Woodworking Course

woodturner

Does anyone know of any woodworking courses in the Midlands starting in the New Year? I used to work for a company making kitchens and other furniture but it was all sheet materials just cut to size and screwed together. I'd like to learn more handwork like cutting dovetails and such. I know the courses for someone unemployed would be very basic but I can't afford some of the really expensive courses.

slpower01

woodturner wrote: »

Does anyone know of any woodworking courses in the Midlands starting in the New Year? I used to work for a company making kitchens and other furniture but it was all sheet materials just cut to size and screwed together. I'd like to learn more handwork like cutting dovetails and such. I know the courses for someone unemployed would be very basic but I can't afford some of the really expensive courses.

Im not sure if its possible but you could always contact fas .. phase 2 of the carpentry and joinery apprenticeship is all stuff like that and if places aren't full they might let you on it... If not a good woodworking book and and investment in some timber and basic hand tools (chisels, tennon saw, marking gauges etc) might be the way to go.

faithful chippie

school of hard knocks kid, get a book and diy, self teaching only way to go with no money, surely you have some idea of what your at? mabye i could teach you?

woodturner

I do but looking at the stuff I need, there are quite a few things. A dovetail saw, good quality chisels ...... I picked up two spokeshaves at a market for €8 and a marking gauge for €4. I'd have a lot of experience working with wood and understanding it but I have made very little with proper hand tool techniques.

woodturner

faithful chippie wrote: »

school of hard knocks kid, get a book and diy, self teaching only way to go with no money, surely you have some idea of what your at? mabye i could teach you?

Where are you located?

fergal.b

You could have a look at "Men's sheds" to see if there is a place near you,they do a lot of woodworking http://www.menssheds.ie/
Or like me you could build a wooden boat and just learn as you go along using books and the internet


.

woodturner

Doubt that. I don't know how to swim :D

fergal.b

woodturner wrote: »

Doubt that. I don't know how to swim :D

If you build it well enough you shouldn't need to know how to swim :D

slpower01

^^ still jealous of Fergal's boat!

fergal.b

slpower01 wrote: »

^^ still jealous of Fergal's boat!

Well if anyone wants to build one I'm here or in the sailing/boating section and can help with every step of the boat and engine build.
Don't just dream the dream live it



.

slpower01

fergal.b wrote: »

Well if anyone wants to build one I'm here or in the sailing/boating section and can help with every step of the boat and engine build.
Don't just dream the dream live it



.

Oh I plan to build a boat one day... I think it will be the type of project that will take me years to complete but be so worth it in the long run, anyways ill stop hijacking this thread and let it get back on topic :P....

stacexD

Fas do them alright.
Waterford do anyways, although the course is called core employment skills and doesn't even mention woodwork in the description.
It's 70% woodwork, Lasts about 6 months. Starting off with joints and what not with small projects like stools and benches, finishing off with larger furniture like park benches, tables, wishing well with proper roofing etc and some time for personal projects

Oh and a small bit of woodturnng, if you want

woodturner

stacexD wrote: »

Fas do them alright.
Waterford do anyways, although the course is called core employment skills and doesn't even mention woodwork in the description.
It's 70% woodwork, Lasts about 6 months. Starting off with joints and what not with small projects like stools and benches, finishing off with larger furniture like park benches, tables, wishing well with proper roofing etc and some time for personal projects

Oh and a small bit of woodturnng, if you want

Typical, Fas in Tullamore weren't helpful. Said there are no woodworking courses available and that I should look into doing an apprenticeship. I don't know if I'd go down that route having already worked in a joinery for 13 years.

stacexD

The apprenticeships in fas are 4 years I think so I suppose with you having worked in a joinery for so long it would be a pretty tedious couple of years. It's worth enquiring with the other fas places near you, try calling the actual training centre and asking them because they'll actually know what's going on and what's coming up. My local fas office didn't have a clue that the core employment course had any woodwork involved.. and even when I finished the course and told them they couldn't believe it!

recipio

There are places in the UK that offer two week courses in various subjects. You seem keen to learn handworking techniques ? Buy a copy of 'Furniture and Cabinetmaking ' and see the ads in the back.Not for nothing but as Oscar Wilde said 'pleasures must be paid for ' !

woodturner

recipio wrote: »

There are places in the UK that offer two week courses in various subjects. You seem keen to learn handworking techniques ? Buy a copy of 'Furniture and Cabinetmaking ' and see the ads in the back.Not for nothing but as Oscar Wilde said 'pleasures must be paid for ' !

Yeah because where I worked very little work actually involved proper hand tool techniques. It was all spindle moulders, tenoners, morticers and panel saws. And most of our work was sheet material, veneered mdf and melamine chip. Man I got really sick of plastic shelf studs and 3.5x50mm chipboard screws. Don't get me wrong, I made a couple of nice dining tables and stuff which I really enjoyed as it was all solid wood, almost no screws except screwing up the tops and that.
I've ordered a good dovetail saw and Narex chisels which are said to be a good quality chisel at a reasonable price. They'll need a little work to flatten the hollow backs and hone to a good sharp edge but I'm looking forward to that. Sharpening has me in a muddle though. Waterstones or the Scary Sharp system using sheet abrasives on glass. I have a couple of 6mm thick glass shelves left from a project so I thought I would try that method of sharpening.

slpower01

woodturner wrote: »

Yeah because where I worked very little work actually involved proper hand tool techniques. It was all spindle moulders, tenoners, morticers and panel saws. And most of our work was sheet material, veneered mdf and melamine chip. Man I got really sick of plastic shelf studs and 3.5x50mm chipboard screws. Don't get me wrong, I made a couple of nice dining tables and stuff which I really enjoyed as it was all solid wood, almost no screws except screwing up the tops and that.
I've ordered a good dovetail saw and Narex chisels which are said to be a good quality chisel at a reasonable price. They'll need a little work to flatten the hollow backs and hone to a good sharp edge but I'm looking forward to that. Sharpening has me in a muddle though. Waterstones or the Scary Sharp system using sheet abrasives on glass. I have a couple of 6mm thick glass shelves left from a project so I thought I would try that method of sharpening.

The way I sharpen my chisels is using one of the roller guides that clamp your chisels and have a wheel to keep it at a perfect angle... I use a diamond tipped block to grind it flat and then use a stone for my honed bevel.

Id recommend not going down the fas apprenticeship route to be honest, I am 2 years out of the carpentry and joinery one and still having difficulty getting my overall qualifications off of them, despite never failing a single exam and having more then 5 years worth of work. I have heard of FAS failing to "qualify" a lot of people because there is no one going through apprenticeships these days means when we all get our papers they will not have any more work. What they have said to me is a "change of employer form" was never received 4 years back when I was on phase 3 so any time after that doesnt count regardless of them putting me into phase 4 and 6.

As for learning... first thing id do is build a solid workbench either in your back garden or workshop. Then either browse online or even in books for small projects that you can make from recycled timber. Start working on basic joints like half lap, mortice and tenon and dovetail. with these you should be able to put together stuff like tables and chairs (with your background you should have no problem)

jack of all

Hi woodturner
I saw an advert for a new mens shed being set up in Portlaoise, was in the Link Up at the weekend, not sure if this interests you. As for tools and materials etc, here's my tuppence worth:

I picked up a couple of those Narex chisels and found them pretty good and certainly good value for money. I can't resist picking up older chisels and the like at boot sales and markets, as long as they are not too far gone. I was a big fan of waterstones but they are a pain to set up and clean up after (never mind the wearing hollow etc) when all you need is to freshen up an edge. I picked up some old Norton oilstones which were a little hollow and clogged and salvaged them for my sharpening now. I still use the waterstones for initial flattening and polishing but after that it's generally the Norton stones for regular use. I tried the scary sharp method to start out with but the cost of the papers does add up when you're doing any amount of work with them. Also there is a risk of rounding the edges with the method- plenty on the net about this. I picked up some decent tools from online old tool dealers for reasonable money (old Spear & Jackson tenon saw, router plane etc).

woodturner

My Narex chisels should be here tomorrow with a dovetail saw and a few other things. I do go to our local market looking out for old woodworking tools almost every Sunday. It's amazing what you would pick up and with a little work they would work as well as anything produced today.

tabby aspreme

Hi woodturner, I use a diamond coated 1000 grit plate for initial sharpening , then do final honing with a ceramic stone, ceramic is great no maintenance expensive at first though . Waterstones are good too but messy I used to flatten mine by letting them dry out, then rubbing them on 180 grit sandpaper on a peice of float glass,
Get any old tools you can great steel in them and they will hold an edge for longer

bizzyb

Mens Sheds are an excellent idea and there should be one in every town. A friend of mine attended mens shed Offaly before getting employment and said it was excellent facility for doing projects and meeting like minded people. I would imagine its a constant battle for them to raise funds to keep going though.

woodturner

bizzyb wrote: »

Mens Sheds are an excellent idea and there should be one in every town. A friend of mine attended mens shed Offaly before getting employment and said it was excellent facility for doing projects and meeting like minded people. I would imagine its a constant battle for them to raise funds to keep going though.

I think the only one in Offaly is in Clara. There is one in Portarlington which is only 9 miles away from me.