I have been having so much fun setting up and teaching these woodworking courses!
I've worked at loads of different things in my time - including many different kinds of woodwork. Small precise things like guitars, through to furniture and kitchens, and on to a range of building projects, roundhouses, caravan conversions and a straw-bale building. I'm happy to say that all that experience is proving most appropriate to our crazy times...
These courses are for complete beginners and for women and men over 18, and we use hand tools only. On the first level, we focus mainly on measuring and sawing accurately and using cordless drills. I have a couple of pieces set up for practice, maybe a raised bed, stool, work bench or trestle, but add in things as we go depending on how people are getting on with stuff.
On the second level course, we build on those skills and techniques, bringing in more tools, planes and chisels etc., and learning how to sharpen them. I have yet more practice pieces set up, maybe a picture frame, bookcase or a chair, and encourage everyone to try all the tools and techniques involved. I just have classes for four people so everyone can learn at their own pace.
DESIGNING THE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
My thinking is to let people see just what's possible with simple tools and local resources, for sustainability but for all sorts of other reasons too, building local community networks for a start. To me it's largely a design problem - thinking about an item's shape and function and how they can be achieved in different ways.
INSPIRATION AND EMPOWERMENT
I've been getting great feedback from students - they say it's very empowering to learn these simple basic skills and have been going off making and fixing things, especially for women who might have been put off learning about all this for any number of reasons...
