A first taste of woodworking makes for one of the most satisfying team building activities for small groups in the San Francisco Bay Area. In this 2.5-hour private workshop, each guest makes a simple shaped serving board with a handle in a woodshop in SoMa, San Francisco, and takes it home the same day.
The workshop is designed for groups of 6 to 16 guests. No woodworking experience is required, and all the materials are included. Because the boards are finished during the event, this is a great option for teams with members visiting from out of town.
What's Included
- A 2.5-hour private woodworking workshop for your group
- Guidance from a woodshop instructor from start to finish
- All lumber and materials for a shaped
A first taste of woodworking makes for one of the most satisfying team building activities for small groups in the San Francisco Bay Area. In this 2.5-hour private workshop, each guest makes a simple shaped serving board with a handle in a woodshop in SoMa, San Francisco, and takes it home the same day.
The workshop is designed for groups of 6 to 16 guests. No woodworking experience is required, and all the materials are included. Because the boards are finished during the event, this is a great option for teams with members visiting from out of town.
What's Included
- A 2.5-hour private woodworking workshop for your group
- Guidance from a woodshop instructor from start to finish
- All lumber and materials for a shaped serving board with a handle
- Use of the woodshop tools during the session
- A finished board for every guest to take home at the end of the event
What You Will Make
Every guest shapes a serving board with a handle. Your instructor walks the group through each step, so complete beginners can follow along with confidence. Because there is no kiln or drying time involved, the boards are done when the class is done and are free to go to their forever homes right away.
Why It Works for Groups
Woodworking is tactile, focused and quietly impressive. Colleagues work side by side, compare shapes and finishes, and walk out with something solid they made with their own hands. That makes it one of the more hands on team building activities on offer, and one of the more unique team building events for teams who want something new.
The group cap of 16 keeps the shop comfortable and gives the instructor time for everyone, which is why it fits so well among corporate team building activities for small groups, leadership teams and project crews. Compared with many team building workshops, there is no waiting weeks for a finished product: guests carry the result out the door.
Safety comes first in the shop. For safety reasons, alcohol is not permitted during this event, so plan any celebratory drinks for afterward. It is a creative team building option that rewards focus and patience in equal measure.
About the Woodshop
The SoMa studio is the union of a ceramic studio and a woodworking studio, created to bring people closer to the nature of physical making through more than one medium. Beyond serving boards, the woodshop teaches cutting boards, spindle turning and chopstick making, and runs one-time classes, longer series and memberships for people who catch the woodworking bug.
Team and private events are designed to be creative, casual and a lot of fun, and the woodworking events are capped at 16 guests for safety. Events run Monday through Friday between 10:30am and 3:30pm, and the Potrero Hill studio may be able to host an evening event starting no later than 6 PM on request.
About the Studio
The host runs community pottery and woodworking studios in San Francisco, Oakland and San Mateo, built around a shared space where people connect through art, learning and making with their hands. The original studio was founded in Potrero Hill in 2018 and holds a 4.8-star rating from 64 reviews: a 7,000 square foot neighborhood pottery studio with 53 wheels, two slab rollers, two extruders, 35 dipping glazes, a spray booth, 7 kilns, a slip casting station, a glaze mixing room and plenty of natural light. The SoMa studio joins a ceramic studio with a woodshop, so a group can go from throwing on the wheel to turning on the lathe. The teaching approach focuses on simplicity, relaxed instruction and experimentation.
Booking Details
- Every booking includes at least 6 guests; reach out about smaller parties
- Book at least 48 hours in advance
- Once the date, time and headcount are confirmed, a 20% deposit reserves the event and goes toward the final cost
- The deposit is refundable up to two weeks before the event and can be moved to a new date up to 48 hours before
- The remaining balance is paid before the event starts
- Headcount changes are due at least 48 hours ahead; guests added on the day without that notice carry an extra fee
Plan Your Woodworking Workshop
Share your preferred weekday, start time and headcount to check availability. With materials and instruction included, every guest leaves with a finished serving board and a new respect for the craft.
