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FURNITURE MAKING FOR BEGINNERS COURSE 1 OF 2

Essential skills you need to use furniture making tools; you’ll learn the importance of sharpness and accurate joint cutting techniques whilst making a dovetailed Chestnut letter rack

Course Overview

• Why choose this course?
This course has been designed by Peter, as part of a pair of courses, to give you a thorough grounding in the essential skills that you need to understand the workings of furniture making tools and the importance of sharpness and accuracy.

It is aimed at those with limited experience or those who have been struggling at home with blunt tools and are frustrated by their inaccuracy. You will learn how to strip, flatten and reassemble your own hand plane and bring out the best in your existing tools, both by commissioning (tuning) and sharpening them, and you will be shown what quality tools can achieve.

You will be given practical demonstrations and, using your improved tools, you will make a dovetailed and tenoned project, practicing hand skills and joint cutting. During the week, Peter will assist and guide students, and he will endeavour to help with any particular problems you have been encountering in your own workshop. Impartial advice will be given on tool selection and buying.

• What will I achieve?
At the end of this course you will have gained the knowledge, experience and confidence to attempt fundamental furniture making tasks as well as having learnt how to get the most from your tools.

• This course is suitable for …
o Beginners
o Intermediate
o Advanced

Course Content

• Induction and Welcome to Peter Sefton Furniture School
• Health and Safety in the Workshop
o Storage and safe use of hand tools
• Hand Tool Selection
o Selection and buying of hand tools
o Commissioning (tuning) new and old hand tools
• Hand Tool Care and Sharpening
o Grinding and honing with dry and wet methods
o Flattening bench planes to within a tolerance of 0.038mm or 0.0015″
o Stones to include Oil, Diamond, Japanese, manufactured and natural stones including Leather Stropping and Scary Sharpening
o Sharpening tools to include planes, chisels, gauges, scrapers and scratch stock
• Hand Skills and Joint Cutting
o Accurate marking and measuring
o Planing face side, face edge, thickness and end grain
o Using correct applications for planes and chisels
o Joint cutting to include mortise and tenon, through and lapped dovetailing
o Hand sanding, glueing up and flushing down joints

• Tools Required
If you do not have any or many tools, the School can provide them for you to use. However, you will gain much more out of the course if you can improve and take away your own tools, particularly a bench plane.

If you can bring along your own tools, the suggested tool list includes:
o Bench planes (No 4 or No 5)
o Tenon and dovetail Saws
o Mortise, marking and cutting gauges
o Chisels (bevel edge and mortise if you have one)
o Cabinet scraper
o Rule, Square, Marking Knife and 2H pencil

• Where to Stay
Please see the Find Us page of our website and then click on Where to Stay

• Booking Info
How do I apply for any of your Courses? First, please contact the School to confirm there is space on the course either by phone on 01684 591014 or email sarah@peterseftonfurnitureschool.com. Then complete the Course Booking Form and forward it with your 50% deposit to the School.

The balance will be due 6 weeks prior to the start of the course and if booking less than 6 weeks in advance, the total course fee will be due. Peter Sefton Furniture School regrets that we are unable to accept applications from anyone under the age of 18 at the start of their course.

Duration and Facilities: The course runs from Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 17:30 with 1 hour for lunch. Students will need to provide their own lunch each day; tea and coffee are provided by the School.