OP Woodcraft reviews

18 Sep 24'

Stephen reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"I took the one day course, really enjoyable and achieved a remarkable finish on my coffee table. Given that I possess no french polishing skills the result is testimony to Ollie's teaching skills and encouragement. a hugely enjoyable day, and most satisfying. I highly recommend a course with Ollie"

9 Jul 24'

Richard Bowser reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"Lovely 2 days in the Cotswolds. Oliver has a very relaxed style , hands off style but helping whenever needed . We worked hard over the two days restoring 3 testing pieces of mahogany! They all look great and we have learnt some significant knowledge. To be a true French polisher you need more than 2 days but we both feel confident to have a go ! I recommend it "

9 Jul 24'

Tom D reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"Did the one day intro course and had a great day out. Oliver is keen to show you what options you have restoring your piece and you have opportunities to try them out. Also good to see what other students are doing with their restorations. Would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in restoring wooden items."

5 Apr 24'

Karen reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"Fabulous day with Ollie, the time just sped by. Learnt so much in such a short time, Ollie was very patient in the way he taught us but ensured that we got as much 'hands on' experience as possible with the pieces we were working on. Thoroughly recommend."

24 Feb 24'

Andy Hooper reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"An excellent one day course for beginners like me, Ollie explained everything clearly and the end result on my piece of furniture is just how I wanted and remembered it in the family home all those years ago, thank you 😊 "

16 Feb 24'

Sia reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"Ollie is a lovely guy who is clearly passionate about wood and knows SO much about it. He'll definitely be able to help fire your interest and hone your skills. I'm hoping to do another class with him. "

3 Dec 23'

Peter Jordan reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"Spent two days with Oli on a French polishing course. Thoroughly enjoyed it, everything explained and demonstrated really well. Would recommend this to anybody who likes working with wood professionally or as a hobby."

6 Jun 23'

Paul reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"Great course. Broken down really well. Oliver is a great tutor. "

18 Dec 22'

Edward reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"Had a great day learning some French Polishing skills with Oliver. Absolutely amazing results with the old key box that I took to work on. Definitely need more time at Olivers work shop. "

18 Dec 22'

Ann Collins reviewed: Mid Century Modern Refinishing & Restoration Workshop - All levels - 3 days

"I took a very scratched veneered desk which Ollie showed me how to recover. A lot of hard work stripping, sanding, grain filling and building up lots of coats of finish. I wanted to lighten the colour and with his help have given it a much nicer appearance. He also showed me how to french polish a walnut coffee table which now looks like the day it was bought over 40 years ago. I now have confidence to use powered sanding tools and enough basic knowledge to have a go at home. I met other students and Ollie encouraged us all to learn about each other’s pieces. I would recommend anyone to take a course with Ollie and will save up to go again."

23 Nov 22'

David reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"Very interesting and informative day Well worth it"

23 Nov 22'

Clive reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"This was a very intensive Course Day, with a lot to do and to absorb. Ollie is an excellent Tutor and takes you through the various steps in detail. He has a great sense of humour, which adds to the enjoyment of learning the skills of French Polishing, including the vital steps in preparation. It was hard work, but well worth it & thoroughly recommended."

17 Sep 22'

Liz Bell reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"Really satisfying course. I took along a box that I had made and a mahogany table to learn polishing old and new pieces and was so pleased with the result. Feeling confident to try pieces at home now."

14 Sep 22'

Mike Forster reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"I brought an inherited mahogany flip-top occasional table and a small sapele toolbox I had made. The table top was split, but Ollie jointed and glued it up, not without some frustration and hilarity in equal measure. The dovetails on the box were less than perfect but, undeterred, Ollie showed me how to fill the gaps and touch up the filler until one can scarcely tell it has been done. He is an excellent and patient teacher whom I can thoroughly recommend. Both my pieces are transformed."

14 Sep 22'

Mark Tarsey reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"Five stars is not enough to reflect our experience. The course exceeded all expectations. Ollie is a great tutor, giving just the right amount of guidance without being overbearing. Plenty of demonstration and explanation with ample time for you to work on your piece. A relaxed experience and we have come away with hints and tips on how to apply the skills more widely in our future projects. We will be back to expand on this course. "

3 Sep 22'

Jac Kingsley reviewed: 5 Day Professional Furniture Refinishing Workshop - Traditional & Contemporary

"I’ve just completed a week long course with Ollie. It was a great experience from start to finish and I feel confident to continue restoring furniture as a result. Ollie is highly skilled and a great teacher. His years of experience means he can advise on and provide solutions for all kinds of unseen problems. I highly recommend him and his wonderful workshop."

6 Jul 22'

Claire Sutherland reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"As a total beginner to any sort of furniture restoration this was the ideal workshop for me. I wanted to understand how to smarten second-hand furniture that I bought from charity shops. Just for me, not as any kind of business. Oliver was able to explain how to French polish, step by step and provided excellent pre course notes with all the materials needed. He also emailed me afterwards a specific list of what to buy and what I could leave out as I'm not planning only doing loads of furniture. I took 2 small pieces of furniture, one was in need of too much repair to French polish as a beginner, but Oliver showed me how to wax it, so I went home with that improved too. Good fun day, would recommend!"

6 Jul 22'

Nick Whitehead reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"Ollie is a very good teacher, able to tailor his level of input to your skill level. I have been woodworking as a hobby for many years and learnt some important new skills. Highly recommended"

25 Jun 22'

Angela Harper reviewed: Contemporary Furniture Refinishing & Upcycling with Woodcare - 1 Day Beginners

"A very useful and informative workshop. I learned some techniques that I will definitely use going forward when recycling furniture. Ollie was a great tutor and made me feel at ease as it was my first experience at this type of event. I welcomed his advice on how to transform my piece of furniture which will take pride of place in my hallway. A very relaxing and therapeutic day thank you."

26 May 22'

Helen reviewed: 5 Day Professional Furniture Refinishing Workshop - Traditional & Contemporary

"I did the 5 day professional furniture refinishing course with Ollie in April as I wanted to set up my own part-time business refurbishing vintage furniture. The course was excellent, covering everything from stripping, sanding, oiling/waxing and painting to get a very professional finish. Ollie is very patient and flexible in tailoring the course to your needs. It is a great mix of hands on practical work, alongside written notes enabling you to refer back when you need a reminder. Ollie is also very generous in helping with ad hoc queries post course when you need a little extra direction. I can’t recommend this course enough and hope to go back for more modules in future."

26 May 22'

Richard Waite reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"Oliver is an excellent teacher with a wide range of experience and knowledge. The course is very hands-on and we all completed our selected pieces with expert guidance when needed. All materials were provided and explained and comprehensive course notes and a shopping list were provided after the course. I thoroughly enjoyed this course and learned exactly what I was hoping to learn, which was how to apply French polishing. I would recommend Oliver as a teacher to anyone interested in finishing/re-finishing wooden furniture."

3 May 22'

Chris reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"Having tried (and failed miserably) to French Polish, this course was a god send. Ollie is fantastic, friendly, professional and tailored the course to my needs. Communication before, during and after the course was fantastic. Every step in the preparation and polishing was walked through and clearly explained along with a ton more unrelated but valuable tips on woodworking techniques to produce overall better quality pieces. If you want to learn how to French Polish, don't hesitate but book your course in this fully equipped workshop today!"

14 Apr 22'

Harry Allen reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"Just completed a 3-day French Polishing course. Thoroughly enjoyable. Oliver gives clear instructions and keeps a close eye on what you are up to, checking your technique. He was able to help repair and replace bits from my piece that had fallen off or broken with age. Oliver was very knowledgeable and calmly explained the processes (more than once, as required!). As this is a teaching event, I would advise taking one complex piece requiring several different skills to be learned rather than several simpler pieces where fewer skills are repeated."

3 Mar 22'

Lesley Allen reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"1 day French Polishing Course. I took two of my grandfather's mantel clocks to restore. Ollie patiently takes you through each individual step and checks that you understand and are following the process. There were 3 others attending, and it was great to see different techniques on these different pieces as they came back to life. Ollie shares lots of advice and tips and created a fun, supportive atmosphere. The end result was stunning - I'm really proud of the clocks. I would highly recommend this course."

2 Mar 22'

Dr William Gardner reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"A superb course. Oliver Piepereit was very welcoming when I arrived and was a patient and careful teacher, always obliging and willing to answer all questions. I am delighted with the results on various piano components that I took for practise."