CARPENTRY FOR BEGINNERS

Our Carpentry workshops have quickly become our most popular and if you spent and hour or two with our skilled and passionate tutors, you would soon understand why.

In this throw away age, when all the furniture we own is assembled and not built, we are pleased to offer an opportunity to learn how to use ageless tools and timeless techniques to make something everlasting from wood.

We have developed a range of Carpentry and Woodwork workshops that will inspire and encourage even the most nervous beginner to pick up the tools of the trade and have a go. With the guidance of our tutors, you will be taught the necessary skills you need to succeed and encouraged to develop the confidence to try out more projects of your own outside of our workshop.

Woodwork Skills is a one-day starter workshop in woodwork, learnt through the practical application of making your own set of Gallows brackets and a shelf. Learn how to to measure and handsaw wood accurately, shape wood with a chisel and a wood  plane, and file and sand your work to a velvety smooth finish.

Basic Carpentry - Make a Wood Stool is an excellent 2-day introduction to the wonderful world of wood & carpentry. Over two Saturdays, Andy will help you to select and cut all your own materials to make a beautiful wood stool using traditional tools and be taught life long skills along the way. As it's a relatively short course this a suitable course to bring along a child (with parent) to learn basic carpentry skills. If you decide to take this shorter classes first and then begin a longer ‘Carpentry for Beginners’ course, we hope you will be pleasantly surprised at how the short amount of practice you have enjoyed will speed up your ability to work more accurately.

Carpentry for Beginners sells out quickly. Using a mixture of vintage hand tools and modern power tools, experienced carpenter, Andy Nicholl, will guide and inspire you as he teaches age old techniques in carpentry over 12 weeks. As you begin making objects traditionally constructed from seasoned pine, you will learn how to use and care for chisels, saws, planes and spoke-shaves. You will work on a variety of exercises - designed to incorporate simple to advanced joints, adhesives and tools that build confidence and  independence. Andy is passionate about carpentry and craftsmanship. He conveys his skilful practical experience with light-hearted patience. We sometimes run a slighter shorter version of this course over 8 weekly evenings or 4 Sundays which covers all the techniques but not the final project.

Carpentry for Advanced Beginners is a secondary level workshop for those who have used a chisel and plane, but would like to increase their skills and start working with  English hardwoods. Not everyone who learns woodwork wants to become professional cabinet makers but expert cabinet maker Ben Rawlinson has devised a course especially for The Goodlife centre . During the 12 week week evening course you will make a set of bookends and a elegant box with a lid from English hardwoods.

If your knowledge of woodwork is a feint but fond memory of CDT or carpentry at school, you are in the right place. Beginners will be given plenty of help and more experienced students may work at their own pace - though please note that you should have some basic skills and experience for "Carpentry for Advanced Beginners".

All personal protection, use of tools and materials are included. Learn more about each workshop by selecting "details" below.