9-Day Foundation Woodworking Course
We developed this Foundational Workshop over two decades ago and many thousands of woodworkers have discovered the art of traditional hand tool woodworking.
In this foundational joinery workshop you first build a dovetailed chisel tray followed by a traditional Shaker candle box, an arched wall shelf and an Oak occasional table. The joinery includes a variety of different dado joints, mortise and tenons joints and dovetail joints. You will learn the correct patterns for recessing hinges by hand, the complexities of the hand plane and how to cut and shape the different parts for Arts-and Crafts tenons, bullnosing to edges and transom arching using traditional methods.
These projects have been especially designed to teach the foundational skills attendees need to make and design their own furniture and woodworking projects.
Please check—Some of our more advanced courses may require this course as a pre-requisite course.
Find out more about the course content here.
The cost of the course is £1350.00 GBP which includes materials. However, food and accommodation are not included.
Our next class will take place between 25th July and 3rd August 2017 (Sunday, 30th July, is a rest day) in our workshop located at Sylva Foundation, Long Wittenham, Oxfordshire.
This class is now full. Please have a look at our other classes.
The class will start at 9.00 and finish at 17.00.
During this intensive Woodworking course, taught by Paul Sellers, you will cover a range of topics, working towards producing 3 pieces of work you can take home.
Topics covered include:
The basics
- Sharpening
- Planecraftat
- Using the saw
The projects
- Dovetail boxes including dovetail joint, roundovers and hinge setting
- Shelf including mortises, tenons and shaping the arches
- Side Table including leg layout and mortise cutting, edge jointing and tabletop production.
The selection of projects carried out during this course is aimed to build on on the knowledge learnt on the previous project.
The following is our internal schedule. Things don’t always work out exactly as follows but it is a useful guide for potential students to see what we plan to cover.
Day 1
Introduction and orientation
Sharpening
Planecraft
Planing four-square
Using the saw
Practicing angled cutting
Getting started with dovetails
Cutting four dovetail corners
Day 2
Cutting double dovetails
Dovetail box layout
Dovetailing boxes
Gluing up
Day 3
Glue up and planing
Roundovers
Hinge layout & recessing hinges
Set hinges
Fit lid and bottom & glue bottom
Day 4
Housing dadoes
Through housing dadoes
Stopped and stepped housing dado
Shelf layout
Start shelves
Fitting the shelves
Cut the dadoes and fit the shelves
Day 5
Mortise the shelf sides
Laying out and cutting the tenons
Day 6
Shaping the arches
Shape the through tenons
Prepare and glue up
Side Table
Leg layout and mortise cutting
Day 7
Layout, making and fitting tenons
Cut and fit tenons
Day 8
Edge jointing
Edge joint tabletop
Layout and cut arch in apron
Day 9
Layout and shape legs
Shape legs
Plane and scrape tabletop
Make turnbuttons