Devon Wood Crafts reviews

Parisa Wright reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"Instead of gifting more "stuff" to clutter the home / planet, my father's 70th birthday gift was a day's wood turning day course with myself and our fantastic teacher / wood turning guru for the day - Colin Simpson. We both love creativity and crafting and, though neither of us had done wood turning before, we had a super fun and productive day. Colin was a friendly and experienced teacher and we each went home with a beautiful bowl and a gorgeous egg cup that we had made ourselves (each made from a beautiful but sustainable piece of wood - from a dead tree that had fallen locally). Lunch of a delicious cheese board, fresh rolls and tomatoes from the garden was a real treat too! We were with Colin for almost 8 hours and every moment was either interesting or fun - a wonderful experience which my father and I both loved. It was also quite a mindful experience where all the worries of the world fell away as you strove to master the tools and processes you were taught. Finally I was delighted to see that the experience was an even more eco gift than previously imagined because Colin uses an air source heat pump and solar panels for energy - absolutely wonderful! A fantastic teacher, a great sustainable ethos and a wonderful day!"

Devon Wood Crafts responded:

"I am so pleased that you both enjoyed your day with me and thanks for this lovely review. Best wishes, Colin"

Adrian Barnes reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"An excellent course, Colin geared the course to my ability and learning speed. I highly recommend attending."

Graham Slinn reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"As a relatively new woodturner but a background in building I was looking for someone to fill in the gaps and give me some practical direction to develop my turning. Colin tailored the day to suit me and my questions, with demonstrations, hands on exercises, notes of different techniques, and examples of his work showing points he was making. I was especially interested to learn practical ways to harvest and prepare logs to build up stock for the future, something he does himself. I got guidance in sharpening my own tools on my own system and advice on tools I want to buy. No point in having the best display of tools on your wall when you only need the ones to do the job. He clarified the use of texturing tools for me and we did a bit of colouring as well. Colin is a very talented, practical and successful craftsman in his own right, which makes him a very good teacher. If anyone is thinking of getting into woodturning, a day with Colin would be the best thing to set you in the right direction ideally before you bought your gear as he would save you a lot of time and money. The best day I've had in a long time, many thanks Colin"

Devon Wood Crafts responded:

"Thank you Graham. Happy turning!"

Tim Cartwright reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"Great course, very good tutor in Colin, took me almost a beginner through what I needed to know to give me the confidence to carry on woodturning. Very relaxed atmosphere and good lunch. Many thanks ."

Devon Wood Crafts responded:

"You're welcome, Tim. Enjoy your woodturning."

Steve Walkden reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"I am new to woodturning and found this course excellent. The content and pace of the course was pitched just right for me. Colin is an excellent instructor who explains safe lathe and associated equipment use, correct use of tools and wood finishing in an easy to understand way. Given more experience I will certainly be contacting Colin again when I am ready to move forward in my woodturning skills."

Devon Wood Crafts responded:

"That you Steve, much appreciated. Happy and safe turning"

Martin/ Julie reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"My wife and I recently did a one day lesson with Colin for wood turning in his workshop. Neither of us had any experience and didn’t really know if at the end of the day what we might end up taking home. Colin was great, his experience and knowledge was amazing, his instructions and understanding of our abilities put us both at ease, we learnt (and did) the whole process from a slice of tree trunk, to attach to a lathe, woodturning/cutting, sanding and types of finishes. At the end of the day we had made two fantastic bowls. We are both so proud and amazed what we had achieved in one day. Thank you for a great day’s experience Colin and thanks to his wife who made a very tasty lunch."

John loosemore reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"I had an excellent day with Colin, I learnt so much in a short time thanks to his patience, understanding and formidable depth of knowledge. I thoroughly recommend his course to anyone interested in wood turning."

Devon Wood Crafts responded:

"Thank you John. Happy turning!"

Mark & Sarah Lewis reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"Sarah and I booked a joint single day course with Colin and we were really impressed with his professional but relaxed approach, his knowledge and expertise, his patience and his ability to work with people with different skill levels. We felt we learnt so much in a single day. Colin answered every question no matter how simple and gave us both confidence to try everything before us. We have recently acquired a second hand lathe and Colin invited us to bring the lathe chisels, which he assessed, explained their uses and sharpened. All in all we got everything out of the day we could have hoped for and more....and left with a great bowl each! A brilliant day!"

Devon Wood Crafts responded:

"Thank you Mark and Sarah. I enjoyed the day too. Happy Turning!"

malcolm sutton reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"I was given a one day course with Colin with no idea what to expect and with no wood turning knowledge. I was greeted with great enthusiasm, but had no need to worry Colin had great skills and patience.The day  just whizzed by.I managed to make a lovely bowl and egg cup, will be booking another session .Well I think it was a great bowl.Thank you Colin."

Devon Wood Crafts responded:

"Thanks Malcolm. I had a great day too."

Bob wilson reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"Well what can I say apart from I had a brilliant day. Learnt loads of techniques, my fear of the skew is no more, and honestly if you are thinking of having a go at turning or you want to improve then book a day or two with Colin, it's great fun, I also feel I have found a friend. Thanks again. Bob."

Devon Wood Crafts responded:

"Thanks Bob. I also enjoyed the day. Keep in touch and if I can help in the future, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Hope to see you At North Devon Woodturners next year."

Peter Arthur reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"Having seen Colin demonstrat at my local club in West Sussex which I found very interesting the family as part of my 70 th Birthday present the family gave me a days tutoring with Colin, as a self taught turner I found the day very beneficial to me we started with sharpening of tools the on to techniques,after coffee we moved on to spindle turning witch was very helpful the finished the day by sorting out my problems when bowl turning .Colin has a wealth of information which he is very happy to pass it on to his students, I can thoroughly recommend this course, thanks Colin for making my 70th Birthday such a memorable one ."

Nicky reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"I spent the day with Colin on his woodturning course. It was a fantastic day where I learnt techniques, safety and more. I am very pleased with the bowl I was able to produce on my course and have definitely got the woodturning bug now and wish to progress further. Colin is a friendly knowledgeable chap with a passion for what he does. Thanks Colin!"

Devon Wood Crafts responded:

"Thanks Nicky, much appreciated."

Phil Tolly reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"As a complete beginner with a lathe I didn’t really know what to expect from my day with Colin. His patience and excellent tutoring saw me leaving with a lovely bowl and egg cup and proud memories of an excellent day. Would recommend this course to both beginners and advanced students."

Devon Wood Crafts responded:

"Many thanks for this feedback, Philip. Much appreciated"

Adrian Smith reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"Just had a second day with Colin, previous one about 3 years ago and always intended to return after some practice. Again really enjoyed the day, Colin is very good company and an excellent teacher. I felt we covered all the areas I wanted to. I have no hesitation in recommending Colin as a teacher to wood turners of any level."

Joe Pitt reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"I’ve just had my third day with Colin; the first was as described above. The second was when he kindly came over to my newly fitted out albeit cramped workshop and went through all the equipment which I had acquired en masses from a retired woodturner. I decided to have a 3rd day with him - this was to be a needs-led day with it being very much what I wanted to discuss and practice on having started the hobby and having had my more than fair share of problems. The day didn’t disappoint. We started by going through preparing blanks (I am lucky to have a good supply of forested hardwood), techniques in minimising problems in seasoning and green turning. This was followed by some more specific problems I was having such as the problems I was encountering with the shape of the sharpened bowl gouge I was having, deep hollowing and the confusion that I suspect all beginners have with what finishing products to use and when. All in all another excellent day."

Dave Andrews reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"What a great session with Colin, all the other reviews have said what I wanted to say. I had the pleasure of a full day of tuition under Colin's expert eye in the comfort of my own workshop, this was great as I was being taught using my lathe and tools. At the end of the session I had the confidence to turn on my own and maintain my tools. I will be looking to book another day or two very soon."

M Davis reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"We attended a one day course as two complete novices. Great experience. Clear instructions, excellent equipment and a watchful but unobtrusive eye. The balance between instruction and letting us make our our safe mistakes was perfect. We both learnt a lot and had an excellent day. Highly recommended."

Matt Prosser reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"I was given this one day workshop as a birthday gift and it was brilliant! I had a wonderful day with Colin and under his gentle instruction made a bowl and a goblet! I wasn't expecting to be able to achieve so much but Colin made it very easy to understand and the way he would do a demonstration and then watch as I followed made for some great progress. If you have an itch to have a go at turning then I can't recommend Colin enough. I'll be back for a follow up course once I have practiced up on my own lathe that I am sure I'll buy soon! Thanks very much Colin. I had a really great day."

Tim Quine reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"I have just spent two thoroughly enjoyable, satisfying and educational days with Colin. As a complete wood-turning novice and admirer of turned wood, I was keen to find out whether wood-turning would provide an outlet for working with my hands and for creativity. Colin’s tuition was just what I needed. He patiently and clearly provides the right balance between theory and practice and enabled me to come away from the weekend with pieces that delighted and surprised my family as much as me. Colin strikes just the right balance between guiding, correcting and making space to learn by practice. Unequivocally and whole-heartedly recommended. Very Many Thanks Colin."

Tony Amies reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"Just spent three days with Colin and learnt so much. I have previously had some turning tuition in group classes, so this was a great opportunity to iron out the bad habits, gain confidence and learn new techniques and skills. The three days were tailored to my exact requirements and interests, but with sufficient flexibility to explore new things when an opportunity arose. Colin is an excellent teacher, with endless patience combined with a good sense of humour. Thoroughly enjoyable, definitely recommended."

Dave Clarke reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"I thoroughly enjoyed my two days private tuition with Colin. I left with far more than the three pieces turned whilst in his company! As I'm self-taught, Colin was able to expand my knowledge and confidence - tool use and finishing techniques particularly - correcting errors as necessary, all in a very relaxed manner. As others have noted, he is an excellent teacher and I have no hesitation recommending him to others."

Oliver reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"Recent acquired an old Myford lathe which I have restored, Colin did an excellent job of teaching me basic turning technique to get me going and catered what he taught to the equipment I have available at home. Spent most of the day making a bowl which I am very pleased with the out come and a now trying to replicate on my own lathe. He also did a quick intro into sharpening the tools and explaining how to sharpen the one I had and advised on the tools that would help me get started. Excellent day worth it even if you just want to try your hand at wood turning for a day."

Steve Clarke reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"What a great couple of days. I was really tired at the end of the second day (and the first, truth be told), but only because I'd had to focus on one thing, and that was what Colin was telling me. I made a few mistakes, especially towards the end of the second day, feeling a bit cocky I suppose. As a teacher Colin cannot be faulted, I've read some of the previous reviews and don't want to waste our time repeating them. 5 stars deserved."

christina young reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"I spent an invaluable day with Colin relearning many long forgotten turning techniques. Colin judged what I wanted to gain from the day perfectly. He gave enough slack for my confidence to build whilst being patient when things needed to be repeated (and repeated!) I came away with two beautiful bowls and a renewed enthusiasm for my lath. In addition Colin also reshaped and sharpened all my tools. I would heartily recommend paying him a visit."

Dennis Martin reviewed: Woodturning in Devon with Colin Simpson

"There has been a fifty year gap since I last tried my hand at wood turning and, as with a lot of things, tools and techniques have changed during that time. I was a trifle rusty. Colin quickly determined the style of coaching that I respond to best and, over a two day period, patiently guided me through the steps required in order to get me started again. He explained what had to be done, why it had to be done and how to do it before demonstrating how to do it myself. He then observed my attempts and corrected me (diplomatically) has I tried to apply the skills he had imparted. It was a very useful two days and I would recommend Colin and his courses to anyone that wishes to take up the craft or improve their existing skills. Most enjoyable and very useful."