Great British Woodshop reviews

3 Feb 20'

david battle reviewed: Spray painting - furniture, doors, sculpture, metal, wood, masonry

"It was a very informative course, the attention to detail for the course was brilliant, the teacher was excellent and explained everything very easily so I could understand it. Very pleased. Kind regards."

14 Nov 19'

N Gibbs reviewed: Basic plumbing course

"This course was so informative, yet so simple! It gave me the big picture of how or from/to where water was coming into my house (or flat) and going out. I had so many questions about how the hot water cylinder in the airing cupboard works, radiator, toilet flashing, leakage from taps, changing taps, different types of pipes etc. I didn't even need to ask all of them, most of them were covered. David was very patient and knowledgeable, yet not using difficult terms or jargon. Highly recommended for people like me, who would like to get the idea of what to do with DIY level plumbing!"

12 Jun 19'

Tessa Bond reviewed: Woodwork courses - beginner - make a serving tray

"I really enjoyed the course & making the tray. It was fun, informative, informal and educational. Will do a few more for sure!"

12 Jun 19'

Anya Hollis reviewed: Beginners DIY day course archive

"Had a super day and learnt a great deal! Nice small group, relaxed atmosphere and you can ask anything - no question is too small or too daft! I took my own drill on the course which was great to find out how it really should be used! Have been tackling DIY jobs for years using my instinct, but can now do them confidently and correctly. Spent the next morning sorting my screws (who knew about Pozi head screws - that's why the Phillips screw drivers always slipped!!) and then drilled the front wall of house to hang a new house number - great job, though I say it myself! Definitely recommend this course."

10 Jun 19'

Rosie Anstice reviewed: Beginners DIY day course archive

"I was delighted to attend the Home DIY course as it threw light on so many different areas that I need help in! We covered so much in one day. There were lots of ‘oh.. that’s how you do it’ and ‘I’ve always wondered how you do that’ and ‘I had no idea you could do that (electric drill) as well as lots of asides about pipe isolators and lots on which screw to use for what, how to put up heavy mirrors on plasterboard walls, how to fix endless things and a fair bit on not drilling through cables and other lifesaving info like checking the RCD (residual current device?). Such a very useful day. I’d highly recommend it."

3 Jun 19'

Peter Lawrence reviewed: Upholstery full day class - strip, pad and cover a dining chair

"A really interesting course led by a really interesting tutor (David). Would highly recommend the course to anyone who wants to get a base idea of how to reupholster furniture. A very enjoyable afternoon."

3 Jun 19'

Paul Keane reviewed: Basic plasterboarding and finishing course

"Great course, with clear and helpful direction from David. I have gained a good understanding of basic Plasterboarding and filling and now feel fully confident in tackling my dining room ceiling! I am also very envious of your amazing workshop David! Paul"

30 May 19'

Sarah Jane Lappin reviewed: Pallet upcycling - make a chair to take away

"I booked an upcycling course with David to explore building simple structures at home and to gain confidence using power tools to make the job easier and faster. David works in a very organic way creating the workshop content depending on who is attending. I found all his many tips and comments really helpful and the opportunity to ask questions as we went along was great. David takes time to explain thoroughly, demonstrates techniques and then ensures you have it mastered before moving on. The workshop is a very relaxed environment and David's 'no fuss', 'down to earth' attitude creates an enjoyable easy atmosphere. Thanks so much David, you will see us again soon."

19 May 19'

Chandrika Mukundan reviewed: Skills - Ultimate power tools

"Absolutely delighted that I attended this course with David. He is a very knowledgeable, extremely patient and understanding teacher and methodical in his approach. I came out feeling much more confident that I will be able to use the power tools and use them safely."

7 May 19'

Charlotte reviewed: Pallet upcycling - make a chair to take away

"I bought the pallet upcyling course as a birthday present for my boyfriend and we both had the most fab day with David building a chair. David was so helpful, and I really liked the fact the course felt unique to the team on the day, as we worked out the best way to take apart the particular pallets we had, and the best way to approach the design and build of the chair using what was salvaged (rather than following a set blueprint for a chair design, with no input from us). The course inspired us to do more pallet upcycling - we built ourselves a table to go with our chairs the next day! Would definitely recommend."

3 May 19'

Nicola Vincett reviewed: Basic woodworking and DIY course

"I would highly recommend this course. I wasn't sure what to expect, but came away with so much knowledge and understanding, which is testament to David's style of teaching. It has definitely taken away my fear of making something and given me some principles to think about when completing jobs around the house. David provided such a relaxed but focused course, that we all felt comfortable asking questions, which he more than answered. He gave us so much information and got us using so many tools, and took the time to understand what we wanted to learn and guided us to what we might need around the house. I think similar courses could just involve being given tasks and then being left unattended. This course was the complete opposite; we practised with new tools and techniques, but very efficiently so you felt as though you were constantly benefiting from his experience as we were never left to our own devices. The workshop and location is incredible and you'll hear a few interesting stories. On a personal level, David is welcoming, generous and engaging, and it was a pleasure getting to know him. Who knew woodwork and DIY could be fun! I'm looking forward to booking my next course with him."

3 May 19'

Barbara Welby reviewed: Basic woodworking and DIY course

"My daughter and I went along to this course with an open mind. David immediately made us feel welcome with his enthusiasm as he guided us through many new skills. Any questions we had he answered by plain explanation and also demonstrated various possibilities or solutions. We had use of the ample supply of tools in David’s workshop and he gave clear and concise advice and demonstrated which tool to use for which job. David is an excellent teacher and both of us came away more confident with the knowledge we gained of DIY."

28 Mar 19'

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

"Good hands on course I learned a lot of skills and used tools not available to me at home - Yet! I produced a solid tray which I believe will last for many years to come. Now deciding what to do next. Thanks for a good day."

8 Mar 19'

Tracy Williams reviewed: Upholstery full day class - strip, pad and cover a dining chair

"David is a font of knowledge, whilst making everything understandable and easy to follow. Very interactive, fun and enjoyable. I learnt lots and will be booking more courses with him"

5 Mar 19'

Ian Davidson reviewed: Beginners DIY day course archive

"Thoroughly enjoyed the course during which a great many topics were covered, and useful tips and hints given to make doing the everyday chores/projects around the house, that much simpler to do. Very relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Would highly recommend. Many thanks David."

19 Feb 19'

Marianne reviewed: Basic electrical course - part 1

"I really enjoyed this course. The only electrics "experience" I've ever had was in school physics classes! David explained things really well and allowed me to ask lots of questions about things I wanted to do in my home. I'm attending more of his courses soon."

18 Feb 19'

Kelly reviewed: Basic electrical course - part 1

"I attended the Basic Electrics Course on Friday 15th February. David was a great teacher, he explained the course objectives well, asked what my intentions were for the course and explained the information in a really easy manner. I was a complete newbie to Electrics and have come away from the course with a wealth of knowledge and confidence. I will definitely be putting my training into practise myself at my home. Additionally, I now have confidence in larger jobs and explaining to the experts what I need and knowing that i have a little of their language means I feel secure in requesting work by qualified persons without fear."

16 Feb 19'

Jody Woodcock reviewed: Basic electrical course - part 1

"David was a super nice guy, very down to earth and easy to chat to. The Basic Electrical Course was excellent very easy to understand and gave me a good knowledge in the basics and to stay alive :) would highly recommend this course for anyone how would like to know more than the average person when it comes to electrics and safety. Jody"

7 Feb 19'

Kate reviewed: Basic electrical course - part 1

"Useful course. David is very thorough is explaining the basics of electrics and made sure to include all abilities with within the sesson."

21 Jun 18'

James reviewed: Skills - Ultimate power tools

"David put together a bespoke course for me to learn more about routing and wood turning to help me product designs. The first thing you will notice is David has the best workshop you've ever seen and if a tool isn't there it's not needed. He helped me with what I need to know and then a ton of other things I didn't know i needed to know. Not only can I now make the products I want, I can also make them quickly which i could never have done myself. I didn't mention this but I would happily paid much more fo his time."

23 May 18'

Alison Mcevoy reviewed: Basic woodworking and DIY course

"I just completed the basic woodwork course. David is a great tutor, who is patient and approachable, and took his time to cover not only the set programme, but any other concerns and questions I had about the project I hope to tackle. At the end of the day, I felt not only more knowledgable on how to carry out my project, but much more confident. The workshop itself is a delight! Kim"

23 May 18'

Ricardo reviewed: Basic woodworking and DIY course

"I enjoyed this course very much and I recommend it to anyone interested in taking woodwork as a hobby. The course gives you an overview of all basic woodwork techniques and gives you the opportunity to watch a woodwork master in action."

28 Mar 18'

Sara Lee reviewed: Basic woodworking and DIY course

"If you lack experience or just confidence in a workshop or around power tools then I would definitely recommend doing this course with David at the Great British Woodshop. He took time to ensure he knew what I wanted to achieve from this course from the start and noted these on a white board as our top objectives as opposed to just following a list of subjects that must be covered. We went through some basics to allow him to see where I was already competent so no time was wasted on areas I already felt confident with. David went over all the tools I was interested in and their alternatives, I was able to gain experience in using all of them in several scenarios, working with different materials; he explained everything clearly and happily engaged in two way discussions rather than just instructing, he made me feel very comfortable in the workshop and was very easy to get along with. In addition to the course, we talked over a few specific projects I had in mind with David giving me great advice advice on how best to approach them including materials and tools."

6 Mar 18'

Mark reviewed: Spray painting - furniture, doors, sculpture, metal, wood, masonry

"Excellent day learning the fundamentals of spray finishing. David, as well as being a thoroughly nice guy, was very knowledgeable on the subject and was clearly very experienced. With maximum number of 2 students, he had plenty of time to listen to our specific areas of interest. While not even David could make me an expert in a day (!) I started the morning with zero knowledge of the subject and left feeling well equipped to set up my own spray booth and take my own skills further. Highly recommended."

25 Feb 18'

Rachel reviewed: Basic woodworking and DIY course

"David was very knowledgable and approachable and i could ask all the questions i wanted. He made sure that the day covered topics that would be relevant to me and offered useful advice on items i might want to consider purchasing as basic essential tools for the tasks i plan to carry out. I feel a lot more confident to carry out basic DIY and woodwork jobs in our house. Thanks David."