Woodwork courses for all abilities in Yorkshire…
…From half day woodwork taster courses for the complete novice to complex jointed chair making or fine dovetailing and drawer fitting for the woodworker who really wants to extend their skills.
Whichever woodwork course you choose, you will be in good hands:
Chris Tribe has taught woodwork for over twenty five years. He is a practicing furniture designer and maker whose work has been shown in galleries and exhibitions nationwide. Chris can help you to achieve the level of woodworking skill you are looking for.
Chris says “I am enthusiastic about my craft and love to pass that on to anyone who wants to learn woodwork or improve their skills. The emphasis in all my courses is on enjoyment of the craft within a rigorous approach to technique. I very much hope that you will join me on a woodwork course soon.”
All woodwork courses are offered at Chris’ fully equipped workshop and teaching area at The Cornmill Workshop in Ilkley, West Yorkshire or now at the brand new teaching unit at British Hardwoods near Skipton, West Yorkshire.
What’s it like on a Chris Tribe woodwork course?
Teaching style
For the hobbyist woodwork must be enjoyable otherwise there is no point in doing it. So you will find Chris has an easy going style in the workshop and a wry sense of humour. However this is tempered by a serious approach to method and accuracy.
Chris teaches all woodwork courses personally and is present throughout the day. He gives whole class input for part of the time. At other times he is observing student technique and will offer advice on how it can be improved.
“The pace of the course was exactly right. I like the fact that we were never waiting; always having something to do.”
Tessa – Basic Jointing Weekend
Read more Chris Tribe course reviews
The workshop
The woodwork courses at Chris Tribe Furniture are taught in a dedicated teaching area equipped with robust cabinet makers benches. Each bench has a full set of woodworking tools, so there is no need to provide your own tools, although Chris encourages students to bring their tools for assessment and sharpening advice. He has equipped the benches with a range of different brands and qualities of woodworking tools so you can try out what is available. This will allow you to make an informed decision when purchasing your own tools. Chris has arranged a 10% discount for his students at the online tool store Workshop Heaven.
The workshop is also fully equipped with machine and power tools which you will be instructed in the use of as appropriate.
The students
Four is the maximum number of students on most courses. This ensures that you are guaranteed close attention but also encourages the development of a spirit of esprit de corps amongst the students. Students come from far afield travelling down from the north of Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man and up from Kent. There is also the occasional overseas student, a recent beginners course had students from the Czech Republic and Bahrain.
The male/female ratio on the woodwork courses is about 4:1. Chris enjoys teaching women as he finds they are often more persistent with difficult to acquire skills than men.
The courses
Chris used to teach a full suite of course to address specific student needs, often they are based around a course project that has been developed to illustrate the learning points in the course. These have now been cut back so he is now just teaching the beginners four day course. However the Chris Tribe Youtube channel also has a comprehensive suite of instructional videos that will help you with various woodworking techniques, worth a watch.
What follows is an outline of the courses offered previously and links to the related videos.
The beginners courses are designed to get you started with woodwork, you do not need any woodworking experience to attend these courses. They explain the essential method and techniques which are the basis of the craft. This includes getting your tools sharp, basic timber preparation, marking out and cutting basic woodworking joints and safe use of power tools.
For instance the beginners four day woodwork course deals with tool sharpening, hand tool use, preparing timber by hand, the importance of establishing reference surfaces and working to those references, marking out and hand cutting basic joints and assembly and glue up . Also using power tools such as the router to cut joints and for shape forming. These elements are also dealt with in the two day weekend courses tool sharpening and maintenance and the basic jointing course.
Instructional video playlists:
Beginners Woodworking – Part One – Getting Started.
Beginners Woodworking – Part Two – Using Tools.
Beginners Woodworking – Part Three – Jointing
Beginners Woodworking – Part Four – Some Theory
Intermediate courses are designed for those who have got the basics under their belts and want to extend their knowledge and technique in specific areas. This could be improving your router technique on the router skills course, learning a variety of finishing methods on wood finishing or getting the basics of modern cabinet work so you can tackle kitchens or fitted furniture. The bench making course introduces you to handling a big project with big joints, you also end with a very robust bench at a fraction of the cost of buying one. Students on these courses should have some woodworking experience, having been on previous courses or developed their practice beyond the DIY level.
Instructional video playlists:
Routing
Dovetailing
Advanced woodwork courses are for those with considerable experience who want the challenge of high class work. This could be making a set of two piston fit drawers, this five day course is all about absolute accuracy and method, you should have some dovetailing experience if you have not already been on Chris’ dovetailing weekend. The veneering and laminating course is a good introduction to these two techniques, mastering lamination allows you to include curved shapes in your designs and veneering opens up new options in surface decoration. On the chair making course, Chris’ most advanced course, you make an elegant jointed chair in ash with a Danish cord seat, this is the only course in the country offering this option, most chair making courses make turned chairs.
Instructional video playlists:
Veneering and laminating.
Spoke shaving for chairmakers.