Sawlapalooza 2025 is now in effect!

Ready to kick-butt making your own saw and woodworking tools?

Join Mike Siemsen and me to do just that, June 9-13 at the Mike Siemsen School of Woodworking in Chisago City, MN!

 

“Want to learn how to sharpen your own danged saw? How about making your own Bad Axe Joiners Saw? I'll bring your skill set from zero to 60 mph in five days. We'll start off understanding rudimentary saw theory and dive right into practical exercise on day one, and by the end of the week you will have successfully sharpened at least two of the vintage saws you bring, as well as making your own Bad Axe Joiners Saw under my oversight.” 

--Mark Harrell, Founder, Bad Axe Tool Works and owner, SawSharp (www.sawsharp.com)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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“We'll make a traditional Moxon double screw vise, a mallet, a marking gauge, and a marking knife. You will use hand tools to chop mortises, bore with a brace and bit, tap and thread a screwbox. We will do a bit of metal work on the marking knife, grind and file the blade to shape, then harden and temper the steel. Bring the tools you have. I have some I can loan you.”

--Mike Siemsen, Owner, Mike's School of Woodworking (www.schoolofwood.com)

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Itinerary:

Sunday, 12 June 2025

1700: Show up for our social and cookout! We'll shower you with cool swag, orient you to the premises, and you can meet your new buddies.

Monday 9 June through Thursday 12 June.

0800: Training commences. We'll split the class of 16 in half; 8 students link up with Mark to learn sawmaking, and the other 8 students will go to Mike's shop for the toolmaking piece.

1200: Break for lunch on site (catered).

1300: Class swap; those who were with Mark goes to Mike's shop, and vice versa.

1700: We're done for the day. It's Miller Time--go drink some beer and re-charge your batteries.

Thursday PM (after training)--it's a cookout on-site!

Friday, 13 June:

0800-1200: Graduation exercise: by noon you will have made your Bad Axe Joiners Saw and Mike's tools.

1200-1600: Course completion, catching up on unfinished business & extra skills, time permitting.

1630: It's closing time. You don't have to go home, but you can stay here (as the song goes). <😉/>

 

Getting here: Chisago City is located half an hour north of the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport. For those of you driving, simply plug in Mike's School of Woodworking address at 9912 Green Lake Trail, Chisago City MN 55013-7460. Clicking on the graphic below will reflect various hotels wihin a 15-minute radius of the school.

 

 

Payment:

$2500 for the week. Tuition is a two-part payment; $500 is a non-refundable down-payment, followed by the balance of $2000 we'll invoice you for 30 days out in mid-May.

Here's what $2500 gets you (knowledge, of course, but there are also tangible things):

Bad Axe Joiners Saw & Bench Hook Set

SawSharp Coffee Mug

Mike Siemsen Mallet

Mike Siemsen Layout Knife

Mike Siemsen Marking Gauge

MIke Siemsen Moxon Vise

There is also lunch every day, along with the social cookout Sunday evening and the cookout Thurs PM the day before course closure.

Enroll Now

(16-person headcount)

Click on this link to make the down payment of $500*, which reserves your place. Mark will invoice you for the remaining balance due of $2000 mid-May.

 

* Please note that the down payment is non-refundable, and is applied to sourcing materials ahead of the event. That said, life happens; if for some reason you are unable to attend, your down payment may be used toward the purchase of the saw and tools associated with the course.

 

We look forward to seeing you!

 

 

“Mark Harrell’s Saw Sharp Advanced Sharpening Class is one of the best investments I have made in my hand tool training and education. Mark is a wonderful instructor. He has an infinite amount of patience making sure you have a clear understanding of all aspects of saw structure and cutting geometry, as well explaining in detail the various attributes that contribute to what is necessary for a saw to deliver its best intended cut outcome.
Once Mark determines you have a clear understanding of this knowledge, he transforms into a tireless and ardent task master, making you apply this newly acquired knowledge. Yes, you may need to keep repeating a step over and over until you “get-it” and can satisfactorily pass Mark’s inspection before you move to the next step.  Mark’s training discipline helps you begin to develop the confidence and muscle-memory skills required to become a competent saw sharpener. This hands-on, mentor-guided training approach is not something you can learn watching countless sharpening videos because you need to “feel” the correct feedback of the file’s sharpening stroke and you will begin to know and feel that difference when pointed out.
You will leave Mark’s sharpening class with the confidence of not being afraid to break out a file and finely tune your saws in your shop as you do with your other hand tools like plane irons and chisels.”

Keith Teruya, McMinnville, OR

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“The advanced training I received from saw sharp exceeded every expectation and I cannot recommend it enough. Not only did I walk away with the confidence to properly maintain all of my saws, but Mark tailored every single aspect of the class to ensure every aspect of saw restoration and use specific to my classes particular uses was covered. The most lasting benefit of the class though, is joining a community of like-minded people to lean on for years to come. Go as soon as you can!!!!”

Matthew Aust

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 “Sharp saws, like any other sharp tool, are pure pleasure to use. In his Five-Day Intensive Saw Sharpening Seminar, Mark Harrell taught me how to sharpen and maintain my saws so using them will be a joy from here on out. The two Bad Axe saws I put together in the workshop are a sweet bonus as far as I'm concerned. The workshop would have been worth the money without them. Mark knows how to sharpen saws and I highly recommend his workshops.”

David Neilson

 

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“When I have a vintage saw that needs any type of restoration or tuning up, I turn to Mark Harrell. To date, I have sent 4 cherished but neglected backsaws in the 150-200 year old range to Mark, each well beyond my ability to restore, and he brought them all back to beautiful working condition—and boy do they work. He has the perfect blend of expertise and delicate yet meticulous attention to detail that these jobs require. I can’t recommend his services enough!“

Justin Masone, @jtmasone

 

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" If you want to learn how to do something correctly, learn from someone who earns their livelihood by what they teach. Mark is the real deal. Mark offers a unique opportunity to learn from him and he was the founder of Bad axe saws." - Failing this opportunity you can also watch a myriad of YouTube videos and hope what they teach may be correct.

Scott Erickson, Minneapolis, MN

 

 

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