Artistry in Wood reviews

22 Jan 17'

Neil Pallister reviewed: Wood turning courses

"What can I say? Brilliant, informative, inspiring! I really enjoyed my day yesterday and I really appreciated George's patience, experience and diligent teaching. I have always loved the elements: water, rock and wood. George has shown me how to make wood ‘speak’ and how to turn it with ease to produce beautiful forms. The decorative effects were the icing on the cake. Simple yet effective and I can see the thought and attention to detail that really pays off. Many thanks to George again for the course and his wife Sue for keeping me fed and watered on such a cold day! I highly recommend it to anyone reading this. I will definitely be back!!"

13 Jan 17'

Peter Roper reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Firstly I must thank George and his wife for making me so welcome to their home and for providing a lovely luncheon and copious cups of coffee. I have to admit that initially I was a little hesitant in getting to grips with handling the gouge. However, Georg's patience, watchful eye and guiding hand enabled me to make what I felt was a reasonable start. (It was over 50 years ago that I last did any woodturning!) The afternoon session progressed well and I felt much more at ease with the tool handling. Not so many ‘white knuckle’ moments! With a more relaxed hold things progressed well. With the final process of sanding completed and the application of a sealer finish I had made (with assistance at critical points) a unique memento of the day. I now have a lot to think about and have quite a few decisions to make. Selling my motorbike to make some space being the most difficult for me. Before I jump in with both feet I will take some more of Georg's professional advice so that I don’t end up with unsuitable equipment. It’s all down to me now. Thank you again George for your patience and skill at imparting some knowledge into my brain."

10 Jan 17'

Mike reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Many thanks for your clear instruction and endless patience. I am also grateful for many suggestions for my future workshop plans. I am really pleased with my bowl which is hopefully just the start of a new hobby. Health and safety instruction and equipment provided was spot on, as was lunch and drinks ( thanks Susan ). A pleasure to meet you both. Cheers Mike Brock."

16 Nov 16'

Ian Welland reviewed: Wood turning courses

"I would like to thank George (Sir ) for a wonderful day , I really enjoyed making my bowl that now sits in pride of place on our dining table. George is a patient, informative and very safety conscientious tutor with more than a sense of fun thrown in for good measure. I would happily recommend George to anyone thinking of giving wood turning a go . Thanks also to Susan , George's wife who kept us supplied with coffee and biscuits and provided a light lunch. Kind regards Ian"

14 Nov 16'

Andy reviewed: Wood turning courses

"An instructive and enjoyable days woodturning. Really nice to be able to produce such an impressive bowl in the short time we had. A great, well equipped workshop - good lunch too! As well as the actual woodturning, the advice on equipment selection when setting out in woodturning was very eye opening. Thank you very much. Andy"

13 Nov 16'

Paul Bartlett reviewed: Wood turning courses

"I spent a really good day with George and Sue on Friday 4th November. I had not done any turning for the best part of a year but Georges patience and excellent tutoring skills soon got me back in the swing. I explained that I needed the day to also assess my personal requirements regarding tools etc. I explained that I now had a lathe at home with a few chisels so the first thing we did was to assess these tools and we soon realised that some were not up to scratch. George was suffering from the lingering symptoms of a cold and although he was in some discomfort at times his tuition never faltered. His patience is endless and by the end of the day, with Georges help I had not only managed to turn a bowl I am very proud of I had also completed some spindle turning plus spent time assessing all my machinery and tools needs. George even had time to furnish me with further advice on extra items I will need and where to source them. Sue provided refreshments and a lovely lunch and this coupled with Georges easy going and patient approach the day remained totally relaxing whilst very informative at the same time. I would whole heartedly recommend these courses with George and look forward to increasing my knowledge further on the next one."

12 Nov 16'

Martin Field reviewed: Wood turning courses

"As a complete (not so young) novice I was a bit apprehensive when my son told me he was treating me to the course. Even though I had always been interested in it as hobby I was a not sure how I would fare in practice but came away with both a good basic understanding of theory and some useful practical experience. I am delighted with the bowl I produced which far exceeded my expectations of what I would achieve in a single day. At no point did I feel rushed or overwhelmed and appreciated George's down-to-earth approach to training. I would recommend his course to anyone with an interest in woodturning as a way to ‘give it a go’ without paying out for loads of equipment. Many thanks again for a very enjoyable day. Martin Field"

12 Nov 16'

Alic and Graham reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Well what can I say? We had a super day with the talented George and his lovely wife Susan! This was a birthday present for my hubby (who suffered a stroke 3 years ago) and I was a last minute ‘add on’. Neither of us had done anything like this before – I had never seen a lathe let alone used one! George was a great tutor with an abundance of patience and managed to watch over us both – teach us and keep us entertained all at the same time. We not only learned how to use a lathe – we made a beautiful bowl each – mine was a lovely sycamore bowl and my hubby’s was a beautiful beech bowl – we were both thrilled to bits with our makes!! George had lots of stories to tell – with a great sense of humour and his lovely wife supplied us with tea and biscuits during our breaks and a lovely sustaining lunch at lunchtime! Our day was very special and very much enjoyed! George’s wood turning tuition days are 5 staras far as we are concerned and highly recommended by us!! Alice and Graham Reeve"

1 Nov 16'

Ali reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Never having done any woodworking I was very apprehensive but George and his lovely Wife Sue made me feel very relaxed and after a coffee I was introduced to woodturning. With Georg's guidance I woodturned a beautiful Ash Bowl something I never thought possible. If I can talk Hubby into buying a lathe and equipment this will be the hobby for me. Thank you George and Sue it was a wonderful day and you will be seeing me again in the future."

30 Oct 16'

Oliver reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Thank you for the day yesterday – it was really rewarding. You were both very welcoming and your knowledge and enthusiasm are infectious. It’s easy to see how you could get the bug and I’m eyeing up my shed jealously now. Everyone was very impressed by the bowl"

13 Oct 16'

Phil reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Just wanted to let you know that I had a great day on Tuesday. It was very informative and has given me lots of ideas on where to go with my equipment and methods of turning. Having started my wood turning path without any experience it was good to meet with a master turner. My wife loved the bowl and xmas tree decoration. I would certainly recommend anyone who is just starting out or wishes to further their expertise to go for a day."

9 Oct 16'

John Holloway reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Thank you again for a superb day last Friday. Absolutely blown away with your practical skills and the way you undertook to improve my turning skills. As I mentioned, your skill is in NOT teaching but helping your students to learn -a rare gift and you do it so well. I took lots of useful information away with me so now the rest is up to me. I do hope i can get the opportunity to have another day sometime; you're great fella with a great talent."

6 Oct 16'

Mike Hallett reviewed: Wood turning courses

"What can one say? A first class day's instruction removing countless wrinkles in my admittedly pathetic bowl turning technique. George's expertise and robust sense of humour made for a thoroughly productive and enjoyable day. You can always measure the quality of this kind of experience by whether ones first impulse on arriving home is to go straight to the workshop or tackle a rather fine sirloin steak. I'm afraid to admit the steak won but only under the extreme duress applied by my better half. Thank you George, I will be back- you have been warned!"

19 Aug 16'

John Atkins reviewed: Wood turning courses

"My deepest thanks to George for his excellent tuition, and for his patience with me. Thanks also to Sue for keeping me fed and watered. I had a great day, and will now look at my equipment needs to take my wood turning skills forward. Terri loved the bowl I created - with more than a little help from George - which will be a permanent reminder of my 65th birthday celebration."

29 Jul 16'

Keith Hutchings reviewed: Wood turning courses

"I wanted to thank George and Sue for a very enjoyable two days spent with them this week. They made me felt at home as soon as I arrived and set to work on a project for the day. It was obvious from the moment we entered you workshop that I was in the presence of a master craftsman and the valuable tuition and the benefit of his experience will stand me in good stead as I embark on my new-found hobby. His enthusiasm and passion for the craft shines through with every kind word of advice that he gives and I cannot recommend his course highly enough. I can only hope that one day I will be able to turn wood with the technique, skill and attention to detail that he would approve of. As we discussed, if it was easy, it wouldn't be worth doing. Practice makes perfect but even a novice like me came away with a spalted Beech bowl that anyone would be proud of. When I have my own workshop ready I will be back in touch and I look forward to booking another day with him so that I can keep learning this rewarding and absorbing craft. Thanks again George (and thanks Sue for the supply of coffee and sandwiches) and see you at your next BoS WTC open day. Many thanks and best regards, Keith"

7 Jul 16'

Steve reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Today has been an amazing day with great tuition from George and great hospitality. George and Susan are very welcoming and warming. The tuition provided has been relaxed and very informative with a good direction in woodturning basics in view to making a very splendid bowl that looks professionally made. To be able to go from novice, to being able to turn a bowl within a day shows the quality and professionalism of George's teaching. I look forward to booking further lessons so that I can progress my skills in bowl turning and other future project ideas."

4 Jul 16'

Jeanette reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Thank you for a really great wood turning experience day. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed the day or how pleased I am with with my bowl, but I will try. I arrived feeling quite anxious about being able to produce anything at all, as I had no experience and had never been anywhere near a lathe. Your explanations, demonstrations, patience and guidance gave me confidence. Along with the excellent tuition it was a really enjoyable and fun experience, we had a great time with you and Sue, you both made us feel very welcome and comfortable. We were well looked after, Sue made us a lovely lunch which was much appreciated and we were kept going throughout the day with regular cups of perfect tea. On top of all of that I am now the very proud owner of a bowl that is of a much better quality and more beautiful than I ever thought I was capable of making. I will treasure it. Thank you very much George and Sue"

4 Jul 16'

Roger reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Just arrived home after a really good day wood turning with George and his lovely wife Susan. The amount of information that George gave us was spot on. It started with an outline of the health and safety to be complied with whilst in the workshop. There was an explanation of the make up of the wood we were going to use and the way it reacts on the lathe. It wasn't all instruction , it was also a really good laugh as George is a natural entertainer . But as a result we came away with two really nice fruit bowls. Susan was lovely and looked after the refreshments for the day. Very important as you really do have to concentrate on what your doing. All n all a brilliant day, and I would really recommend it. Thanks to Susan and George."

3 Jun 16'

Peter Perrin reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Thanks once again for the great wood turning day that myself, Stephen and David had. It was most enjoyable and everyone has been very impressed with the bowls that we made. Our appetites have been wetted and I am sure that we will take it up as a hobby once we can finance the necessary equipment."

31 May 16'

Keith meredith reviewed: Wood turning courses

"What can I say, a really enjoyable day and a pleasure to be taught by a very knowledgable tutor. The course gives a great insight into basic wood turning and at the end of the day you end up with a work of art. Thank you once again for a fantastic day (Bev loves the bowl)"

23 May 16'

Alan Newman reviewed: Wood turning courses

"A most enjoyable day's woodturning tuition. Having not used a lathe since leaving school over 50 years ago I wasn't sure how I would manage but was put at ease very quickly and during the day I learned a lot and ended with a lovely bowl to take home. Alan"

23 May 16'

Alasdair reviewed: Wood turning courses

"I would like to thank you for the wood turning tuition today. It was the first time in 44 years that I have stood in front of a lathe and I had a thoroughly marvellous time. Your guidance and help were brilliant and the bowl that resulted exceeded my expectations, Liz finds it hard to believe that I had any hand in its manufacture! I'm really looking forward to practicing what you taught me today and I'm sure that we will be meeting again once I have perfected these basic skills for you to teach me some of the more sophisticated techniques that you showed me on your own work. Once again, thank you for an educational and extremely enjoyable day and thank you to Sue for the lovely lunch. Alasdair"

12 May 16'

Donovan reviewed: Wood turning courses

"A thoroughly enjoyable and informative day's tuition, please also pass on my thanks to your wife for lunch and refreshments; plus to top off an excellent day out I've come away with a very nice bowl."

8 May 16'

Andrew reviewed: Wood turning courses

"A proper workshop with a lot of character. George was full focussed on me and quickly understood my capabilities and perhaps potential. I felt that the day was well paced in line with my level of concentration i came away determined to take things further and will most certainly return to George for further tuition. I was a little apprehensive to begin with but was immediately put at ease with a coffee and chat .More than anything it was fun and I came home buzzing with determination and excitement."

8 May 16'

Jenny reviewed: Wood turning courses

"A very patient man working with a novice kept me safe all the time. Made very welcome by George and his wife Sue. Excellent tuition so much so that I want to go for further lessons."