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Furniture making courses

As a qualified teacher for 30 years I have been teaching and training hundreds of people young and old the delights of designing and making furniture.  Many have gone on to establish their own businesses; others simply want to have the skills to enable them to get work doing what they love; making furniture.
How long are they?

The courses can be as short as 5 days, 10 days, a few months or a year for the full-time professional course.
How many students?

I like to keep it intimate and so a maximum of three students at any one time will ensure that you have good daily contact with me. I am also working on commissions at the same time so you will see me doing the work and this will serve as example of fine studio practice.
Where is the Studio?

Carmona, Seville, Spain. Such a beautiful place it will make your heart sing.

Call or email for more information, regarding prices, accommodation, tools needed and furniture made.

Am I any good?

I’ve taught in high schools in London (where I was head of Department) and Tiverton; colleges in Devon and Somerset, private furniture making schools in the USA and UK; currently part time product design course tutor at the Marbella Design Academy. My work has been featured on TV and radio; magazines in the UK, USA and Spain, in numerous books, and for private and corporate clients in the USA, UK, France, Italy, Russia, Slovenia, Spain.  So in all honesty, ye
What will you learn?

- How to prepare your tools for work
- Selection, care, function and use of hand tools
- Production of technical drawings and presentation drawings   
- How to make cutting lists
- How to select and prepare solid timber
- How to buy, select and lay veneers, bandings and stringings
- Methods of construction using solid wood and man-made 
   boards.
- Make furniture using solid wood and veneers
- Laminating curved forms.
- Turned solid wooden forms using the lathe
- Care and use of the principle primary preparation wood
   working machinery
- Traditional drawer making
- Door making for fine furniture
- Selection, care, function and use of tools
- Finishing using oils and French polish
- Cutting and fitting hinges
- Study of the three main furniture types and their joints
- History of furniture
- The nature of wood.
The essential difference between my courses and others available is that if you want to come to focus on a particular aspect of making, like laminating and veneering, or drawer making for example, then we can develop a course especially for you.
There are standard workshop projects I have developed and designed over the years to give you a pretty complete foundation over the course of a year of traditional and contemporary furniture making.
   Gavin - 12 months     Jessica - 3 months        David - 1 week