Instructors
Sam Sprouse is the Founder and Principal Instructor of the Charleston Woodworking School. A native of Asheboro, North Carolina, Sam is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and an Honor Graduate of the prestigious Thomas Chippendale School of Furniture in Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland. A Master Craftsman in Woodworking, Sam has been featured in articles in the Charleston Post & Courier, South Magazine, The Charleston Magazine, the Courier-Tribune, WSPA-TV, CHS Today, The Furniture Society, Thrive Magazine, and the Alumni Magazine of the University of South Carolina, The Carolinian. Sam’s woodworking career began in high school, when he constructed the outdoor chapel for the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd for his Eagle Scout Project. His designs and creations can be found in private residences and watercraft along the eastern United States. He founded the Charleston Woodworking School in 2013. Sam lives with his wife and three children in the West Ashley area of Charleston, with the School’s canine mascot, Woody.
Contact Sam Sprouse at sam@CharlestonWoodworkingSchool.com or call 843-513-3042, or on Facebook and Instagram.
Mary May
Mary May attended various schools for sculpture in Greece, England, and Malaysia. She has been working as a freelance sculptor in Charleston, SC, for over 25 years and specializes in the classic European style. Her works include details for antique furniture reproductions, architectural ornaments for buildings, and sculptures. For some time now, she has been passing on her knowledge and expertise in courses at various woodworking schools in North America, among them Mark Adam’s School of Woodworking, Roy Underhill’s The Woodright’s School, Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, and Port Townsend School of Woodworking. She also runs an online woodcarving school with more than 300 instructional videos and has completed her first book on Carving the Acanthus Leaf. www.marymaycarving.com
Peter Moore
Peter Moore has over 15 years of diverse and unique experience. Originally trained in architecture and history, Peter began his working career in historic preservation for a prominent architecture firm in Indianapolis, Indiana. His woodworking career began in a small Indiana wood shop dedicated to cost-effective conservation and restoration of fine antique furniture. Relocating to the Palmetto State, Peter added to his experience as the lead finisher for a marine woodworking shop specializing in custom woodwork for yachts and sailboats. Following the economic downturn Peter moved into custom cabinetry fabrication and construction for residential and commercial clients. Returning to his woodworking roots, Peter launched his own workshop focused upon antique furniture restoration, onsite touchup, repair and spot finishing services.
Joseph Thompson
Joseph Thompson is a fine furniture maker, woodworker and instructor from Orangeburg, SC. He has more than 15 years of experience in designing and handcrafting original furniture, wooden boats and more.
He began woodworking in 2003 and has since attended the Silva Bay Shipyard School on Gabriola Island, BC. He also studied fine furniture building at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine. He then returned to South Carolina and started his handcrafted furniture business, Joseph Thompson Woodworks.
Joseph’s work has been featured in the South Carolina State Museum, the McKissick Museum at the University of South Carolina, the Dalton Gallery at Agnes Scott College, the American Craft Council, and others.
He has special interests in chair making, complex joinery and hand tools. He currently works and teaches in his shop outside of Charleston, SC, where he also resides with his wife, Katie, their two children, and dog. For more on Joseph, visit www.jwtwoodworks.com or on Instagram at @JWTWoodworks
Katie Thompson
Katie Thompson is an artist, designer, writer, and freelance marketing professional with more than 10 years of experience in the creative arts. She has her own line of jewelry, decor and art, Black Swamp, and is a partner with her husband in his handcrafted furniture business, Joseph Thompson Woodworks.
Her current projects include designing and crafting the Cistern Oak Collection for the College of Charleston Alumni Association, and the Women of Woodworking interview and essay series on her website, ktthompson.com. She has authored and internationally self-published a children’s woodworking book, Little Beaver Builds a Bed.
Katie received her Bachelor of the Arts degree in communications from the College of Charleston. Her work has been featured in the South Carolina State Museum, on dwell.com, on the TODAY show and others.
She currently works in her studio outside of Charleston, SC, where she also resides with her husband, their two children and dog. Her other creative interests include photography, videography, graphic design, visual and installation art. www.ktthompson.com