Furniture Making Workshop
- Level(s) of Study: Short course
- Course Fee:
£1,100
- Start Date(s): 14 July 2025, 11 August 2025
- Duration: Saturdays, 10 am to 4 pm, for five weeks or Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm, one week
- Study Mode(s): Part-time
- Campus: City Campus
- Entry Requirements: More information
Introduction:
Course dates:
14 - 18 July 2025, Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm
11 - 15 August 2025, Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm
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.
Here's what some of our previous attendees have said:
“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
'Carl is an excellent tutor, the course is extremely well designed! NA
'This is the perfect opportunity to gain skills! The processes were broken down into easy to manage steps. I have had the best week creating a fabulous piece of furniture, I'm now totally confident to try this at home. The safety aspect is extremely important, so I now have more confidence!' JB
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.
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.
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.
Furniture making workshop in action
Student Work
How you’re taught
This very practical, hands on course is taught in our well equipped woodworking studios.
This course will be delivered in person on Nottingham Trent University city campus.
99% of previous course attendees were satisfied with the course, received the attention they needed and would consider doing another short course at NTU.
Contact hours
You will receive 25 contact hours of quality tuition with an experienced tutor.
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.
Campus and facilities
You will be based in the School of Architecture, Design and Built Environment on the City Campus.
You'll receive training and advice on how to fully utilise the fantastic equipment in our specialist wood workshop including saws, sanders, planers and spray booths.
You will receive an email one week before the course starts with joining instructions on where to go for the first day.
You’ll also have access to our library to use outside of your short course; whilst you can’t reserve or take away books, you are welcome to use them as a resource for research and referencing.
Entry requirements
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 £1,100.
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.
Your course fees cover the cost of studies, including most materials to create your designs and other great benefits such as the use of our modern library and free use of the IT equipment and software on the campus during your course.
All supplies, materials, and equipment to build your piece of furniture will be provided.
Please bring with you to the first session:
- a notepad and pen
- a camera will also be useful for photographing processes
- all supplies and equipment to build your piece will be provided
- you must wear appropriate clothing for the workshop environment, including closed toe footwear.
You can read the terms and conditions of booking here.
Need accommodation for a week long summer course?
Accommodation can be booked separately to the course; the rooms are only a few minutes’ walk from our studios and classrooms, and cost £259 per week.
These are single rooms with a private bathroom 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.
Find out more and book your accommodation here.
How to apply
You can book your place via the NTU online store:
14 - 18 July 2025, Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm
11 - 15 August 2025, Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm
Browse all of our Product Design and Furniture Making courses
Any questions?
Contact the short course team:
Email: creativeshortcourses@ntu.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2813