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The Centre for Fine Woodworking
465 Wakapuaka Rd
RD1 Nelson 7071
New Zealand
123 Street Avenue, City Town, 99999
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This 2-day beginner course will familiarise students with their own hand held router and introduce a range of techniques to get the most out of this versatile power tool.
COURSE FULL.
We will be running this course again 23rd - 24th August, 2025
This 2-day course is designed for the beginner or any maker with an interest in learning how to maintain your own machines. It’s also a great course for companies or schools to send their staff, tutors, or students to ensure the machines within their organisations are kept in peak condition.
It’s an introduction into the care and maintenance requirements of the four most common woodworking machines.
This 2-day course offers an introduction to wood machining in a safe and efficient way. It is intended for the beginner or someone who is starting to set up their own workshop. It’s also a great course for companies or schools to send their staff, tutors, or students to ensure the safest environment possible within their organisation.
In this 5-day course you will enjoy the experience of crafting and fitting a classic drawer. It is designed for those with at least basic or intermediate experience. This course follows on well from the Introduction to Fine Woodworking course.
2-week course is designed for those with at least basic woodworking experience.
Whilst no one chair can cover all the approaches to chair making, this course covers many of the major challenges associated with chairs.
COURSE IS FULL - we are happy to take a wait list.
This 3-Day Course is designed for those with some basic experience and interested in making adjustable and reusable jigs for their home workshop.
In this course students will create a set of useful jigs and gain an understanding of how jigs can be used to improve accuracy, safety and repeatability when applied to their own woodworking projects.
2 Day Shaker Box Course (in 3 graduating sizes.)
Suitable for all levels of woodworking enthusiasts. It’s also a family friendly course suitable for parents to take the course with their kids who are over 14.
This two–week course is designed for the intermediate to advanced maker and offers a wonderful opportunity to build one of David Haig’s iconic designs - the elegant, practical and very comfortable hoop stool.
COURSE FULL - we are happy to take a wait list.
This 5 day class has been designed for makers with some basic experience in woodworking, preferably with a bansaw and jointer. It introduces the techniques of laminating and coopering and applies them to produce a beautiful bowl.
3 SPOTS LEFT
This 4-day class is suitable for the absolute beginner, or any maker interested in testing the limits of bending wood. This course will introduce you to the delights of steam bending, hot pipe bending and laminating.
This 2-day beginner course will familiarise students with the router table and introduce a range of techniques and applications to help you to get the most out of this versatile power tool.
“Chasing the line” is an exploration of line and form through the carving of a seed pod inspired form. 3-Day Course. Suitable for those with no experience to any skill level.
In this course students will make an elegant small standing sculpture ( Möbius ) using hand chisels.
This 3-Day Course is suitable for those with no experience to any skill level.
COURSE FULL - We are happy to take a wait list
In this course students will carve a Netsuke ( The Japanese art of miniature carving ) Fish.
This 3-Day Course is suitable for those with no experience to any skill level.
Learn how to sharpen your chisels and plane irons so your tools can be a joy to use.
Please note: This does not include carving or turning tools.
This 6-day course has been designed for anyone with some basic experience. Follows well from the Woodworking Basics course or the Introduction to Fine Woodworking.
Students will create an elegant small hall or sofa table.
This 2-day beginner course will familiarise students with their own hand held router and introduce a range of techniques to get the most out of this versatile power tool.
This 4-day "taster" course is for the absolute beginner, offering a convenient and accessible opportunity to come and have a go at some woodworking.
NEW COURSE!
This 3 day course was designed for the beginner woodworker.
If you think you might enjoy woodwork and like the idea of learning some basic techniques on smaller items, then this taster class may be the one for you. This introductory class is suitable for the absolute beginner and offers an introduction to hand tool, power tool and machine use.
2 Day Shaker Box Course (in 3 graduating sizes.)
Suitable for all levels of woodworking enthusiasts. It’s also a family friendly course suitable for parents to take the course with their kids who are over 14.
This two–week introductory course will establish a solid skill base and provide the foundation skills for future fine woodworking.
1 SPOT LEFT
Elevate your woodworking skills to the next level and create a centre piece coffee table for your home. This 6-day course is for those who have some previous woodworking experience and familiarity with operating a bandsaw, tablesaw, drillpress and are comfortable using handtools.
This James Krenov style cabinet is an introduction to classic cabinet making and covers a range of traditional techniques. Designed to follow on from our long-standing and most popular Introduction to Fine Woodworking course. This course is good for those with at least a basic level of experience with Fine Woodworking.
This 5-day class is suitable for the absolute beginner, or any maker interested in testing the limits of bending wood. This course will introduce you to the delights of steam bending, hot pipe bending and laminating.
In this two-day class, students will learn the principles of carving signs and nameplates. The skills learned in this class are some of the most useful carving skills and are applicable to many types of carving, especially incised work.
This class can accommodate beginners as well as more experienced carvers.
NEW COURSE!
This 2-day course is for carvers with some previous experience. The course focuses on high relief carving of acanthus foliage.
1-DAY COURSE
This one-day course is an opportunity for woodworkers of all skill levels to get to grips with the finer points of sharpening hand tools.
The sharpening day will focus on chisels and gouges, but will also cover knives and scrapers; most of the things needed for hand work.
Learn to make an elegant jewellery box with a fitted drawer in this 2 week class. Suitable for the intermediate / advanced woodworker, this course covers a range of techniques with both machines and hand tools.
NEW COURSE!
This 2 day course was designed for the beginner woodworker.
If you think you might enjoy woodwork and like the idea of learning some basic techniques on smaller items, then this taster class may be the one for you. This introductory class is suitable for the absolute beginner and offers an introduction to hand tool, power tool and machine use.
The Furniture Makers‘ Programme is a 32 week intensive course designed and developed by practising furniture makers and teachers intended for the serious woodworker.
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS - 1 SPOT LEFT ON THIS COURSE
This 6-day master class is an intermediate to advanced level course covering steam bending and cutting accurate joinery on curved sections.
2 SPOTS LEFT
This 4-Day "taster" course is for the absolute beginner, offering a convenient and accessible opportunity to come and have a go at some woodworking.
1 SPOT LEFT
This two–week introductory course for the beginning enthusiast will establish a solid skill base and provide the foundation skills for future fine woodworking.
COURSE FULL
This course is a perfect opportunity for anyone who enjoys designing and is eager to expand their creative horizons in woodworking.
COURSE FULL
This 6 day course was designed for woodworkers with at least an intermediate skill level.
The course focuss on learning to cut dovetails by hand, and incorporating them into an elegant box.
We are offering an exciting opportunity to those who would like to spend six weeks of uninterrupted time dedicated to creating their own new design or concept, working alongside Michael in a highly motivated, encouraging and open studio environment.
COURSE FULL
This 6-day course has been designed for anyone with some basic experience. Follows well from the Woodworking Basics course or the Introduction to Fine Woodworking.
Students will create an elegant small hall or sofa table.
2 Day Shaker Box Course (in 3 graduating sizes)
Suitable for all levels of woodworking enthusiasts. It’s also a family friendly course suitable for parents to take the course with their kids who are over 14.
The 5-day Korean Bath Stool project is an excellent opportunity to use a selection of marking/measuring tools, common hand tools, some power tools and machinery.
In this 3-day course students will create a set of useful jigs and gain an understanding of how jigs can be used to improve accuracy, safety and repeatability when applied to their own woodworking projects.
The 8 week Beginners Intensive Programme establishes a very solid skill base for all aspiring woodworkers and provides the core foundation skills for future fine furniture making and woodworking.
2-week course designed for those with at least basic woodworking experience.
Whilst no one chair can cover all the approaches to chair making, this course covers many of the major challenges associated with chairs. Students will make a pre-designed full-size dining chair and in so doing, experience multiple stages of chair design and construction.
This two day Spoon Carving course introduces students to in–the–round carving using the well–known shape of the spoon as a model.
Create a two part piece – a container with lid to hold a treasured / taonga object.
In this course students will carve a Netsuke ( The Japanese art of miniature carving ) Fish.
Kumiko is the traditional Japanese technique of refined lattice work used for forming decorative
panels.
Carve a bespoke walking stick with the handle being the main feature. This next level course provides the opportunity for students to develop their existing carving skills to create a three dimensional design which can either be used or displayed.
A 5-day deep dive into wooden planes. How to make and tune them and apply them to your practice as a craftsperson.
This three–week course will be a wonderful and indulgent opportunity to come and craft a steel string Dreadnought guitar, or a nylon string Classical or Flamenco guitar.
We are offering an exciting opportunity to those who would like to spend six weeks of uninterrupted time dedicated to creating their own new design or concept, working alongside Michael in a highly motivated, encouraging and open studio environment.
A 5-day technique based course all about many of the joints required to make a structurally sound cabinet. This will include dovetails, finger joints, mitres, through wedged stub tenons, double tapered sliding dovetails and much more.
FULLY BOOKED
This "taster" course is for the absolute beginner, offering a convenient and accessible opportunity to come and have a go at some woodworking.
FULLY BOOKED
This "taster" course is for the absolute beginner, offering a convenient and accessible opportunity to come and have a go at some woodworking. Choose between Woodworking Basics #1 or #2 - two different projects for beginners.
The chairmaking term will cover the process of drawing and design, model making, mock-up and final construction, including other components such as upholstery, Danish cord etc.
This is an area of great creative interest to almost every woodworker, as wood is inherently so well suited to being formed into curved shapes. Steam-bending and laminating in particular are both major technical areas of expertise and students will have an opportunity to incorporate a curved element into their project.
Introduction to hand plane, sharpening, basic joinery including mortise & tenon, dovetail, tongue & groove. Timber identification, characteristics, shrinkage and movement. Introduction to woodworking machines including best practice and health and safety in the workshop.
The Furniture Makers‘ Programme is a 32 week intensive course designed and developed by practising furniture makers and teachers intended for the serious woodworker.
LIMITED SPACE STILL AVAILABLE ON THE 2022 PROGRAMME
Michael Fortune will be returning again in the Summer of 2022 as Artist in Residence, and has very generously offered an exciting opportunity to those who would like to spend six weeks of uninterrupted time dedicated to creating their own new design and work alongside him in an open studio environment.
This 6-day Master Class with David Haig will take you through the various stages required to cut, size and fit a drawer with perfect accuracy.
FULLY BOOKED
