Oyster Point community wood shop opens with membership model

Don't have the space or equipment to do that woodworking project that's been on your mind? A new Oyster Point business offers the Peninsula a shared wood shop solution.

"I wanted to get people working with their hands again," said owner Jeremy Knight of Newport News.

Knight, 35, said he opened Burled & Knotted Community Woodshop in 2,200 square feet at 11861 Canon Blvd. in October as a way to move away from government contract work and to earn a living doing something he enjoyed.

He said his late grandfather, Robert Herr of Gloucester, introduced him to the craft when he was younger and Knight, who spent 12 years in graphic design work, pursued the hobby more seriously during the past six years.

Community wood shops have been popping up across the country as part of a do-it-yourself "maker movement" that's been gaining steam during the past several years. Beau Turner opened 757 Makerspace as a community workshop and prototyping center in Norfolk in 2013.

The Burled & Knotted facility hosts a shop space with a table saw, wood planer, wood jointer, standing drill press, scroll saw and miter saw in addition to various hand tools including chisels and files. In the future, Knight would like to add a computer-controlled CNC machine and a lathe.

A training classroom with a large workbench provides access to instructional material, online training videos via a flat-screen TV and smaller pieces of equipment for hands-on learning. The lobby showcases various projects.

Folks can sign up for three levels of membership, depending on the time needed for projects, Knight said. The membership covers the use of sandpaper, glue and drill bits. Knight said it's a similar model to a gym membership.

Folks can also bring their own small tools and lock them in a locker, he said. Members must take a safety class before using the shop equipment, he said.

This year, Knight said would like to add more classes, but he's getting feedback on which ones members would like. For less advanced classes, students don't have to be members and would be able to pay just for the class, he said. The classes are for ages 14 and older while only those 18 and older can be in the shop.

Knight stays on-site to help or guide members. He likes the social aspect of folks working together and learning from each other.

While he is starting small to grow gradually, Knight said his grandfather, who was a NASA engineer, would have liked Burled & Knotted. Dad Norman Knight, an engineer who had also worked at NASA, helped his son build out the space.

Burled & Knotted has seven members so far, but folks including Jim Francis of Newport News keep stopping by, Knight said. Francis, a retired engineer who teaches traditional carving and chip carving at the Woodcraft supply store in Norfolk, said Knight's wood shop could make it easier for younger Peninsula residents who haven't yet invested in various tools to get started in woodworking.

"It's great in that you open up a whole new world for people to create," Francis said. "They don't have to just build traditional furniture — their imagination is the limit."

For more information, including scheduling a group class, call the shop at 757-595-9663 or visit www.burledandknotted.com.

Bozick can be reached by phone at 757-247-4741. Sign up for a free weekday business news email at TidewaterBiz.com.

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