The new 19 weeks furniture design & makers course has been specifically designed for students who want to learn the core skills of traditional and contemporary furniture design and making.
Within the 19 weeks, your tutors will guide you through several set projects that teach you the many skills needed to work with wood and other materials to create furniture of an exceptional standard. You will be trained to use a wide range of woodworking machines, including: CNC ‘Computer Numerically Controlled’ machine, the laser cutter and 3D printer. All whilst having support and advice when it is needed.
Throughout the course we teach students the attention to detail that is required to create outstanding pieces of furniture. And as the student numbers are limited we can really spend time with each person.
Your course will also include design discussion to consider design practices and study past and present designers alongside the history of furniture making classes to give students a well-rounded, albeit brief, knowledge of design and making. We also touch on business studies. These classes are with Marc Fish who has many years experience in the industry and runs a successful design company.
Visiting lecturers attend the studio with discussions on a variety of subjects this is combined with field trips to other workshops and exhibitions.
By the end of the 19 weeks you will have learnt all the skills to continue your furniture making ambitions. Whether it be a change in career, employment within a workshop in the furniture making industry or a hobbyist wanting to put into action newly learnt skills, you can be sure of a solid base as a designer/maker.
Our holidays include 1 week off in August and another week over the Christmas period. These are not included in your 19 weeks.
Next start dates:
9th September 2024, 22nd April 2025 & 8th September 2025.
Cost – £14,500.
To hold a place on this course there is a deposit of £6,000.
And £8,500 balance to be paid on day 1.
If you have any questions about the course, or to book yourself a place please contact us:
Email us here or telephone us on: 01273 513611.
The first 19weeks of the long courses comprise of multiple set projects, which are designed to teach students the necessary skills for becoming a furniture maker. In the set projects students will make small items that can be used at home and some essential tools to be used in the workshop.
These include:
Tool preparation and sharpening
- Flattening tools
- Filing
- Grinding with a rotary water stone
- Blades basics
- Sharpening
- Different types of sharpening compounds
- Planes and their construction
- How to set up a plane pt.1
Bread board
- How to set up a plane pt.2
- Creating a face side (winding sticks, straight edge)
- Creating a face edge (Engineer’s square)
- Thicknessing (Marking gauge and Callipers)
- Jointing boards and basic wood movement
- Glue up and clamping
- Using abiscuit jointer
- Wood grain direction
- Creating chamfers
- Sanding
- Finishing basics
Dovetail bookends
- Setting up your saw for dovetails and fine joinery
- Marking out dovetails (dividers)
- Sawing technique
- Chiselling technique
- Marking out the pins
- What is a die makers’ square
- Glueing up dovetails
- How to make repairs
Shooting board
- Making a cutting list
- Using the table saw
- Using the membrane press
- Using the band saw
- Using the Planer and Thicknesser
- Working with Plywood
- Using a router table
- Using a thickness sander
- Using a rebate plane
- Working with plastic (Nylon)
- Using a domino machine
- Making the shooting board true
- Using a shooting board
Wall cabinet
- General construction
- Manufactured boards vs. solid timber
- Drawing rods
- Engineering drawings
- Using magnets in furniture
- Solid wood lippings
- Veneering
- Making mitres
- Making a rebate
- French cleat
- Dry clamping and mitre boards
- Fitting a shelf and dividers
- Glue up
- Different types of glue
- Fitting a back board
- Using screws in furniture
- Clearance and pilot holes
- Countersinks
- Different types of screws
- Using a pillar drill
- Mitred lippings
- Hinge fitting
- Screwing into MDF
- Door fitting
- Fitting magnets
Pencil gauge
- Using a router jig with a guide bush
- More routing
- Fitting the rod / using a shooting board
- Using the engineering lathe, machining hardware
- Accurate drilling (Mill)
- Tap and die
- Using a disk sander
- Chiselling and carving
Scraper plane
- Construction of the scraper plane
- Preparing the stock material (cutting list)
- Making the blade
- Using an angle grinder
- How to prepare a scraper blade
- Band sawing deep cuts
- Fitting the wedge and glue up
- Shaping
- Using and setting up a scraper plane
Tray
- Laminating handles, bent lamination
- Router table
- Spoke shaving
- Fitting the base
Stool
- Making jigs and templates
- What is Fusion 360 and intro to CNC
- Stack lamination
- Setting us the CNC mill
- Shot blasting
- Using the spindle moulder
- Lap joints
- Mortise and tenons
Maquette making with Marc
In this project you will make a 1/6th model (maquette) of a piece of furniture designed by a famous designer/maker.
Making a maquette before building a full scale version can help in thinking about how something might be made as well as allow you to get a better idea of the proportions and final look of what you plan to make.
It is also something that clients really enjoy seeing.
I have completed two weekends courses here. The plane making course with Theo and the wood finishing course with Marc. Both were great. They’re fantastic at what they do and were happy answering any questions. At the end of each course I was a lot more clued up on the subject and my work is improving thanks to them.
Harry Lenton
Course cost
19 week course cost: £14,500.00
Deposit: £6,000.00
Balance paid on day 1: £8,500.00
Other costs
A budget for tools should be allowed, we can advise on what is needed
A budget should also be allowed for materials for your own projects. Materials are provided for small samples and test pieces.
Schedule
Our student intakes are in April and September. Occasionally we can accept students outside of these dates, please email us to enquire about this.
Teaching is 9am until 4.30pm.
Some out-of-hours and weekend practice time may be available, subject to terms and conditions6
