Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute

What Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute does

Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute (SBWI) is a private nonprofit trade school headquartered on a wooded campus at 1375 N. Main St #41 in Adrian, Michigan, providing hands-on woodworking education. Its core product is a 10-month / 40-week Wood Design career program priced at $16,165 per enrollment period, supplemented by a Timber Framing program, a catalog of 1-2 day and 3-7 day short courses (Windsor Chairmaking, Canoe Building, etc.), and professional development workshops. The institution additionally generates ancillary revenue through on-campus student housing, lodging, and gift certificates. The school is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) — including the ACCSC School of Distinction designation — making it eligible for Title IV federal student aid and VA education benefits, and holds the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) Veteran-Friendly School - Gold designation for 2025-2026.

The business model is a hybrid direct-to-consumer education model: prospective students apply through sbwi.edu, schedule campus tours by emailing the VP of Enrollment ([email protected]), and pay tuition either out-of-pocket or via federal/VA financial aid. Three primary customer segments are served — career-focused woodworking students seeking full-time training, hobbyists enrolling in short courses, and working professionals taking professional development — with pricing varying across one-time tuition, short course fees, and recurring housing/lodging revenue. The school self-describes as "internationally recognized as one of the top woodworking schools in the world" and markets primarily through organic channels: instructor-authored blog content, a Mailchimp newsletter, student video testimonials, and the SBWI Works alumni commissioning platform (sbwi.edu/sbwi-works) that connects graduates with customers seeking custom furniture and timber framing projects.

SBWI operates at small scale (1-10 employees per firmographics) with no disclosed revenue figures; financial audits for 2020-21, 2022, and 2023 are published on its website. It is governed by a Board of Trustees, with no parent company, investors, or M&A activity disclosed in the source data. Recent strategic activity includes construction of a new SBWI campus (2026 launch of a hiring event at the construction site), launch of historic preservation training (July 2026), the Walden Cabin program, and the SBWI Works alumni platform — all consistent with modest capacity and product-line expansion within the specialized fine woodworking education niche.

Name

Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute

Legal name

Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute

Website

https://sbwi.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute (SBWI) is a nonprofit, ACCSC-accredited trade school in Adrian, Michigan offering a 10-month Wood Design career program ($16,165 tuition), Timber Framing, short courses, and continuing education to aspiring furniture makers, hobbyists, and working professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Woodworking Education

NAICS

Business and Secretarial Schools (611410)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineering Design & Project-Based Learning Programs (EDAMADAB)

Keywords

• Woodworking trade school
• Furniture making education
• Timber framing training
• Professional woodworking courses
• Fine woodworking career programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Adrian

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition - Wood Design Program: Full-time career program tuition for the Wood Design program, priced at $16,165 per enrollment period (10 months / 40 weeks). Revenue is recognized proportionally with instruction delivery. The school also offers 3-7 day intensive classes and 1-2 day short courses with separate fee structures.
2. Short Course Fees: Continuing education and short course fees for classes such as Windsor Chairmaking, Canoe Building, and other woodworking workshops. Taught by visiting instructors with materials purchased separately.
3. Financial Aid and Title IV Funding: The school participates in federal student aid programs, implying Title IV funding revenue. The refund policy references veteran benefits and pro-rata refunds per CFR 21.4255, indicating VA education benefits and federal student financial aid as revenue streams.
4. Student Housing and Lodging: On-campus student housing and lodging services are offered, generating ancillary accommodation revenue for students attending full-time programs.
5. Gift Certificates: Gift certificates are sold for courses and classes, providing a prepaid revenue stream redeemable against future enrollment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute is a nonprofit trade school providing immersive, hands-on training in fine furniture making, timber framing, and wood design on its wooded campus in Adrian, Michigan. Its core offering is the full-time Wood Design career program (10 months / 40 weeks), supplemented by a Timber Framing program, short courses in specialty topics such as Windsor Chairmaking and Canoe Building, professional development workshops, and on-campus student housing.

Product overview

Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute (SBWI) is an internationally recognized woodworking trade school offering a portfolio of educational products centered on woodworking and furniture design. The institution operates on a platform-plus-modules architecture with its Wood Design Program (full-time career program) and Timber Framing Program serving as core offerings, supplemented by a diverse catalog of short courses and professional development modules. Additional offerings include student housing, the Walden Cabin program, gift certificates, and the SBWI Works program connecting alumni with custom project commissions. SBWI is headquartered on a wooded campus in Adrian, Michigan, and provides immersive hands-on training in fine furniture making, timber framing, and wood design.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wood Design Program Full-time, 10-month (40-week) career program providing immersive hands-on training in fine furniture making on SBWI's wooded campus in Adrian, Michigan; tuition is $16,165 per enrollment period and the program is accredited (ACCSC) so students can access Title IV federal financial aid and VA education benefits.
• Timber Framing Program Specialized program focusing on timber framing techniques and construction methods, delivered on the Adrian, Michigan campus.
• Short Courses and Classes Catalog of 1–2 day and 3–7 day woodworking classes covering topics such as Windsor Chairmaking and Canoe Building, taught by visiting instructors with materials purchased separately; designed for hobbyists and craft enthusiasts who cannot commit to a full-time program.
• Professional Development Workshops Continuing education workshops and short courses designed for currently employed woodworkers, contractors, and tradespeople seeking to upgrade skills or learn specialized techniques such as historic preservation and advanced joinery.
• On-Campus Student Housing On-campus lodging accommodations available for students attending SBWI's woodworking programs on the Adrian, Michigan campus.
• Gift Certificates for Classes Prepaid gift certificates redeemable against SBWI courses and classes, available for purchase online and providing a deferred-revenue stream for the school.
• SBWI Works Alumni Commissioning Platform Alumni commissioning program (sbwi.edu/sbwi-works) connecting SBWI graduate woodworkers with customers seeking custom furniture and woodworking projects.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Penland School of Craft: Penland School of Craft is a North Carolina-based residential craft school offering workshops and longer programs across woodworking, furniture, and other crafts; comparable immersive craft-education model and broad short-course catalog.
• Marc Adams School of Woodworking: Marc Adams School of Woodworking is an Indiana-based school offering extensive short courses, intensives, and longer programs in furniture making — overlapping with SBWI's Wood Design and short-course catalog.
• Haystack Mountain School of Crafts: Haystack Mountain School of Crafts is a Maine-based nonprofit craft school offering immersive workshops in woodworking and other media; mirrors SBWI's residential craft-education experience and workshop-driven model.
• Port Townsend School of Woodworking: Port Townsend School of Woodworking is a Washington-state trade school offering full-time fine furniture and woodworking programs; directly comparable to SBWI's core Wood Design curriculum, tuition model, and target students.
• Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding: Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding is a Washington-state trade school teaching wooden-boat construction and timber framing; comparable in craft-school model, residential/nonprofit structure, and adjacent curriculum (timber framing).
• Center for Furniture Craftsmanship: Center for Furniture Craftsmanship is a Maine-based nonprofit furniture-making school offering multi-week and full-time programs; nearly identical institutional model, target student, and curriculum focus as SBWI's Wood Design program.
• North Bennet Street School: North Bennet Street School is a Boston-based nonprofit vocational school with a cabinet and furniture making program; closely comparable nonprofit trade-school model with accredited career credentials and an established alumni network.
• Lonnie Bird School of Fine Woodworking: Lonnie Bird's School of Fine Woodworking offers immersive fine-furniture courses aimed at hobbyists and aspiring professionals; directly comparable short-course catalog and target student.

Emerging players

• The Furniture Society: The Furniture Society is a national nonprofit organization supporting furniture makers through conferences and educational programming; comparable mission and audience, but operates as a member organization rather than a degree-granting school.

Others

• Woodcraft: Woodcraft is a national specialty retailer of woodworking tools, supplies, and education; adjacent ecosystem participant that supplies tools and classes to the same hobbyist and craft-student demographic as SBWI.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SamBWoodShop
• Facebookfacebook.com/SamBeaufordWoodshop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sbwi

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute