house to scale, drywalling, siding, roofing and door and window installation.
The Carpenters Apprentice School of Philadelphia, also located in Northeast Philadelphia, is a four-year apprentice program that includes more than 800 hours of classroom and shop instruction. Students learn about union history, safety, methods and materials, trade mathematics, blueprint reading, estimating, theory, surveying and computer training. Students also receive certification in burning and welding, OSHA 10, process safety management, Soaffold certification, first aid, CPR, power-actuated tool certification and solid surface certification. The school, associated with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, was established in 1945 through the U.S. Department of Labor.
The Philadelphia Furniture Workshop is based in the Germantown area of Philadelphia and offers a series of workshop classes on a variety of carpentry skills. A beginner class focuses on building a bookcase; a basic sharpening class teaches how to sharpen plane irons, chisels, turning tools and carving tools; and a plane-craft class is dedicated to the uses of the table saw. Other offerings include workshops on basic routing, basic box construction, how to build a three-legged stool and building a Portsmouth card table.
Located in downtown Philadelphia, the Walnut Street Theatre offers several apprenticeship programs including a carpentry apprentice program. The program is run by carpenters who are a part of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the theatre's technical director. During the apprenticeship you will learn how to build five main stage and five studio shows using the equipment located in the Walnut Street Theatre's shop.