Traditional Woodworking & Joinery

From rough hardwood to a jointed stool you could stand on for the next forty years.

Booking now
Each session3 hr 30 min a session
How oftenOnce a week
Cohort6–8 per cohort
SeasonYear-round · a new cohort starts each month

What you leave with

A solid hardwood stool, jointed without a single screw, that you carry home

Heirloom timber craft with hand tools and a little shop machinery. You mill raw hardwood, cut mortise-and-tenon and dowel joints, shape a dished seat and glue up a stool with no mechanical fasteners in it anywhere.

The joints are the whole subject. A stool held together by wedged tenons is a stool that outlives the person who made it, and the second stage is where you find out why.

What makes this one worth it

  • Timber Selection, Grain Reading & Dimensional Layout
  • Mortise, Tenon & Traditional Mechanical Joinery
  • Seat Sculpting, Spoke Shaves & Ergonomic Contouring
  • Glue-Up, Flush Trimming & Natural Oil Finishes

What is included

  • All 4 sessions of the 4-week cohort — 14 hours of instruction
  • A place held for you for the whole run, in a cohort of 6–8
  • Every piece of equipment listed below, provided on the day
  • Your instructor, and their attention in a group this size

What to bring

  • Water, and something to eat if you want it
  • Nothing else — the kit is provided

How it runs

Once a week · 3 hr 30 min a session

Frequency
1x / week — 3.5 hours a session
Session length
3 hr 30 min
Each month
4 sessions, about 14 hours
Cohort size
6 – 8 participants
Where
Community woodshop / open-air covered carpentry pavilion
Level
Beginner (Level 1)
Commitment
Monthly — stay as long as it is worth it

What you cover, in rotation

The group works through these in order and then begins again on fresh ground. Join at whatever stage it is on — nothing here assumes you were there for the last one, and nothing runs out — or drop in for a single session if that is all you can manage.

  1. Stage 1Timber Selection, Grain Reading & Dimensional Layout
    • Hardwood species characteristics — white oak, walnut, ash — and moisture stability.
    • Reading grain direction to prevent tear-out during cutting and planing.
    • Precision layout with marking gauges, try squares and marking knives.
    • Dimensioning legs and seat stretchers.
  2. Stage 2Mortise, Tenon & Traditional Mechanical Joinery
    • Cutting tenon shoulders and cheeks with Japanese pull saws.
    • Chopping crisp mortises with bench chisels and wooden mallets.
    • Dry-fitting joint assemblies for tight, square tolerances without fasteners.
  3. Stage 3Seat Sculpting, Spoke Shaves & Ergonomic Contouring
    • Sculpting a dished wooden seat with drawknives and spokeshaves.
    • Angled leg splay drilling and wedged tenon locking mechanics.
    • Pre-assembly sanding and relief bevelling.
  4. Stage 4Glue-Up, Flush Trimming & Natural Oil Finishes
    • Clamping strategies and glue-up with waterproof PVA and hide glues.
    • Flush-trimming protruding tenon wedges and hand scraper burnishing.
    • Hand-rubbed finishes: Danish oil, beeswax and tung oil.
    • Final load testing and a communal makers' showcase.

4 sessions in the cycle, then it begins again on new ground.

Who leads it, and what is provided

Led by Custom furniture maker / fine woodworking artisan.

Workshop safety, technique coaching, and joinery tolerance checks.

On the table when you arrive

  • Japanese pull saws
  • Chisel sets and hand planes
  • Marking tools and clamps
  • Hardwood stock
  • Natural finish oils

Before you book

Know before you go

  • Closed-toe shoes are required in the shop
  • Long hair tied back, and no loose sleeves

Cancellations and refunds follow our cancellation policy, which is the same for every activity on this site.

When it runs

August 2026

M
T
W
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F
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Runs Not running

Sunday 9 August

  • 10amup to 8 guests

Usually runs Sundays.

This is the operator’s schedule, not live seat availability. We check the date with them and come back to you — nothing is booked or paid for here.

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