Answers before you begin

No. Every course teaches hand tool woodworking only: sharpening, chisel work and hand-cut joints, using saws, chisels and planes rather than machines.

Your course page lists the tools it covers. The school is taught using tools a beginner can buy second-hand, so you will not need to buy new or expensive kit to follow along.

A furniture maker with thirty years at the bench teaches every course, from a workshop in Kelham Island, Sheffield.

Sharpening, chisel work and hand-cut joints: the core hand tool skills behind most furniture making, taught in order from the basics.

Browse the courses page and read what each one covers. If you are new to hand tools, sharpening is the natural place to begin, since every other skill depends on a sharp edge.

Choose a course on the courses page and enrol online. Full details of what is included are on each course page before you sign up.

Yes. Courses run online, any time, so you can work through the lessons on your own schedule rather than to a fixed timetable.

No. Courses are taught online from the Hearthwood workshop on Alma Street, Kelham Island, Sheffield, so you can learn from wherever you have your tools set up.