Furniture Making Workshop

Level(s) of Study: Short course
Start Date(s): 15 July 2024, 12 August 2024, 12 October 2024, 25 January 2025, 7 June 2025
Duration: Saturdays 10 am - 4 pm, five weeks or Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm, one week
Study Mode(s): Short course
Campus:
Entry Requirements:
More information

Introduction:

Have you ever dreamt of making your own furniture from scratch from a raw piece of timber?

By completing this hands-on course you’ll not only gain a comprehensive understanding of a wide range of tools and techniques, you’ll also be able to proudly showcase your finished coffee table - a testament to your newfound woodworking skills.

You’ll focus on the fundamentals of woodworking and gain an understanding of furniture making and machinery in a relaxed atmosphere, all delivered by an experienced tutor.

This course is for anyone who has an interest in furniture design and making; you don’t need any prior woodworking experience as you’ll be guided step-by-step through the different processes to create your piece of furniture.

You’ll be part of a creative community; one that promotes discussion and collaboration, and encourages experimentation and the constant swapping of ideas.
With a limited class size of 9 people you'll have the one-to-one attention you need to ensure you leave with the skills to continue developing your designs at home or work.
Benefit from learning with an experienced tutor who has significant experience working in this industry.
On successful completion of the course you will receive a certificate of attendance and leave with a finished table.

“Fantastic course. Carl is an excellent teacher. He took time to explain each action and was always happy to help when needed. I can't rate him highly enough. Great tutor and first-class facilities." SF

"Carl is an exceptional tutor who has endless energy and is a huge asset to the university." JW

"Carl is a fantastic, hugely knowledgeable instructor. It's been great learning from him." AS

“This is the perfect opportunity to gain new skills! The processes were broken down into easy to manage steps. I have had the best time creating a fabulous piece of furniture, I'm now totally confident to try this at home. The safety aspect is extremely important to me feeling safe to do this at home and now have the confidence to do it!” JB

“The tutor was great. Motivational, encouraging, knowledgeable, personable and keen to share his years of experience and nothing was too much trouble” CA

What you’ll study

Embark on a woodworking journey where you’ll master the essential tools and techniques and transform raw timber into a beautifully crafted oak coffee table with a functional drawer.

With personalised guidance, group demos, and one-on-one feedback, you'll not only create a unique piece of furniture but also gain the confidence to tackle future projects.

During this course, you will:

be inducted into our well-equipped product design workshops
learn what checks to perform when selecting the right timber for your project
use tools and equipment such as dimension saws, surface planers, thickness planers, spindle moulders, flatbed sanders, CNC and hand routers
practice a variety of joints on your project and discuss the merits of each one
build your confidence in using hand tools and woodworking equipment
explore different finishing techniques that will make your piece truly unique.

Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll study during the course.

Day by day you'll explore different processes to build your final piece. These will include:

Workshop Induction: Begin your journey in our well-equipped product design workshops, where you'll learn the basics of woodworking and the importance of safety before using the machines.

Timber Selection: Discover how to choose the right timber for your project by understanding the essential checks to perform.

You will learn how to use:

X – cut saw (correct bow in timber and set machine).
Dimension saw: change a saw blade, gullet and saw tooth angle of cuts. Saw height, riving knife, side fence.
Surface planer: change cutters, 3 different sets for the timber.
Thickness planer.
Clamping with sash clamps and gluing.

Tool Proficiency: Gain hands-on experience with a variety of tools and equipment, including dimension saws, surface planers, thickness planers, spindle moulders, flatbed sanders, CNC and hand routers.

You will build on your induction of the tools to start constructing your coffee table, focusing on:

Build the front, back and side rails for your drawer
Using the surface planer to make sure the rails are kept square against fence and edging.
Use the flat-bed sander on tops, measuring the joins for the thickest part and move the bed to a maximum of 0.2mm per pass until the top is clean on both sides.
Work on the wall saw to cut pieces of timber to size before moving onto the dimension saw.
Spray booth sealing of your pieces.

Joinery Techniques: Practice and discuss the merits of different joints as you assemble your coffee table, building your confidence in using hand tools and woodworking equipment.

You’ll bring together all your separate elements and pieces to start joining the legs and railing for the drawer together, utilising:

Overhead router.
Biscuit cutting.
Domino cutting.
Finger joints and rub jointing.

Shaping Timber: Explore advanced woodworking skills by learning how to use a spindle moulder and various router techniques, adding the more intricate detailing and design elements to your coffee table project.

You’ll work on the:

Spindle moulder.
Overhead router.
CNC router.
Hand router.

Assembly and Finishing Touches: Explore different finishing techniques to make your coffee table a truly unique and visually stunning piece.

You’ll undertake advanced spindle work and assemble your furniture, working in a final sanding process before hand-finishing your oak coffee table with wax.

You’ll also look at examples of other furniture projects with a chance to ask your tutor any questions about your future projects.

Further information on what you'll study

By the end of the course you will have a thorough understanding of the different workshop processes, and a finished piece of furniture (an oak coffee table with a drawer on rails) that shows how you have applied these processes to your project.

You will also leave with the confidence to develop your skills and apply your knowledge to further furniture and woodwork projects.

Student Work

a student on NTU short course furniture making constructing a table out of solid oak

A student on NTU short course furniture making proudly standing beside his finished oak coffee table

A student on NTU short course furniture making using the spray booths to finish their solid oak coffee table

An NTU short course student finishing their solid oak table on our furniture making course

Woodworking studios for furniture making short course

Tutor Profile:

Carl Smith has over thirty years’ experience making bespoke and mass production furniture, and is one of NTU’s longest serving furniture makers.

He started his career as an award-winning apprentice for Stag Furniture, and eventually trained to full certification as a journeyman, winning many other awards along the way including the National Skills Builder winners’ title and Olympia Cup gold medallist title.

In his daily role as the workshop technician, Carl’s expertise extends to advising students on the design and construction of prototypes, models, furniture and products.

His knowledge is shared across various undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including product and furniture design, architecture, interior architecture and fine arts.

Careers and employability

The course is designed to prepare you to succeed in the design industry; students who have taken this course have come from a wide variety of industries including product design, architecture, interior design, and fine and decorative arts.

It’s also a great first step for home improvers and restorers, artists and crafts people, DIY enthusiasts, teachers and educators who are interested in the carpentry or woodworking industry looking to diversify their skillset and explore furniture-specific techniques.

On successful completion of the course you will receive a certificate of attendance, which will further enhance your CV.

Entry requirements

Level: Beginner

Entry requirement: No experience is required.

You must be over the age of 18 in order to attend this course.

Getting in touch

If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form

Level: Beginner

Entry requirement: No experience is required.

You must be over the age of 18 in order to attend this course.

Fees and funding

The fee for this course is £995 (2023/24) or £1,100 (2024/25).

Payment is due at the time of booking - ask us if you'd prefer an invoice sent to your company.

Secure your place with a deposit - If you're booking more than two months before the course starts, we can accept a £200 deposit to secure your place, and the balance is due one month before the course starts.

Need accommodation for a week long summer course?

We offer single rooms in shared apartments in Nottingham Trent University’s city campus accommodation, which is ideal if you're looking to be based in Nottingham's lively city centre and want an economical place to stay.

Bookings are taken on a seven-night basis, from Saturday to Saturday.

The rooms are single occupancy, with a private bathroom.

Find out more at www.ntu.ac.uk/summeraccommodation