232 Wood courses

Bark Container, Birch Bark Workshop, Ancient Crafts

Mechanical Toy making course

This workshop gives you the unique opportunity to experience the basics of two crafts in 1 day in your own personal pairs workshop with one to one tuition. The studios are located in the cottage garden of our home on the Cambridgeshire/Norfolk border. Your experience is private to you and there will be no other students in the studios. The "2 crafts in 1 day" workshop is aimed at those who want to have a go at both of these fun crafts, and come away having learnt some basic techniques for both disciplines. As this is basically a private tuition experience, the course is focused but fun, so would make a fantastic gift. The day can also be experienced by just 1 person (to book this, please refer to our other workshop ""2 Crafts in 1 Day!" 1-2-1 woodturning & pottery experience in 1 day for 1 person" where each person could experience the crafts singularly or together.  This makes for a wonderful Valentine's or anniversary experience, and can also be enjoyed by a parent and child. The morning is spent learning the ropes of woodturning - how to cut and shape wood on the lathe, understanding a little about the different tools required, and making a few pieces to take home. After a light farmhouse-style lunch (which we provide and which we tailor to your dietary requirements), the afternoon then continues with a pottery session. Students can have fun with clay, focusing on some basic hand building methods to get them used to handling the material using the techniques of pinching, coiling, slab building and also throwing on the wheel.  A total of 3 pieces can then be chosen for us to glaze and fire once they have dried sufficiently. When ready, they can either be collected by the student (if they live locally) or I can post them on (I have to charge postage & packaging). Refreshments are provided during both workshops, and a light, rustic farmhouse-style lunch is also included - catering to all dietary requirements. Depending on the weather/time of year, lunch can be taken either out in the cottage garden or in our country kitchen. The sessions are hands-on with expert 1-2-1 tuition - and the student will be able to use all the studio facilities. Each student will also be provided with a certificate of participation for both crafts. About a week before your workshop date, we'll e-mail you again with more details about parking etc. We also offer accommodation in the form of our Crafter's Retreat cabin (www.craftersretreat.co.uk) or we can advise of other local B&Bs.

This one day course is your chance to make the classic Adirondack chair, the chair is made in spruce softwood, which will be supplied.  The course will introduce some basic woodworking skills on mainly power tools, saws, routers etc. At the end of the day you will have a sanded chair, which you will not finish at the workshop, we will advise on finishes you can apply, due to the varying types and colours available. The chair can be transported in two pieces, and will take 5 minutes to set up at home. This is a chance to have a great day out making your own chair and learning some skills along the way!!! What's included in the price? wood, tea and coffee included. Cancellation policy Easy - Cancellation and a full refund can be obtained up to 2 weeks before the course starts

Spoon Carving Workshop & Courses

This workshop gives you the unique opportunity to experience the basics of two crafts in 1 day in your own personal workshop with one to one tuition. The studios are located in the cottage garden of our home on the Cambridgeshire/Norfolk border. Your experience is private to you and there will be no other students in the studios. The "2 crafts in 1 day" workshop is aimed at those who want to have a go at both of these fun crafts, and come away having learnt some basic techniques for both disciplines. As this is basically a private tuition experience, the course is focused but fun, so would make a fantastic gift. The day can also be experienced by two people (to book this, please refer to our other workshop ""2 Crafts in 1 Day!" 1-2-1 woodturning & pottery experience in 1 day for 2 people" where each person could experience the crafts singularly or together.  This makes for a wonderful Valentine's or anniversary experience, and can also be enjoyed by a parent and child. The morning is spent learning the ropes of woodturning - how to cut and shape wood on the lathe, understanding a little about the different tools required, and making a few pieces to take home. After a light farmhouse-style lunch (which we provide and which we tailor to your dietary requirements), the afternoon then continues with a pottery session. Students can have fun with clay, focusing on some basic hand building methods to get them used to handling the material using the techniques of pinching, coiling, slab building and also throwing on the wheel.  A total of 3 pieces can then be chosen for us to glaze and fire once they have dried sufficiently. When ready, they can either be collected by the student (if they live locally) or I can post them on (I have to charge postage & packaging). Refreshments are provided during both workshops, and a light, rustic farmhouse-style lunch is also included - catering to all dietary requirements. Depending on the weather/time of year, lunch can be taken either out in the cottage garden or in our country kitchen. The sessions are hands-on with expert 1-2-1 tuition - and the student will be able to use all the studio facilities. Each student will also be provided with a certificate of participation for both crafts. About a week before your workshop date, we'll e-mail you again with more details about parking etc. We also offer accommodation in the form of our Crafter's Retreat cabin (www.craftersretreat.co.uk) or we can advise of other local B&Bs.

Woodland Christmas Wreath Making Workshop Henley on Thames with a difference. A hands on experience foraging and creating a sustainable Christmas wreath from scratch in Nettlebed Woodland

What you'll do Design and build your own one-off clock from recycled and scrap materials, with the help of upcycling experts, Black Paw. In this experience you can choose to make anything from a wall or table clock to a Grandfather or Grandmother clock. You’ll each be given a quartz battery powered clock unit and from there you can get creative with your design and the materials you use. Your hosts, Scott and Sue, will guide you through everything you need to know, from the tools you’ll use to how to prep recycled material. For your clock design you’ll have free reign to be creative with your ideas. The style you choose can be inspired by anything and can be finished in colour or natural wood. This is a perfect chance to create a unique piece for your home or make a personal, one-off gift. Everyone is welcome and you’ll not only go away with your finished clock, but the practical skills to continue upcycling. Facilities WiFi Refreshments available Toilets Parking COVID-19 guidelines As you arrive you’ll need to confirm that you’re in good health and your temperature will be taken. Please bring a face mask as you’ll need to wear one at certain points during your experience. Face shields will be optional to wear for the rest of your time in the workshop and these will be provided. All workspaces will be fully sanitised and there will regular hand washing throughout. On the day You don't need any previous woodwork experience, just some enthusiasm! Please wear old clothes (or something that you don’t mind getting damaged or torn) and sensible, closed toe footwear. Work boots are recommended. Tea and coffee will be available throughout the day, but please bring along your own packed lunch.

Guitar Building Course The Aim The aim of this electric guitar building course is teach you how to assemble a Stratocaster, Telecaster or Jazzmaster style bolt-on-neck design electric guitar to a very high standard as well as gain understanding and knowledge in not only the assembly but also a good understanding of its inner workings and overall function. What to Expect In this electric guitar building course you’ll focus on making the most successful electric guitar of all time: the bolt-on-neck design. In almost any music store, these guitars outnumber others five-to-one. The course will cover Body & Neck assembly, Pickup Installation & Installation of all Electronics and the Professional Setting up of an Electric Guitar The course will commence daily at 09:30 with lectures & discussions on topics relating to each part of the guitar construction and then followed by the practical application of these topics under supervision, finishing at 17:30. The course and workshop located in Cross in Hand, East Sussex, designed for a maximum of 4 people per course enabling a very close learning experience. All Lutherie tools needed to complete the course are supplied. NO Experience necessary! Upon Completion Upon completion of the build your own guitar course you will leave with a great Custom made Guitar! The end product will be a Custom Tele, Strat or Jazzmaster that You will have made and one that will give many standard models a run for their money in tone and feel. Personal attention The course does have a set agenda but we often meander around topics and are happy to do so, most of us have had many different guitars and they nearly always have some curious tales and they are always good to discuss. Break down of guitar course topics by day DAY 1 Body & Neck Wood choice and body design play a large part in the tone of an electric guitar. If you were to play several solid body guitars unamplified you’ll notice distinct differences between various wood types. A solid body that sounds good acoustically generally will sound good amplified. We’ll discuss the different woods used to make electric guitars and the effect of different body styles on tone and sustain. Just as wood affects the body, when making a neck you have to pay attention to wood choice in order to have a good sounding guitar. The hardware that goes into making a great guitar also plays a large role, not only the quality in the parts but also their fitting. You will be instructed on how best to fit all the component parts with skill and accuracy enabling you to create a great custom made guitar.. Topics covered: Body & Neck styles Wood choices Neck joints Adjustable Truss Rods Fitting neck to body Scale lengths Tremolo Bridge placement (Incl Claw & Springs) Fretboard radius Machine head installation Preparing the Nut Slot Making & Cutting a Bone Nut (Requires working with the belt sander) All the hardware fitted to the guitar will be quality Japanese Gotoh vintage parts, these are particularly well made; tuners hold tune well and the Gotoh bridge is of very good quality, all of this goes together to make a great custom built guitar. DAY 2 Electronics & Fret Dressing Once you’ve learnt why and how a great guitar goes together as well as practically applying the previous topics, you now learn to install the best pickups and wiring. For these custom built guitars we will be using Bare Knuckle Boot Camp pickups: very high quality pickups designed to suit our specifications of wood choice and body style. These pickups are hand wound in the UK and are widely regarded as the best pickups on the market today. Choose between Old Guard, True Grit or Brute Force. The key to having a great sounding electric is not just down to the Pickups but also the choice of components that go with it, often overlooked with most mass manufactured guitars, the guitar you make will have highest quality components and will subsequently sound great and work extremely well. Custom CTS Pots, Sprague Capacitor and a CRL (USA) switch as well as vintage cloth wiring all go together to make a very well appointed loaded scratchplate! Topics covered: Schematics Pickup installation Wiring volume & tone pots Wiring 5 way selector switch Wiring output jack Bridge and string grounding Fret Dressing both Theory & Practise DAY 3 Final Assembly The guitar will now be ready for final assembly. Today you will learn how to fully assemble and set up your electric guitar to a professional standard. The topics covered will be very useful for your regular maintenance of the guitar you have made as well as any others that you may have. Topics covered: Professional Setups Theory Fitting and filing the Bone Nut Pickguard placement Installing strap buttons Installing Decals (Personalised custom Decals) Final Setting and fitting the neck Stringing up String tree placement Bridge set up Action height adjustment and setting Pick up height Intonation Customising Your Guitar Build inclusive from £999 We are more than happy to work with you in order to get the custom build you want, so please contact us if you have a specific body colour scheme or neck choice, which Bare Knuckle pickups you want as well as hardware and we will try help achieve exactly that. If you’re unsure what works best, just get in touch and we will advise where we can. All custom options are subject to availability and it is always best to have a 1st & 2nd choice, there are some colours/parts etc that may incur additional cost. Tweed hard cases are available for an additional £75, £90 for the Jazzmaster. (Soft gig bag included) Some additional charges can apply for custom colours or specs or if you would like specific made to order Bare Knuckle Pickups

Learn how to prepare & join wood to make items that are both practical & beautiful. With personal tuition learn to be creative.