One Week Furniture Making Course

This short course introduces you to fundamental hand tool skills. You'll make a piece of furniture suited to your skills and get a taster for fine furniture making.

Book Now

Become hooked on the satisfaction of working with wood and making something beautiful with your own hands.

A wooden backgammon board with white and black game pieces arranged on it.

Overview

The teaching is centred on practical furniture projects suited to the student's level of competence and confidence. We begin with fundamental skills, just as our one-year students do.

If this is your first time with us, we’ll spend a couple of days learning to use chisels and bench planes. Using cabinetmakers' marking tools, you'll mark and then flatten timber by hand, before planing square edges. You'll practice making simple joints. After this, you will choose from a beautiful selection of veneers and will be guided by your tutors on a marquetry project to make a games-board.

Many of our short course students return for subsequent one-week courses to build on their skills and make more complex projects. Many more join us for the full-time course.

Wooden marquetry chessboard with black and white chess pieces arranged for a game, on a glass table.

Who is this course for?

This short taster is suited to everyone regardless of previous experience. You might be wondering whether you could explore a career in Furniture-making. You may be a returning student looking to build on your previous experience. Or you might be looking to treat yourself to a fun, joyful and satisfying experience. Or perhaps you want to gift this course to someone looking to discover their creative side?

Book Now

  • I thoroughly enjoyed it & learnt so much. It was a joy to be there and be immersed in craft. It really lifted my spirits as well as my knowledge! I will treasure my games board.

    –Gemma Bainbridge, October 2025

Meet Your Tutors

  • Smiling man in a woodworking shop leaning on a workbench with wood pieces and tools.

    Peter Quin

    Founder & Principal
    Master Furnituremaker, The Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers

  • A man working in a woodworking shop, polishing a long black wooden piece on a workbench, surrounded by various wood samples and tools.

    Andrew Lapthorn

    Designer-Maker, Fellow of the Society of Designer Craftsmen & Owner of Lapthorn Furniture

  • A middle-aged man with glasses, gray beard, and black jacket holding a pink pen near his glasses, smiling at the camera, with architectural sketches on the wall behind him.

    Mark Thomas

    Bespoke Guild Mark holder, Multi-Award Nominee Designer-Maker. Owner of MakerMark

  • A man with glasses and a beard, smiling, standing outdoors next to a wooden wall, crossing his arms.

    Paul Iaquaniello

    Designer-Maker & Owner of Kent Furniture Design

Course Fees

The tuition fee for a one week short course is £590. This includes the use of school tools and materials; the final piece is yours to take home.

Practical Information

We teach small groups of up to 6 people.

The school is set on the grounds of Scotney Castle. The course runs from 9AM until 5PM from Monday to Friday, with an hour lunch break and two tea breaks. Please do bring a lunchbox. You are welcome to visit the school during term by appointment. Make your appointment by contacting us below.

Women and Gender-diverse Students

The furniture-making sector has long been male-dominated and we would like to see that change. Women and gender-diverse individuals in particular sometimes hold back from courses like this. If you are keen to learn woodworking skills, you belong here as much as the next person. We are trying to do our part to address the gender inbalance, so if there is anything holding you back from signing up, please reach out. We'd like to help.

Person with curly gray hair working with a saw in a woodworking shop, with a large window showing cars outside.
Three people in a brightly lit workshop with large windows, discussing a book and a checkered board. A man with glasses and a woman with a black sweater look on as a younger man in a dark jacket holds the book. An older man in a beige sweater leans on a workbench with various tools and materials.
A woman and a man are working on a wooden chessboard in a woodworking workshop. The woman is holding the chessboard upright, looking at it, while the man, leaning on the chessboard, appears to be focused or resting with his eyes closed.

Have Questions About Our Short Course?

We’d love to hear from you! Send us a message using the form, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

As a small school, our teaching staff are always hands-on in the workshop, so our office hours are limited. Email responses will take a little longer. We appreciate your patience.