Three Weeks Shaker Side Table Course
Refine your hand-cut joinery and build a traditional Shaker side table with drawer on this focused three-week course.
Overview
Take your woodworking to the next level. Over three focused weeks, you’ll build a traditional Shaker side table with a dovetail drawer in Cherry. You’ll use hand tools and traditional furniture-making techniques. Designed for makers with prior experience – ideally those who have completed our Beginners course or Dovetail Box Making – this course deepens your skills and leads to a refined, functional piece of fine furniture.
3 Weeks: Monday–Friday, 9:00–17:00
Level: Improvers, Advanced
What You’ll Learn
Marking and precision shaping of table components using hand tools
Hand-cutting and fitting joints, frame and panel carcass construction
Traditional drawer construction and fitting techniques
Turning a small drawer pull on the lathe
By the end of the third week you’ll leave with a heirloom-quality side table and a refined ability to take your furnituremaking to the next level.
Who Is This Course For?
This course is ideal if:
You’ve completed a beginners woodworking course and a dovetail box course (with us or elsewhere); or
You’re a hobbyist with lots of woodworking practice but keen to learn the skills to make fine furniture
You’re ready to make a refined piece of furniture
If you’re completely new to woodworking, we recommend starting with our Beginners Woodworking Course first.
Making the Shaker Table
Hand Joinery & Shaping
Legs are carefully planed and tapered by hand, developing sensitivity to line, balance and proportion. Front and back rails are joined using hand-cut dovetails, while the side frames introduce mortise and tenon joinery — a calm but demanding combination that rewards precision and patience.
Table Carcass Construction
Solid side panels and a frame-and-panel back form the table. These elements are carefully prepared and brought together in a considered glue-up, where alignment, sequence and calm decision-making are as important as the joints themselves.
Making and Fitting the Drawer
A Shaker table is defined by its drawer. You’ll cut half-blind dovetails at the front, dovetails at the back, and fit a cedar drawer bottom using traditional grooves and drawer slips. Time is spent on fitting — learning how small adjustments transform movement and feel.
Turning the Drawer Pull
The drawer is finished with a turned wooden knob, made on the lathe using a simple template. This introduces controlled turning and reinforces the Shaker idea that even the smallest detail deserves care.
The Tabletop
The final stages bring everything together. Boards are selected and arranged with attention to grain and colour, then glued and shaped by hand. Edges are softened, surfaces refined, and the table assembled into a quiet, complete whole — ready for finishing and life beyond the workshop.
Course Fees
The tuition fee for a three week Shaker Table course is £1,770. This includes the use of school tools and materials; the final piece is yours to take home.
Practical Information
This course is for very small groups of up to 4 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.
Ready to Book?
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.