Make something from wood!

This course will introduce the basics of woodworking using the most basic tools and methods. We’ll learn how to use the tools in a safe way, how to sharpen them and how to use them in the right way. We’ll also design and think about how to express something unique in what we make.
The aim of the course is to gain a degree of confidence in working with wood, and to be able to take a project from planning to completion. The aim is also the realisation of an idea, the creation of something that is unique to the maker. This course is for anyone who is interested in working with their hands, the feel of natural materials and the development of new ways of thinking. There is no need to have any previous experience. Only two hands are needed! Be aware that making things with wood is not always the easiest way to get to the finished thing, wood can misbehave and some tools can be tricky, but it’s fun along the way and remember, measure twice, cut once. The course will combine drawing and a bit of theory about how things are made. It will be dominated by students doing practical work. We’ll be able to use the materials around us (if they’re free to use!) and make whatever we dream up.

Fred Lowther-Harris

Fred enjoys a varied life. He searches for beauty, in the aesthetics of the world, the way it surrounds itself with design, how it changes throughout history. But also in people, how they move, how they learn, how they connect with each other and most importantly how they empathise with each other and the world around them. His interests are developing as he matures. He was doing a PhD for many years but then changed course to work as a carpenter. Now he is setting up his independent workshop while also working with small businesses. What he enjoys about the process is the use of tools, the transformation of an idea into reality, and the creation of strange and beautiful objects. And also the immediate and very obvious feedback that you get when something goes wrong! He likes the very specific and gentle type of concentration, and the little screen time the work require. Another long-standing passion of his is swing dancing. He loves the improvised expression of jazz and what can be released in dancing. Also the challenge of doing it as a couple, but the joy it can bring when it works.