1-Week Intro To Fine Furniture Making Course

Discover the Joy of Fine Furniture Making — 1-Week Intro Course

🗓️ February 2nd–6th 2026 (Monday–Friday, 09:00–17:00)

📍 Venue: Waters & Acland, Staveley Mill Yard, Staveley (near Kendal, Cumbria)

Are you curious about woodworking and hand-tool craftsmanship, but not sure where to begin? Or perhaps you’ve dabbled with tools before, but want to build solid skills and confidence? Our 1-Week Intro to Fine Furniture Making course offers a perfect “taster week”, designed to help both complete beginners and hobbyists sharpen their hand-tool skills (literally and figuratively!) and feel what it takes to produce high-quality work.

What You’ll Learn

This isn’t a “make a table in a week” crash course. Instead, the focus is on mastering hand tools, honing precision, and building a foundation of workmanship that will carry through any future projects. Over five days, you’ll:

Restore and sharpen hand planes and chisels using our own sharpening system.
Practice accurate marking, measuring, and layout — the essential first step in any fine furniture project.
Learn to saw and chisel along your lines, gaining control and confidence.
Work on two carefully chosen small projects:
1. A traditional “Chinese puzzle” — a compact project to test your chisel work.
2. An octagonal cutting board with chamfered edges — a great exercise in planing, jointing and finishing.
Understand workshop drawings, dimensioning, wood preparation and jointing, and sanding and finishing techniques.

By the end of the week, you’ll have a deeper understanding of what “sharp,” “true,” and “fit” really mean — and with those skills, you’ll find woodworking a whole lot more rewarding.

Why This Course Matters

Small class size for better mentorship — we limit to just 5 students per course, ensuring everyone gets individual guidance and support.
A world-class facility — the course runs in our dedicated “short course” workshop, right next to the benchroom where long-course students build heirloom-quality furniture. The atmosphere is full of creativity, dedication and a shared love of craft.
A real taste of traditional woodworking — this week is about laying a strong foundation: hand-tool mastery, precision, patience and craftsmanship. It’s a genuine reflection of what fine furniture-making requires.

Practical Info & What to Bring

Course fee: £895.
You’ll need to bring a hand plane and a small selection of good-quality chisels.
After booking, you’ll receive an email with full details — including advice on buying tools if you don’t yet own them.

If you want to bring a friend, book as a gift, or arrange a bank transfer payment — just get in touch (contact details on our site). Spaces are limited; currently for 2–6 Feb 2026 there are 4 places still available at the time of writing.

Who Should Join?

Absolute beginners who want to get basic woodworking done right.
Hobbyists and DIY-ers who’ve tried hand tools before but want control, confidence and precision.
Anyone curious about craftsmanship and making something with their hands — whether you end up making furniture for yourself, gifts for others, or maybe even a career change down the road.

If you’ve ever wondered “could I do that?”, or thought “once I get my tools sharpened properly, maybe I’ll make something nice,” then this course is for you.

We’d love to see you in the workshop next February — building, shaping, sharpening, learning, and making sawdust together.

Interested? Click here to book or contact us for more info.