Great British Woodshop reviews

Martin reviewed: Basic woodworking and DIY course

"I did this course in August and had a very enjoyable and informative day. David was a very approachable teacher with a wealth of experience in many of the building trades and was more than willing to share his knowledge and tips with the three of us that attended.I learned a great deal, especially about the correct way of doing things such as measuring, marking out, drilling, sawing, fixings, joints - things that I found out I've been doing incorrectly for years! The course has really given me the confidence to start working on jobs around the house again. Thanks David!"

Ian Holloway reviewed: Router Day Class

"Very useful day. David was patient and thorough with time for everyone. We tried several different routers. Now itching to buy one !"

Elinor Bell reviewed: Router Day Class

"Excellent course - really good mix of principles and hands on experience. Covered a lot of info but it was all really clear and logical- would recommend!"

Michael de Jacquier reviewed: Spray painting - furniture, doors, sculpture, metal, wood, masonry

"David is an extremely experience tutor and his knowledge on the topic is very impressive. You leave the day with very solid understanding and practice of the skill as well as a solid appreciation for the equipment, it’s use, maintenance, etc. There are loads of gimmicks out there, so the ability to differentiate the good form the bad, from the useless, … The spray painting workshop was equally impressive. A very good day indeed. Highly recommended."

Debbie reviewed: Basic plasterboarding and finishing course

"Excellent course. David taught us plasterboarding in clear steps and kept us engaged through a mix of direct teaching, questioning and practical experience. He watched us carefully and gave individual hints so that we left feeling confident that we could tackle our projects. Thank you David!"

Jasmine reviewed: Make a canvas deckchair to take home.

"I thoroughly enjoyed this course! It was a great blend of both understanding some basic woodworking, and then being allowed to independently move onto the actual cutting and construction of the chair. The group size was also perfect, was lovely to have people to work alongside, but also not too many people that you couldn’t get help if you needed. David was a fantastic tutor, and really helped everyone feel equipped to take on the project, no matter their level of previous experience. His encyclopaedic knowledge of woodworking was evident, and he was a very patient and encouraging teacher. I would highly recommend."

Great British Woodshop responded:

"Hi Jasmine David asked me to thank you for the kind review. We hope to see you again. Best wishes Kirsty"

Rosalyn reviewed: Beginners DIY and Home Maintenance day course

"What a great day! I learnt so much in a very friendly, relaxed atmosphere. David was a great teacher. So many handy hints packed into one day. Despite having dabbled in DIY for many years I learnt loads of new stuff. It was quite an intensive day. My only criticism would be it could be an hour longer and then it wouldn't feel like there was a rush to fit everything in by 4pm. I would definitely look at coming on another of your courses."

joseph reviewed: Basic electrical part 2 - practical

"-excellent course with lots of finer details explained in an easy to understand way -was able to fix a bedroom light that was on hold for months! -very pleased with the course and its content and confident to tackle the mundane electric jobs in the house, within the acceptable constraints"

joseph reviewed: Basic plumbing course

"The course has enabled me to fix a light that has been put on hold for quite sometime and now I understand more about wiring and testing plus the use of different conductors for different purposes. Excellent course and would recommend to anyone having some odd jobs to do, or a tradesman around, to avoid those dodgy fixes that cost fortunes for things that are not broken."

joseph reviewed: Basic electrical course - part 1

"It was great experience, with David explaining basic electric theories and concept in such a way it was easy to understand and he followed up with queries even if they were not answered in the class, definitely a useful course for end users"

Katherine reviewed: Basic electrical course - part 1

"Unfortunately this course was very disappointing as there was no practical element to it at all. We sat in front of a whiteboard for 3 hours without a break. I had expected to have some hands on activities but when I queried this David told me that would happen if I booked on the second electrical course. I definitely wouldn’t recommend if you just want to learn some basic skills and I won’t be booking on any further courses."

Ann Slattery reviewed: Upholstered footstool course

"David is an excellent teacher. He's extremely organised and taught me how to use a number of power tools. The end result of my day was an impressive footstool for home. Would definitely recommend."

Holly reviewed: Beginners DIY and Home Maintenance day course

"The course covered a lot of different topics and definitely increased my confidence with DIY. David was very knowledgable and friendly and is a very good teacher. The course wasn't practical though. I was under the impression when I booked it that we would be practicing putting up shelves/tiling/caulking etc but this was more of a classroom style course where we sat for the entire day whilst listening and watching demonstrations."

Great British Woodshop responded:

"Hi Holly Thank you for your feedback and we are sorry that you felt you didn’t get our usual 5 star experience. Your question is tough to answer as the class you attended was large and David had a large amount of questions from the group. This class is more of a how-to class, to enable you to learn how to do elements of DIY properly before going home to practice.   There is normally more of a practical element, but due to the amount of questions on the day, we were unable to do so much practical or get through the full list. David wanted students to leave happy and had to weigh up getting through the full class description or answering all their questions.   We do have other short in depth classes in plumbing, electrical, plasterboarding and tiling if you wanted to go into more detail in these areas. We have decided to reduce the amount of participants on this class going forward in light of your feedback."

RTA reviewed: Beginners DIY and Home Maintenance day course

"David was very friendly and knowledgeable but there was little to know practical element. one person was able to drill a screw into a piece of wood whilst the others watched, but other than that, nobody picked up anything. David passed on lots of information but in this respect we could have watched a youtube video/ read a book. I expected we would all get to try various challenges/ tasks, but it was just a long talk, to be honest. We also didnt cover all the topics listed on the website. So, in terms of value for money, I don't feel it was worth it and I have no more confidence now then I did going in."

Great British Woodshop responded:

"Thank you for your feedback and we are sorry that you felt you didn’t get our usual 5-star experience. Our DIY classes are interactive and at the start of each class, David asks the group what they would like covered.   In your class, there were a lot of questions. There is normally more of a practical element, but due to the amount of questions on the day, we were unable to do so much practical or get through the full list. David wanted students to leave happy and had to weigh up getting through the full class description or answering all their questions. We have decided to reduce the amount of participants on this class going forward in light of your feedback. "

Danielle Garber reviewed: Beginners DIY and Home Maintenance day course

"This was such an enjoyable and informative day. I've come away with a much better understanding of the basics which will stand me in good stead for any future projects"

Jean reviewed: Woodwork courses - beginner - make a serving tray

"Did the tray making day. I was the only one there so had a one to one which was excellent. Learnt a lot and made a good tray. Will look into doing something else later. Thank you David."

ASC reviewed: Basic woodworking and DIY course

"An excellent course if you want to move from occasional DIY to more regular woodcraft. We had 4 in the group so all of us had a chance to use all the tools . David is a natural teacher, so the information and skills are easily absorbed. I have never used a saw correctly in 25 years ,until now. A 7 hour course packed with detail you just can't read about. Thoroughly recommended."

Rob Hudson reviewed: Router Day Class

"A very good and informative day with David. From having a router with absolute no idea of how to use it, it is no longer a mystery! The instruction was clear and precise and the demonstrations with hands on experience were excellent. I would recommend the course to anyone wanting an introduction to using a router."

Tracy Barker reviewed: Beginner's upholstery - half day course

"I thoroughly enjoyed my beginners upholstery course. The trainer was very knowledgeable and patient. I learnt how to upholster a stool and I love it. Very enjoyable morning."

James Alexander reviewed: Woodworking joints - Intermediate woodwork furniture building course.

"I really enjoyed my mortice and tenon course, the course also includes useful tips and tequniques alongside these joints. Ive already started using my new skills, highly recommended."

Antonio Breakenridge reviewed: Woodworking joints - Intermediate woodwork furniture building course.

"The teacher was very thorough, knowledgeable and patient. I learnt a lot on this day course and can't wait to start practicing my new skills. The class was small with 3 of us, perfect in the current pandemic situation. Thank you very much."

Christina Hall reviewed: Beginner's upholstery - half day course

"Tutor really knowledgeable and enjoyed the whole morning"

Charlotte McGee reviewed: Upholstery full day class - strip, pad and cover a dining chair

"Really enjoyed my day, especially as I turned out to be the only student so was really able to get one to one tuition. David is a fabulous, patient teacher even with my very challenging chair! Great day"

Katie reviewed: Basic woodworking and DIY course

"great class, really useful and great teacher!"

Jez Brown reviewed: Basic woodworking and DIY course

"David started us at the deep end. He talked about the theory of choosing wood by cut. He talked of the types of jointing that we would learn. He talked of the correct usage of tools in the workshop...and then he made us do it. I found that my sawing was OK, but my drilling needed adjustment. The use of the biscuit cutter was unexpected but very rewarding. Always we were questioned on the theory - what was this called? / why would we do that? / what is this called? (again!). Loved the course. I thought I was an OK DIYer but it turns out that learning by experience is not always the best way...this course paid for itself when I realised how important clamps are. Some of you reading this may already use them - but that was just one of the basic woodworking techniques we were both shown and tried."