This is an intensive furniture and cabinet-making course for applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds ? ranging from young adults looking to start a profession in furnituremaking, through men and women of all ages seeking a career-change, to mature students equipping themselves for an active and creative retirement. I've been teaching for the last seven years alongside my own work as a designer-maker, and have devised and refined this very thorough course to ensure all students acquire the necessary balance of exacting technical and creative skills to ensure well-founded careers as furniture and cabinetmakers. The course programme ? which doesn't require any previous experience ? first teaches students the accurate use of hand-tools and woodworking machinery, then develops the full range of fine furniture joinery, finishing and cabinetmaking techniques. Beyond these core craft and making skills, the course also teaches a wide range of creative design and business skills. This enables students to set up their own workshops with confidence in their understanding of the whole framework of designing, making and selling fine furniture. With a maximum of up to four students a year (giving the benefit of a very close teacher-student instruction), the course is full-time for 45 weeks, running from September to July each year. A student intake in January (Jan-Dec) is also possible, subject to availability.

Your first hardwood project is to make a small fine box with handcut dovetails, which prepares you for precision making. As well as being a beautiful object in it own right, making this box will give you early confidence in your newfound skills and abilities. You will then make your own high-quality workbench, which is approached with the same care as any piece of fine furniture, and which will stand you in good stead for your entire future as a furniture designer-maker. During this first part of the course you will achieve a high level of understanding of the fundamental techniques of fine furnituremaking, and acquire dexterity in making that will enable you to work to high standards of precision, slowly at first but very accurately.