Skill starters

Learn traditional woodworking skills and how to use standard hand tools.

 

Skill Starter courses are for anybody who is interested in learning more traditional woodworking skills. 

These courses all use hand tools and they are a good foundation for more complex skills and larger projects.  They will give you a good appreciation for detail and the need for accuracy in your work. 

Should you wish to use power tools in your woodworking, Gareth would recommend that you know/learn how to do things by hand first, it really does help your understanding.  Power tools are not taught in these Skill Starter courses.

skill starters

Making a bench hook

 Okay, you get a bench hook at the end of this course, but this is not really about a bench hook! 

You may not be surprised that wood bought from local suppliers nearly always is not square and true. It will have been cut square, but as humidity changes and the wood dries out, tensions are released, it will ‘move’. Such is the nature of wood.

You will learn how to:

  • Take some wood and flatten all the sides ensuring they are all perpendicular to the adjacent side.  This skill is essential if you want to make items with joints that fit together at right angles!
  • Use a straight edge and winding sticks.
  • How to set up and use a bailey plane.
  • Sharpen plane blades.
  • Use basic tools such as a marking gauge and a square.

Cost: £165 per person

All tools and wood provided

Availability: Three sessions of 2.5 hours per session. Time and dates on application.

skill starters

Basic Joints

You do not need any prior experience to come on this course.  There is a progression from one joint to the next, and some basic skills are repeated in later joints.  You do not have to attend every session, but it is recommended that you do in order to develop and build upon your skills.  The quality of your joint making will require accuracy and attention to detail.  Gareth will show you different ways and use different hand tools, so that you can work out which way works best for you.

At the end of each session you will take home an example of each joint you have made.

There will be 5 sessions:

  • Halving joint
  • Finger joint
  • Mortice and tenon joint
  • Dovetail joint
  • Review & catch-up.  This is an opportunity to complete any joints that weren’t finished in an earlier session, or to briefly cover other topics such as sharpening or finishing wood.

Cost: £275 per person

All tools and wood provided

Availability: Five sessions of 2.5 hours per session. Time and dates on application.

skill starters

Joints Example – Frame

As an extension to the Basic Joints course, this is an example of  a simple frame that can be hung from the wall.  You will learn how to apply your skills to making a frame that has right angled corners. This includes gluing up the frame, correcting any ‘gaps’ and sealing with a finish such as oil or wax.

Alternatively, you could make a box with a lid to further improve your skills.

This frame is made with a different joint in each corner: 

  1. Dovetail Joint
  2. Halving Joint
  3. Finger Joint
  4. Housing Joint (an addition to the Basic Joints Course)
  5. You could include a mitre joint, but it is a relatively weak joint and of limited use other than for a simple or picture frame.

Cost: Agreed while completing the Basic Joints Course

All tools will be provided

Availability: Time and dates on application.

Bread board
Bread board
Bread board
Spice Rack

F.A.Q.

Frequently Asked Questions

DO I NEED ANY WOODWORKING EXPERIENCE TO GO ON A SKILL STARTER COURSE?

No, you can be a complete novice.  Gareth will show you how to use the more common hand tools safely and properly. 

Of course, if you already have some experience of ‘having a go’, these courses will help with your technique and improve your accuracy and precision. 

WHAT DO I NEED TO BRING WITH ME?

All the tools will be provided, there is also a variety of tools so that you can try them and see which ones are better for you. 

The materials are provided, but some may need to be ordered in specifically (there may be an additional charge for this).

I would ask that you wear strong shoes, clothes that you don’t mind if they get dirty or perhaps damaged (if you drop a sharp chisel, it will cut through material) and if you have long hair, something to tie it out of the way.

Otherwise, bring yourself with plenty of enthusiasm and a willingness to learn.

HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL BE ON A SKILL STARTER COURSE?

The workshop is not very large so space is limited to a maximum of 2 people on a course.

These courses can be run for 1 or 2 people at a time.  Why don’t you ask your friends and family and see if they would want to come along with you?

Enquire Today

visit our contact page HERE TO ask Any Question or Start the booking process

Contact Gareth

07980 341 492

gareth@refinewoodwork.co.uk

Workshop Location

Ruddington, Nottingham

EMAIL

Gareth@RefineWoodwork.co.uk