What wood is it and why? Seeing and understanding wood in a whole new way

Three days over the weekend, September 11-13, 2026 (Friday, Saturday 9:00am-4:00pm, Sunday 9:30 – 2:00pm)

MYSTIC, CT – Did you ever look at a piece of wood and wonder what wood it is? And why it looks the way it does? Were you ever confused about which wood it is? Is it mahogany or walnut? Am I looking at cherry or poplar? Is it a hardwood or a softwood?

Who is this for?

This three-day hands-on workshop at the dynamic Mystic Seaport  is taught by Randy S. Wilkinson and will answer all these questions and more. It is designed specifically for curators, collectors, antique dealers, appraisers, and conservators.  The goal of this workshop is to familiarize the student with the physical properties of wood in order to recognize species specific cell structures. No experience is necessary.

What will you learn?

We will introduce basic wood anatomy, including grain, figure, fundamental differences between softwoods and hardwoods, and more. The student will learn to identify 19 common woods that are used in American decorative arts using a 10x loupe.

Mystic Seaport Museum

We will be using the collection of the Mystic Seaport Museum to identify wood once it is made into an object. Students will get the rare opportunity to see some of the great treasures the Mystic Seaport has to offer while learning to identify wood on site.
To augment the experience, a curator guided collections tour as well as a trip to the shipyard with one of the shipwrights at the Museum is included.

Prerequisites, fees and what’s included

No experience is necessary. Class fee includes a hardwood sample kit, 10x loupe, book (Identifying Wood) and Friday lunch. Students, senior citizens, IWCS members, Society of Gilders members, and prior Fallon & Wilkinson students are eligible for a 10% discount (use coupon code Student, Senior, IWCS, or SoGi). Class size is limited to 15 students. This class will fill quickly, so sign up soon.

Testimonials

Read this review on our Videos page about one of our past Wood Identification Workshops.

Images

Mystic Seaport Thompson Building