Ecclesall Woods Craft Courses reviews

25 Apr 19'

Mick Woodall reviewed: Pole lathe course - Make a Mallet

"A great day learning a new skill in a delightful environment. The course was hands on from start to finish and the course tutor with 3 volunteers, along with a small class of 6 meant that everyone got the support and attention they needed."

5 Apr 19'

Marie reviewed: Introduction to green wood craft - a two day course

"I had a wonderful time on the three day green wood working course. We were blessed by a beautiful first day which made spending time in the woodland even more special. The last day, we lit a fire to keep the chill off our hands. Lovely knowledgeable people, really inclusive and friendly atmosphere. Highly recommended for restbite, reguvination and sense of well being."

5 Apr 19'

Colin Merry reviewed: Introduction to green wood craft - a two day course

"I have been on a few courses of this type but this was different, the people are very helpful and patient and I was really pleased with the items I bought away and the 3 days that I spent learning some new skills. I would highly recommend spending time with these people and I will be signing up for another course. Many thanks to Dave and his Brilliant volunteers"

4 Apr 19'

Tim Hodge reviewed: Introduction to green wood craft - a two day course

"The best fun I've had for ages. Dave and his team, Pete, Kay, Dave (#2) and Rachel were incredibly knowledgable, patient, friendly and keen to share their skills. The teapot was bottomless and the biscuit supply endless. Based in hundreds of acres of ancient woodland, the location is absolutely ideal with a cafe next door, easily accessible loos and plenty of cover if the weather should turn bad. We basked in early spring sunshine for three days and I was surprised at how quickly the time passed. We all went home clutching really useful items made using our newly-acquired skills. The course covers basic woodland management, safe tool handling and sharpening and a wealth of bodging skills. Whatever your current level of skill, I thoroughly recommend this course."

4 Apr 19'

Kim Clarke reviewed: Introduction to green wood craft - a two day course

"I attended this course last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact I came away with a strong desire to continue and have already downloaded plans to make my own shave horse ! Dave Jackson is a great tutor - extremely knowledgeable and very patient. I'd like to attend another of his courses in the future"

8 Mar 19'

Martin Munden reviewed: 1 to 1 Bladesmithing or Blacksmithing

"Bladesmithing course with Dave and Ian , I was a complete noice, we were shown examples to give us an idea of what we were making. Good paced learning where a step was demo’d and then we had a go. Format worked well , having two craftsmen share their knowledge was great , they can salvage anything that goes wrong . We all produced a knife , had fun heating and hammering a bar into handle and then forming a blade , we learn news skills , had an appreciation of the furnace, working temperatures, hammering techniques . I would high recommend this course. Only recommendation is location offer more courses and opportunities for others to participate ."

8 Mar 19'

Ben reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners course - 1 to 1

"Really great day, knowledgeable and friendly instructors, everything was easy to follow and I felt really confident by the end of the day in what I was doing. Only downside was that it ended! Had a blast and wouldnt hesitate to do it again!"

8 Mar 19'

Mark reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners course - 1 to 1

"Good team of guys, with lots of valueble info . Enjoyabe day. The weather was kind."

3 Mar 19'

Robin Hollands reviewed: 1 to 1 Bladesmithing or Blacksmithing

"I very much enjoyed my introduction to bladesmithing today, despite the rain! We were shown how to make "Yorkshire" Viking knives, which included a fair bit of blacksmithing in the handles, as well as forging the blades themselves. The instructors were great; knowledgeable and helpful and able to fix up the various little mistakes we all made at some point. There's a lot to cover in a day and things did get a little rushed towards the end, but we all went home with unique creations, and a better appreciation of the craft. Highly recommended."

23 Nov 18'

Elaine Lowe reviewed: Rustic garden reindeer making workshop

"My husband and daughters had a lovely time together making reindeer for their respective gardens. They all enjoyed the course and came back full of enthusiasm. They said the course leader and volunteers were very helpful and they were very pleased with their reindeers and would recommend the course to others. This made an ideal present for my husband as he got time to spend with his daughters doing a fun activity and they all have a 'reindeer' to remind them of the day."

23 Nov 18'

Martyn Smith reviewed: Introduction to green wood craft - a two day course

"I was on the early November course with Steve and agree with every word he wrote. An excellent introduction to the subject, real value for money and never a dull moment. It always came as a surprise when we had to finish for the day. Many thanks to Dave and the team, I've just got myself a Kent pattern axe like the one we used on day one. Great fun and you learn a lot. Cheers."

16 Nov 18'

Chris reviewed: Bronze Smelting and Casting

"I went on the course because I wanted to understand the processes behind smelting and casting. It's given me a much greater appreciation of the amount of effort and patience that went into creating Bronze Age objects. Roger was really knowledgeable and I appreciated the way he encouraged us to just get on with it, while guiding us with each stage. I came away feeling that I'll never look at a metal object in a museum in the same way again."

16 Nov 18'

Paul KEITH reviewed: 1 to 1 Bladesmithing or Blacksmithing

"Well run and thoroughly enjoyable"

16 Nov 18'

Pete reviewed: Bronze Smelting and Casting

"Great course. Roger, the tutor, was a wealth of information and a great communicator. When we went outside he showed the way to extract the copper from the ore and turn it into metal. Then we loaded up the larger crucibles and went for the bigger casts. It was a great day with good people in a fantastic environment."

16 Nov 18'

Candice Majewski reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners course - 1 to 1

"This was a brilliant day! My husband and I booked it as something fun to do for a one-off, but we're already thinking about when we can come back. The instructors were clearly super-knowledgable and explained everything in a really easy to follow way. By lunchtime we'd already each made a really professional-looking hook, which was great. I'd recommend this to anyone - the course does cost a fair bit, but it's *really* worth it!"

13 Nov 18'

Steve Lewis reviewed: Introduction to green wood craft - a two day course

"Attended this course at the beginning of November and I really enjoyed it. Dave is extremely knowledgable about his wood, his trees and the many woodworking skills and techniques to turn logs into useful items. Over the course of 3 days the four attendees made a large mallet from holly and ash; tea light holders; a spatula and a lovely rustic stool from oak, ash and hazel. We had tuition in the use of many different tools, including the shave horse, draw knife and pole lathe. Dave and his volunteer helpers, Pete, Kay and Rachel, were warm, friendly and informative people, who kept us supplied with an abundance of tea and biscuits."

7 Nov 18'

David Gill reviewed: Wood carving introduction for adults - one day

"Very satisfying and enjoyable. much to my suprise turned out a half decent carving of a kingfisher. My family were impressed if not a little suprised. Admittedly I received welcome help and encouragement from Jason. I was impressed by the work turned out by my fellow participants. Recommend to anyone even if no previous experience. Thank you Jason. The family now await my next project!"

7 Nov 18'

Kay Coe reviewed: Willow Plant Climbers & Obelisks

"Thoroughly enjoyed the day, excellent tutor and excellent venue for doing the course. Would recommend to anyone wanting to try a course at The Discovery Centre. Would agree with comment above about a handout at the end as there was so much to take in. Would also suggest the instructor has a folder with suggestions/ideas as to what to make as I had no idea what I wanted to make and also the dimensions of possible structures."

7 Nov 18'

Sally Goldsmith reviewed: Willow Plant Climbers & Obelisks

"Lovely day with patient and inspiring tutor. I'm fired up now to do more! Only improvement would have been a handout as my memory not so great!"

1 Nov 18'

Katy reviewed: Make a 3 legged rustic stool - one day

"When you wake up in the night feeling fraught about the state of the world, you can remember how good and kind the people were on this day in the woods. What a lovely experience! It has inspired me to sort out chisels, a drill and a vice to make things. Thank you so much."

31 Oct 18'

Gordon Baxter reviewed: Make a 3 legged rustic stool - one day

"We actually ended up with a 4 legged stool! The course was well organised and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The group contained people from very diverse backgrounds and so the course leader and his volunteers had to work very hard to enable everyone to be successful. I would recommend this course to anyone."

29 Oct 18'

Matt Grayson reviewed: Two day axe and felling course

"The course was fantastic. I learnt so much about how to maintain your axe and to use them safely and to the maximum of their potential. Dave and his volunteers were really helpful and made the two days really enjoyable! My confidence using an axe has improved greatly since doing the course."

22 Oct 18'

Jamie Pennington reviewed: Two day axe and felling course

"Great course! Very knowledgeable and skilful tutor. Learned how to use and maintain a variety of axe types. Covered a lot of different techniques from felling to carving and how other tools can compliment axes for use in all sorts of tasks. Amazing how much we got through even though it rained so much!"

15 Oct 18'

Alan Sprung reviewed: Two day axe and felling course

"I loved every minute of the course. It was wonderful having access to the tremendous experience of Dave, the course leader. I learned such a lot and I could see that others did too. I'll certainly be putting my newly aquired knowledge to use at the earliest opportunity."

15 Oct 18'

Kay Aitch reviewed: Two day axe and felling course

"I thoroughly enjoyed the course - the tutor was very knowledgeable and the learning environment was friendly and relaxed while at the same time I was helped to feel safe using the tools. As the tutor was assisted by capable volunteers there was always someone on hand for guidance - and I was amply supplied with cups of tea! During the course I developed more confidence using axes and billhooks in particular. I now have an understanding of the process for felling a tree, the tools to use and the safety issues to be aware of. I was able to improve my skill working with an axe to shape wood to prepare it for craft use - I also learnt more about sharpening and maintaining my axe. The weather is always bound to play a part in outdoor courses and over the weekend we had both windy and rainy conditions however as there is indoor space to use and a covered craft area we were able to keep busy and learning - I'm glad that we were able to go out and do the hands on work though, felling trees then dealing with them on the ground, sawing, chopping and snedding."