Associate of Science - Wood Technology

Laney College's Wood Technology curriculum offers instruction in woodworking for career-oriented students, and includes access to one of the best- equipped shops in Northern California. Employment-oriented students are assisted in finding work making custom furniture, kitchen cabinets, commercial fixtures, architectural millwork, and a wide variety of other wood products. Instruction is highly individualized and is designed to allow flexibility in learning speed, design experimentation, and areas of emphasis. The two primary goals of all classes are to make each student a safe machine and/or tool user, and to provide them with the problem-solving tools that relate to four-dimensional wood-based construction.

Upon completion of this program a student will be able to: • Skills: Students will develop a foundation of core skills necessary to effectively use hand tools, operate power tools, do design and layout for projects, and work with software and CNC equipment that is current for the cabinet and furniture making trade. • Materials and Practices: Students will identify, analyze, evaluate and apply materials of the trade to the appropriate production parameters creating efficient work flows for shop projects with optimal material use. Students will analyze production processes and apply required techniques in order to meet production standards. • Communication and Calculate: Students will interpret, analyze, do required mathematical calculations and create architectural drawings and other shop documents used in the contemporary woodworking trade and communicate essential information from these documents to coworkers and clients. Students will use woodworking nomenclature to communicate effectively in the woodworking field. • Safety: Students will evaluate, set up and operate woodworking machinery and use hand tools according to safe operational practices and understand the implications of materials as they relate to worker and customer safety and environmental impacts.