One day floating shelf course

My one day floating shelf making course is designed as an introduction to fine furniture making and is suitable for beginners as well as students with some woodworking experience.

You will start with a machined piece of hardwood and learn how to use handtools to create flat surfaces and edges. To do this we start by looking at wood growth and grain direction and how these factors will dictate how to tackle the task in hand.

To produce high quality results, the day will teach you a lot about problem solving and learning to identify why you may not be getting the results you expect and how to remedy it. The main tools you will use are a hand plane, block plane and cabinet scraper. We will look at tool sharpening as a foundation for high quality results and how to get plane shavings that are approximately 1/20^th of a mm thick.  This will involve becoming familiar with taking the plane apart and reassembling  and adjusting it to achieve this degree of precision.  

As wood is a natural material, there are times when flaws may appear in the process (known as tear out) and you will learn how to prepare and use a cabinet scraper which will remove these minor defects.

You will use a pillar drill and an electric drill to create the concealed holes for the shelf supports, before sanding the piece to prepare it for the finishing stage.

The last part of the day we will apply a quick drying lacquer to seal and protect the piece so that you can take the shelf home at the end of the session, along with the fittings.

Please note that the addition of holes to house tea lights is dependent on time available on the day as well as the students’ preference.

Price: £150 including materials or £275 for two students