Workshops
start woodworking in just 1 day
Learn the basic principles of woodworking with our face-to-face courses.
• 1, 2 or 4 day courses
• learn face-to-face
• tools and timber provided
• lunch, drinks and snacks included
• expert tuition
• great fun!
GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE
Building beautiful things with wood is one of the most rewarding things you can do! But it's tough to know where to start, and we want to fix that. We can teach you all the basic principles of woodworking, from timber selection and marking up, to sawing, planning, sanding, all the way through to traditional joinery and finishing.
Our Courses
We’ve got a range of courses running over 1 day, 2 days or 4 days in our workshop here in Oxford, so there’s plenty of options to fit your time and budget. We provide top quality tools and timber, and you don't need any previous experience.
Workshop experience day
On our 1 day workshop experience you will get to grips with all of the main hand tools in the tool box. After that, we put your new skills to work on three quick fire wood working projects. It’s our most popular course, and a great way to get started with traditional hand tools!
2 day weekender course
Here we teach you how to select the right timber for a job, shoot and prepare it with a plane, learn how to use mortise chisels to create rock solid mortise joints, and put the final touches on a project with chamfering and finishing techniques. We then spend time with you individually, helping you move toward your woodworking goals.
4 day stool making course
Our 4 day courses take you on a deep dive into woodworking. On our stool making course you’ll learn how use to mortise and tenon joints to build something structurally sound – perfect for building workbenches or tables at home. This course offers plenty of scope for creativity in the design, so we’ll work with you to help you make something truly unique.
4 day dovetail box making course
On our dovetail box making course you’ll learn all of the joints and woodworking techniques required to create a stunning dovetail trinket box. You’ll leave this course knowing how to use one of the most iconic joints in woodworking, and with a beautiful box that you can be proud of.
private workshop experience
Our Workshop Experience Day is our bestseller and now you can book it as private one day course for up to 5 people and arrange a date that suits you.
Gift cards
Treat your loved ones to an amazing experience and an incredible new skill! We have gift cards available for our 1, 2 day & 4 day courses.
Check out our course calendar to find dates that suit you
workshop stories
Toolbox tales from people who have been along to our workshops…
David had an great time on our 4 day dovetail box making course. He learned some amazing new skills and came away with a trinket box he can be truly proud of.
Amy saw Daisy on BBC’s saved an remade and felt inspired to give woodworking a try. She hadn’t done any woodworking since school, so she signed up for a Workshop Experience day with a few friends and discovered a relaxing new hobby!
Al was looking to build on his existing woodworking skills, and was getting frustrated trying to learn from YouTube videos. He signed up for a 4 day stool making course, and had an absolute blast taking his skillset to a whole new level!
Nick came to Lula James as novice to woodworking. After struggling to make progress with online learning, he signed up for a 4 day stool making course, and went home with an impressive new skill set and a beautiful stool to be proud of!
Meet the tutors
Daisy
Since graduating from the prestigious Rycotewood Furniture centre with a First Class Honors Degree in Furniture: Design & Make Daisy has shared her passion through teaching, television and radio. Daisy was a maker for the BBC’s Saved and Remade TV show.
Daisy learned how craft can have a positive impact on mental health and wellbeing when she spent three years teaching woodwork to the homeless for the charity Crisis, and teaching woodwork to extremely vulnerable teenagers at the charity RAW.
“I’ve always loved helping others learn, from teaching carpentry to the homeless at Crisis, teaching skiing to children and adults in Japan, leading a traditional hand tool woodworking class for IT experts, to an intensive designing and making course for women. I enjoy sharing my passions with others and enabling them to experience them too.”
-Daisy Lula Brunsdon
Andrew
Andrew studied Fine Furniture for two years prior to his three year degree in Furniture Design & Make at the prestigious Rycotewood Furniture Centre. With a keen eye for precision and detail, Andrew and holds the 2017 national Medal For Excellence for his works.
Andrew loves to teach and mentored on the City and Guilds Fine Furniture Making course, helping other budding furniture makers to flourish. Andrew has the patience and the know how to teach you the very best practice from the get go.
“The feeling of satisfaction you can get from woodwork is incomparable to anything else. It is this sense of reward that drives me to share my knowledge and the wholesome joys of making things in this wonderful, natural material.”
-Andrew Joye
