The school

  • All fixed project classes are open to beginners (though we do not recommend the Hallway Bench class for total beginners). Beginners can easily start with the slide lid box, which is a very pleasing project to take home. If the student is handy with crafts and handmade things, they will be successful with any of our project classes.

    All beginning woodworkers and those who have been away from tools for a time are best to start with the Slide Lid Box or Hallway Bench class. These typically run between 6 and 7 sessions (3.5 hours each). These are a general introduction to tools and safe machine operation, both the theory and skills practice. Once a student has completed 18 hours of a class, they are free to move onto our Coached class and/or attend the Drop-in sessions.

    Progressing further than basics’ classes involves practice making more things, and it is hard to organize projects that suit everyones tastes. So now are we invite aspiring furniture makers to take our Coaching series with an instructor or attend regular supervised Drop-in sessions to build projects of their own choosing. In this manner we can help individual students tailor their specific areas of growth and introduce more advanced project works.

    We offer small group classes (group coaching) during the weekday. These private sessions are by arrangement. If interested please email Bruce directly foursquarewood@gmail.com.

  • Our shop is located upstairs in unit #260 of the artistically eclectic Mergatroid Buildling at 975 Vernon Drive in East Vancouver, British Columbia.

    Parking: There is plenty of parking in front of the building and across the street. (signs on front of buildling saying “unauthorized vehicles will be towed” can be ignored for students).

    Public Transit: The #22 bus comes within 1 block of the building near the corner of Clark and Venables. We are about a 7 minute walk from Hastings and Clark which serves many bus routes, and a 20 minute walk from the Commercial SkyTrain station.

  • Edge City boasts a large collection of traditional handtools of all vintage, from your grandfathers’ old Stanley plane to freshly tuned Lie Nielsen products.

    We also have a full set of quality and well maintained machines including a Sawstop tablesaw, General tablesaw and jointer, Laguna bandsaw, and Powermatic planer, among others. We make sure that all of our equipment is in tip-top shape to make woodworking safe and enjoyable for all students.

    We also encourage students who haven’t yet to start acquiring their own set of handtools from quality suppliers, such as Lee Valley or Lie Nielsen, and we are glad to help students sharpen their new steel in our shop.

Instructors

  • Bruce Inglis is the owner and director of Edge City Woodworking School. Bringing several decades of experience in woodworking, including teaching, Bruce is a hand-tool enthusiast and enlists the use of various power tools when needed.

    Bruce’s career in woodworking began as an apprentice carpenter and cabinetmaker and includes house building and fine home finishing. He entered teacher's training in 1984 and attended the British Columbia Institute of Technology for 2 years in Industrial Arts Education.

    Recently leaving a 33-year career in BC public education at all school levels, he now teaches woodworking to adults. As a skilled high school shop teacher, he brings a wealth of experiences teaching youth woodwork and technical skills.

    When not teaching full time, he has owned a professional workshop and has participated in community-based woodwork spaces for over ten years.

  • Craig grew up on the North Shore and worked in residential construction and renovations for more than 15 years. Craig previously taught woodworking at the Roundhouse Community Centre, where he met Bruce.

    Craig is an avid woodturner and reclaims wood from locally fallen trees for green woodturning. When time permits, he can be found at Miller Goodwood Co-op turning all sizes of bowls and vessels, some of which he sells.

  • Start off building skateboard ramps as a kid, move on to D.I.Y. warehouse living, throw in a bit of commercial remodel work and some formal training and you have Nich, one of our instructors here at Edge City. Nich has collected his knowledge and experiences in many different working environments, giving him a well-rounded toolkit of practical knowledge.

    When not teaching he can be found building things he’s never built before, skateboarding, and walking his pup-dog.

F.A.Q.’s

  • Many of our students are beginners and yes, any of the Essentials Classes and the Basic Skills Class are all open to beginners. See all classes here and sort by ‘Essentials’.

  • If you have previously taken our Level 1 course then you are open to take any of the Essentials or Beyond Basics classes.

    The new Basic Skills class is comparable to the previous Level 1 course, and all of the new Essentials series classes are open to beginners and those with previous experience.

  • Yes, we keep the calendar updated as much as possible. The Civic Holiday closures are also shown. The wording is tight, but if you click on the entry date you will see more of the label. Go to Calendar

  • Many of the classes sell out early as there are only 5 spots. Spaces do not usually open up. However, just in case, you can contact us and we will keep your name on a wait list.

  • We are typically closed on holidays. You can always check the handout for your course, or the calendar on the site to make sure.

  • Your credit card statement will show either the name “Stripe” or “Four Square Woodworking”. The school is operated by Four Square Woodworking Inc. and we use Stripe to manage our payments, so one of these names will be indicated on your credit card statement for your purchase.

  • Our online system only allows the purchase of one class at a time. If you are looking to book the same class for two people, the easiest way is to reach out to us to confirm there are 2 spaces available for that class.