25 Mar 25'
"Finbarr's table making course was a delightful balance of learning and hands-on practice, with steady progress over three days resulting in a lovely oak table I made myself.
The course was well designed to provide everything the small class needed, from tools and materials to guidance and insights from an experienced craftsman. We gained hands-on experience of saws and chisels, machines and finishes. Beyond this, we also came to better appreciate the deliberate planning and thinking involved in creating furniture, including grain direction, choice and design of joints, and how to correct (or hide!) mistakes. Finbarr was always available to provide up-close guidance on how to hold a chisel, where a mortice needed further work, how much glue to apply, which small errors didn't matter, where to clamp, and so on - the small class size really helped to ensure everyone had support as and where needed.
I wholeheartedly recommend Finbarr's course, the experience certainly surpassed my expectations, and after years of dithering I am finally back in my own workshop with enthusiasm and confidence. Thank you Finbarr!"
Finbarr Lucas responded:
"Anthony, that’s a wonderful, positive review. Thank you so much! You’ve been really comprehensive in your description of what the course includes, with a lot of useful detail that I’m sure will help visitors to my listing get a really good idea of what the course involves if they sign up.
It was a pleasure to have you and the others in the workshop last month, and you all made wonderful tables. I’m really glad to be part of your woodworking experience, and doubly delighted that you are coming along to the sharpening course in a few weeks time as well.
Looking forward to seeing you then. Thanks again Anthony."