October 2024 Newsletter
Cheril Barber
Welcome to the October newsletter
It's been busy in the workshop this month, with 7 short courses running in October. The mornings are still chilly, but the afternoons are warming up nicely. We're enjoying having more days with the roller doors open and lunches outside on the picnic tables.
CFW at the HOME & GARDEN SHOW
It was lovely to see so many people at the Home & Garden show last month.
The statistics the show organizers gave us was that there were ~8000 people who came through the show in Stoke's Saxton Stadium.
We met old friends and new friends at the show.
Thanks for coming out, having a chat, and joining our newsletter. We hope to see you here in the workshop soon!
2025 FURNITURE MAKERS' PROGRAMME
We've just had one spot open up in our Full-Time Furniture Makers' Programme!
The Furniture Makers‘ Programme is a 32 week intensive course designed and developed by practicing furniture makers and teachers intended for the serious woodworker. The 4 terms focus on different aspects of fine woodworking, with 6 highly experienced tutors, local and international. The prerequisites are a passion for fine woodworking, and a drive to master your skills, and excel in your craftsmanship. Mar 31, 2025 – Dec 6, 2025
For more information and to download the course prospectus and the application, please click here.
2024 SHORT COURSES STILL TO COME...
If you're feeling spontaneous, there are still a few spaces left in our Short Courses this year. Click on the image to go to the course description and information on the website. Or just enrol!
PLAN AHEAD FOR 2025 SHORT COURSES
Planning ahead for next year? We have been too. We've added more courses to the 2025 schedule. We still have even a few more to add towards the end of the year, which we'll keep you posted on. We're pretty excited about what we've got so far! There's something fun in there for everyone.
TWO-WEEK STEAM BENDING COURSE IN MARCH
There are a few spaces left in the 2-week Steam Bending Course with Yuri Kobayashi. If you're interested in designing and developing unique pieces, this is an opportunity not to be missed. For inspiration, you can see some of Yuri's work on her Instagram, or watch a lecture given by Yuri in 2016, at California College of the Arts on the San Francisco campus.
SCHOOL SHOP
Can you believe that the holiday gift shipping season is almost upon us? To see our shipping cut off dates for Dec 25th deliveries, please check the website shop page.
Centre for Fine Woodworking Aprons
We will have our bespoke aprons in stock soon!
Designed by us (team effort) in collaboration with Mavis & Osborn an ethically conscious company based here in Nelson. We think it is the perfect apron with the perfect straps, ties and pockets.
Available in two height sizes
Small bib to hem 73cm suitable for height up to 1.7m
Tall measuring bib to hem 83cm suitable for height between 1.7m and 1.85m
Available for $235 (Quantities limited)
The Centre for Fine Woodworking Gift Voucher is perfect for year-round gift giving.
Personalized for you on the back. Gift a course or a specified amount.
Vouchers are valid for 12 months from of date of purchase.
Standard sizes available. Black only.
Centre for Fine Woodworking
18 - Creating Makers since 2006
A celebration of the Centre for Fine Woodworking ‘s 18th birthday showcasing the stunning work of 18 practising contemporary furniture makers – all who are either tutors or former students.
Each maker has created a piece of work especially for this celebratory exhibition and all work is for sale or available on commission.
New makers and new tutors are the future of the school. Let’s celebrate the legacy we have created.
The Centre for Fine Woodworking is an internationally acclaimed school of excellence – unique to Aotearoa offering the highest level of tuition in fine woodworking in the southern hemisphere. Since 2006 over 2500 students have attended short courses and the full time programmes and we proudly share this opportunity to celebrate our coming of age with you.
The exhibition runs from 12th December – 23rd January
WITH GRATITUDE FOR YOUR DONATIONS
The school was granted charitable status in 2008 in recognition of the importance of preserving and passing on the time-honoured skills of fine woodworking and furniture making to future generations of craftspeople. The school is the only not-for-profit woodworking school in New Zealand.
We are so grateful for the donations we receive from our Friends of the School supporters! We also get some generous gifts from our students and the woodworking community at large. These allow us to offer much more than we could achieve by course fees alone.
We'd like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt thanks for these generous donations to the school.
A student's generous donation allowed us to purchase the new Compakto Collet router table which now is in action in the machine room. This is the state of the art for table routers. It has improved the time and accuracy for our students. We are all thrilled to have the router and to have such a generous friend of the school! You can see how happy our lead tutor, Lou, is with this wonderful gift! It's been a game changer for us!
We received a wonderful surprise donation box of a Lie-nielson Low angle 62 plane, clamps, gauges. water stones, chisels, squares, blades, books, and more! They will all find a welcome home here at the school, with our thanks!
This red oak donated to the school comes from a 130 year old tree which was brought down by the wind 5 years ago. This amounted to two huge trailer loads of already seasoned oak which is ready to use immediately. It will no doubt keep us going for quite some time. Those of you who have purchased timber will realise this is a very generous donation in dollar value. David and Peter looking very happy unloading the trailer and stacking the quarter sawn wood for future use.
Hello! I’m Lyse, the new Trust Manager of the school. Thanks for the warm welcomes so far and for your patience as I get my feet. Sending much love and appreciation to Helen for helping me settle in and continuing to provide wisdom and guidance to me. Huge hugs to you Helen!
A little about me… I've mostly worked in the visual effects industry as an artist and manager of artists, technical, and support teams. Originally from Canada, I’ve been fortunate to work in different cities around the world, coming to New Zealand in 2000. I originally came for a 3 month contract and am still here! I love NZ and feel privileged to call it home. I first learned of the school when my husband signed up for the full time course. It quickly became his happy place and we’ve been part of the school’s wonderful community ever since. I’ve done one course myself and am looking forward to doing more! I’m thrilled to be part of this incredibly talented and passionate team. Hope to see you here soon!