Woodworking Skills

An intensive eight week course teaching students about wood and working with wood, from trees and wood selection through to jointing, laminating and bending.  The course is highly practical and, while students achieve a City & Guilds 6217-05 or 6217-06 level 1 certificate at the end of the course, the syllabus is much wider than that required by City & Guilds.  This is reflected by the additional award of a Boat Building Academy certificate. 

Assessment pieces are completed throughout the course.  City & Guilds require nine pieces of joinery, mainly simple joints, and one more complex piece.  What students make depends on whether they decide to follow the 'Carpentry and Joinery' or 'Furniture Making' route.  On the 'Carpentry and Joinery' option the assessment piece is one of the following:

• Nail Box
• Pair of gallows brackets
• Garden gate
• Built-in cupboard

On the 'Furniture Making' option the assessment piece is one of:

• Bedside cabinet
• Kitchen stool
• Magazine rack
• Occasional table                                                                            .

These pieces, with the nine simple joints, are assessed to City & Guilds standards. 

A Boat Building Academy certificate is also awarded at the end of the course.  Students, in addition to the above City & Guilds assessment pieces, also work on a personal project piece which counts toward the BBA certificate.  Because of the small size of the school, and a low student to Instructor ratio, we can allow some flexibility in what students choose as their personal project.

Student projects are completed during the second half of the course.  The project could be a toolbox based on a classic apprenticeship piece or something a student would like to complete for their home.  Whatever the student chooses to produce it must be a piece of work that demonstrates the skills they have learnt on the course.  Should a student wish to enter the construction industry after qualifying, the student project piece is an excellent practical representation of the standard of their work. 

Practical sessions form the majority of the course, although a small amount of time is spent in the classroom.  Instructors demonstrate all work 'hands-on'.  Comprehensive handouts cover all aspects of the training, both theory and practical.

Skill areas covered by the course include:

Timber types (including sheet materials) and preparation

Cutting joints:

1. lengthening - scarf joints
2. widening - butt, loose tongue, tongue and groove, dowel
3. mortise and tenons
4. dovetails - lapped, through and mitred
5. housings
6. halving joints

Bending, laminating and rounding timber (including steaming)

Woodworking adhesives from PVA to epoxy

Fixings

Use of power tools:

• router
• biscuit jointer
• mortise machine

Introduction to large woodwork machinery and its uses

Making a rod

Looking at how to aid woodworking processes; specifically measuring, laying out and marking out.  These techniques help prevent errors and also make duplicating projects much easier.

City & Guilds 6217-05 or 6217-06 level 1

19th May - 11th July 2008

4th August - 26th September 2008

13th October - 5th December 2008

If you would like further information on the course, or to make an appointment for an interview, please contact us on 01297 445545 or go to the contact page