(Video) Woodworking Mixes Art, Practical Skills

T.C. Roberson High School woodworking teacher Madison Cawthon uses a bandsaw.

By Tim Reaves
BCS Communications Department

Madison Cawthon is excited to welcome students to her woodworking classroom!

The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) graduate started teaching at T.C. Roberson High School this school year, and she’s helping students unlock the artistic and practical uses of wood. With the recent arrival of several new machines, her classroom is the dream workshop for an aspiring carpenter, woodworker, visual artist, do-it-yourselfer, or any student interested in a different learning method.

“The tools and materials are so ‘in your face;’ they’re right there for you,” she said. “And I look forward to having students here and having students really engaging with those materials.”

Ms. Cawthon comes from a family of woodworkers. Her grandfather is a professional cabinetmaker, and her father does repurposing, milling, and finishing work in the antiques and furniture businesses.

“I grew up in those shops, but never thought of being a woodworker myself until I got to college,” she said. “I started as a painting major with a minor in writing, but when I found the furniture design program at SCAD, I dove in.”

Woodworking is unique, because the medium is unique, she said. Each piece of lumber has different properties – color, density, moisture content, imperfections, and more.

“You have to work with the wood to coax it into the shape you want,” she said. “I still feel like I’m growing and learning something new every day.”

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