Our Courses
Explore our courses…
Make your own ‘Sussex Mirror’ course
5-DAY COURSE:
Ref. 5SM (maximum 4 participants)
Course Outline
Come and join Edward and his team and make your own Sussex Mirror. With demonstrations, full instruction, and guidance throughout the week you will learn and experience the art of steam bending timber, spokeshaving and shaping, sanding and refining, oiling, and finishing. You can also choose whether to make your mirror in ash or oak timber. Your mirror will be complete and ready to take home at the end of the week.
Alongside this you will also be shown how to professionally sharpen your hand tools as outlined under our 1-day sharpening course. Please feel free to bring any number of your tools for sharpening. Read our blog that outlines one of our ‘make your own Sussex Mirror’ courses in full detail.
Sharpening:
Steam bending:
Making:
Next available dates:
Monday 3 to Friday 7 February 2025
9.30am – 4.30pm daily (including lunch break)
Price: £1,560
(A 50% deposit of £780 is required to book your place)
Make your own ‘Hairpin’ coat hook course
3-DAY COURSE:
Ref. 3HP (maximum 6 participants)
Course Outline
Come and join us in making your own ‘Hairpin’ coat hook to take away with you. Steam bending is at the heart of creating this piece and we will take you through all the stages involved from the theory, preparation, and process. You will be actively involved with every step of the activity, working alongside Edward and his professional team. You will also learn hand shaping, sanding, finishing, and oiling, all before you take your finished coat hook home at the end of the course.
Alongside this you will also be shown how to professionally sharpen your hand tools. Please feel free to bring two of your own tools for sharpening.
Steam bending:
Making:
Next available dates:
Monday 3 to Wednesday 5 February 2025
9.30am – 4.30pm daily (including lunch break)
Price: £650
(A 50% deposit of £325 is required to book your place)
Learn new skills: Steam bending course
2-DAY COURSE
Ref. 2SB (maximum 6 participants)
Course Outline
Learn the basic principles and the art of steam bending. We will take you through each step from timber selection and preparation to bending demonstrations and getting you physically involved in the process. We will show you how we make some of the steam bent components used in making our furniture.
Alongside this you will also be shown how to professionally sharpen your hand tools. Please feel free to bring two of your own tools for sharpening.
Steam bending: Day One
Steam bending: Day Two
Next available dates:
Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 February 2025
9.30am – 4.30pm daily (including lunch break)
Price: £350
(A 50% deposit of £175 is required to book your place)
Learn new skills: Laminating curves and bends
2-DAY COURSE:
Ref. 2L (maximum 6 participants)
Course Outline
Steam bending is not the only way to successfully curve and bend wood. Another tried and tested traditional method is the art of lamination. Edward Johnson has a wealth of experience when it comes to laminating and uses this method to make many of the curves, bends and twists in his furniture.
We will give you an overview of the many different approaches and put some of them into practice by making some of the various components used in making our furniture.
Laminating: Day One
Laminating: Day Two
Next available dates:
Thursday 6 and Friday 7 February 2025
9.30am – 4.30pm daily (including lunch break)
Price: £350
(A 50% deposit of £175 is required to book your place)
Learn new skills: Routing
1-DAY COURSE
Ref. 1R (maximum 3 participants)
Course Outline
Learn all the ‘ins and outs’ of routing on this one-day course. We will teach you all the various tasks outlined plus template trimming, rebates, round-overs, chamfers, inlays, bullnose scoops and more! We will look at bearing guided versus fence cutting routing.
The bulk of the tasks will be carried out on a chopping board that you will take home at the end of the day. The rest will be carried out on MDF off-cuts.
Routing
Next available dates:
Monday 3 February 2025
or Friday 7 February 2025
9.30am – 4.30pm daily (including lunch break)
Price: £195
(A 50% deposit of £97.50 is required to book your place)
Learn new skills: Finishing
1-DAY COURSE:
Ref. 1F (maximum 6 participants)
Course Outline
Do you want to learn how to finish all your projects to the highest standards? If so, this is the course for you. Learn how to sand end grain, long grain, burr, open or tight grain, veneer and solid timber. We will also teach you how to colour timber and the theory and practice of oiling.
You will have the opportunity to apply your newly acquired skills to finish an eco vase or chopping board of your choice to take home at the end of the day.
Finishing
Next available dates:
Monday 3 February 2025
Wednesday 5 February 2025
or Friday 7 February 2025
9.30am – 4.30pm daily (including lunch break)
Price: £195
(A 50% deposit of £97.50 is required to book your place)
Tool sharpening, planing and spokeshaving course
1-DAY COURSE:
Ref: 1S (maximum 6 participants)
Learn how to professionally sharpen hand tools. Bring your own, no matter how old and in need of attention, and we can help you bring them back to life. Or bring your most treasured tools and we will show you how to keep them in tip-top condition.
We will also teach you the skill of planing and spokeshaving, both highly skilled traditional hand shaping techniques. Do not worry if you do not have your own plane or spokeshave as we will be able to provide you with one.
You will have the opportunity to test the tools at the bench by making a simple chopping board for you to take home.
Course Outline
Next available dates:
Monday 3 February 2025
Wednesday 5 February 2025
or Friday 7 February 2025
9.30am – 4.30pm (including lunch break)
Price: £195
(A 50% deposit of £97.50 is required to book your place)
Further useful information about our courses
You will benefit from:
We will provide:
What you need to bring:
Terms and Conditions
We will run each course with a minimum of two participants. If for any reason, we cannot run the course an alternative date will be offered and / or a full refund will be given. All participants must be 18 years and over.
A 50% deposit is payable to secure your place on a course. The deposit is fully refundable or transferable up to 60 days before the beginning of the course.
If you cancel less than 60 days before the start of the course the deposit is not refundable.
The balance for the course is payable in full 30 days before it starts.
PLEASE NOTE: If the course you would like to attend is fully booked, please contact us and we will add your name to the waiting list. If a place subsequently becomes available, we will let you know. This will be offered on a strictly first-come-first-served basis in the order you were added to the list.
Any further questions?
If you would like to ask any further questions about our courses, please contact us or call us 01243 696606 and we will be happy to help.
Please check back regularly for information on new courses and updates.