OP Woodcraft reviews

28 Feb 22'

Mark, Salisbury reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"Ollie certainly knows his stuff and has the workshop and equipment to provide a great training opportunity. I attended for 3 days and focussed on the French polishing of a table and chair, and the preparation and rejuvenation of 2 other items. Ollie explains, demonstrates and monitors to develop the skills you need to achieve great results. Apart from gaining new abilities I really got to know some pieces of furniture that I have owned for some years and taken for granted. My eyes have been opened to look at furniture in a new way with greater appreciation of the craftsmanship of the product, and the joy from the natural material that is "wood"."

17 Feb 22'

Simon B reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"My second course with Ollie and once again it was excellent. Ĺearned so much and was really pleased with the way my project turned out. Simon"

17 Feb 22'

Trish Neeves reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"Working on a 2 day french polishing course with Ollie is both instructional and fun. I had already done a 1 day course with Ollie and it was because I had enjoyed Ollie's relaxed way of teaching that i decided to do another course. I am now hooked !"

24 Jan 22'

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

"Ollie was great,gave clear and precise instructions and was very patient. Took my grandads old gramophone top to french polish. Very pleased with the outcome.Would highly recommend this course. Paul Roberts."

22 Jan 22'

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

"I attended this course in November and was so inspired to do more furniture restoration as a result! As a complete beginner to all things wood Ollie was really responsive in answering my questions and helped me to decide which course would best suit my needs. I chose an ambitious piece of furniture to do up on the course (side board cabinet) but learnt so many techniques under the helpful guidance of Ollie: stripping down the cabinet, sanding, and french polishing - each step of the way Ollie advised on the best techniques (as well as health and safety advice) and I was so proud with what I achieved. Ollie was great at responding to my questions and giving me advice on further pieces after the course. The workshop is situated in a beautiful location, and I throughly enjoyed my time on the course and would highly recommend it!"

30 Nov 21'

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

"Learnt how to french polish my table Small group of 4 people in the workshop a very easy going atmosphere Ollie explained everything very clearly and checked each step as we worked A lot of advice about products and how to continue projects at home Would highly recommend"

8 Nov 21'

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

"As a total novice to any sort of furniture restoration or care this was the ideal day for me! Oliver was increasingly patient and reassuring throughout the day as he shared his knowledge and skills. His workshop is fascinating, and a really relaxed environment to enjoy a day of creativity and learning."

13 Oct 21'

Toby Parsons reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"There should be a rating of Excellent **. Ollie is a fantastic tutor and has so much knowledge and experience. He is so calm and has such a huge (quiet) passion for wood and its qualities. I was on a 2 day French polishing course and had some lovely pieces, all pretty old. When the instruction was that we are taking this back to the wood I thought OK you are the expert. He was so so right to take it all back and go through the whole process. I had three items and his advice was spot on, two (2) needed the full works and the third (3) needed waxing and buffing - I came home with the goods and my wife thinks I am a hero. Not possible without Ollie's calm and fabulously professional guidance and advice. It was the best two days that I have spent working on a craft project and I will continue with it and go back for another good course. Great location, great company and simply brilliant outcomes. I cannot recommend the course enough and Ollie's choice of workshop music, so calming. It's a fabulous mental health spa....effort and great results."

14 Sep 21'

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

"What a brilliant few days with Ollie in his workshop in the Cotswolds. I arrived with only basic skills, clutching my tired-looking bentwood chair...and a tendency to reach for the power sander! I left with a beautiful chair - that I felt incredibly proud to have brought back to life over the three days - and a much deeper understanding of the techniques, tools and products to do things properly and to a high standard. The graft involved in hand stripping and hand sanding isn't a walk in the park but it's so fulfilling to move step by step through the process...and of course getting to the shiny-gorgeous stage which is the most fun! Ollie teaches you to be patient, as he himself is a very patient teacher. This attention to detail as you focus on a single piece for many hours, is very therapeutic, clearing your mind of everything in your busy life as you concentrate hard on every detail of the piece you're working on. Everyone I mentioned my course to - and when I've shown them the finished chair - has said "wow that's very cool". If you're thinking about booking up with Ollie for a special present for yourself or a loved one, just do it. Whoever is lucky enough to attend will learn loads, have a fab time and great conversation, and will come away with a real appreciation for beautiful furniture and things done properly."

10 Aug 21'

Barnaby Swayne reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"A thoroughly enjoyable course, Ollie is professional, personable and patient, with the ability to teach in a clear and methodical manner. With Ollie's guidance, I managed to transform a small veneered chest of drawers, with pealing veneer, scratches, cup ring marks, and old wood worm holes, back to it's former glory, it was quite incredible. I would highly recommend."

9 Aug 21'

Ann Carter reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"A really excellent day with excellent but relaxed tuition. Amazing what you can achieve. Would throughly recommend a day course & can’t wait to do 2 days."

2 Aug 21'

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

"I thoroughly enjoyed the French Polishing workshop with Ollie which I recently attended. Ollie is extremely patient and has a huge amounts of experience and knowledge of working with different types of furniture from various periods. His knowledge of wood and materials is vast and he is great at explaining different techniques. The course is really practical and it was great to be able to get hands on so quickly and develop the skills and confidence to be able to continue to do more restoration projects in the future. I look forward to going back, learning more techniques with even bigger and better projects..!"

2 Aug 21'

Sarah T. reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - 2 Day Beginners/Intermediate Workshop

"I can highly recommend Ollie at OP Woodcraft. Ollie is highly professional, friendly and an excellent teacher. Ollie is extremely approachable and generous with his all of his knowledge and experience. I recently attended the 2 day French Polishing course and came away feeling so much more confident and with 2 fabulous tables which had been stripped back, stained and French polished to a high standard over the duration of the 2 days. Thank you Ollie and I hope to be back again before too long! ?"

14 Jul 21'

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

"Ollie's course merits a rating above Excellent. He gave clear instructions just the once and then left me to have a go myself, before coming back and gently correcting or improving my efforts. He also adapted the course structure to suit my own requirements. I went there looking for a better way of presenting my finished restorations and I came away with that in spades, plus two restored items I am immensely proud of."

5 Jul 21'

Kerry mills reviewed: Contemporary Furniture Refinishing & Upcycling with Woodcare - 2 Day Workshop

"This was a fantastic course and Ollie is a great tutor. I have learnt a lot from him about how to bring wood and furniture back to life. Due to the variety of students and furniture pieces I also had the opportunity to learn about french Polishing, stains and painting. It was a really enjoyable and relaxing 2 days. I hope to do more courses with olllie."

2 Jul 21'

Alison White reviewed: Mid Century Modern Refinishing & Restoration Workshop - All levels - 3 days

"Ollie manages to balance imparting huge amounts of his vast knowledge and at the same time enabling you to build confidence, take on new techniques and stretch your own abilities. At the same time he approach is inclusive, appraising unexpected issues that arise and jointly agreeing options and solutions. In my experience this is the sign of a great teacher. I was totally absorbed by the process of transforming my piece of furniture but also building the foundations of knowledge for future practice and further skills development. It was a full on 3 days but hugely enjoyable, with good company and I feel confident that my skills have been well and truly expanded."

29 Jun 21'

Harold Chrystal reviewed: Contemporary Furniture Refinishing & Upcycling with Woodcare - 2 Day Workshop

"Delighted and now inspired to do more. I very much enjoyed the 2 day course with Ollie and it was defintely wortwhile. With Ollie's guidance and very helpful instruction I now have a restored mid-century Ercol dining chair, that would otherwise have been left to languish in my garage, neglected and unloved, for years to come. I now feel confident about restoring the rest of the set, and highly recommend taking a furniture restoration course with Ollie."

28 Jun 21'

Kerry Davis reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"Fantastic Christmas gift, I was very much a beginner in this field, I spent one day learning with Ollie and can’t wait to go back and learn more. It was great fun, very informative and I felt like I could go home and achieve similar results. My mahogany box is beautiful and feels like silk! I can’t stop looking at it!"

28 Jun 21'

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

"I loved the three days I spent in Ollie's workshop, and especially the beautifully transformed desk that I came away with, the skills, and the newfound confidence it has given me. I’d already done a bit of restoration but I was often getting bewildered by the amount of differing advice you find online about how to tackle different restoration issues. I needed definitive advice and guidance from an expert and I needed to be able to ask questions and that’s exactly what the three days with Ollie will give you. I definitely feel like it might have been a game-changer for my own business and I hope to go back for more! Thanks again Ollie."

24 Jun 21'

Alexis Ogden reviewed: Mid Century Modern Refinishing & Restoration Workshop - All levels - 3 days

"I attended this course with no prior knowledge of furniture restoration. I loved every minute of it especially seeing my piece of furniture transform from shabby looking chest of drawers to beautifully smooth and smart piece of retro furniture. Ollie has a wealth of knowledge to hand and the course has given me confidence to tackle future projects. Thank you."

22 Jun 21'

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

"Ollie is a great teacher with knowledge and passion. There was a calm efficiency about the course which is almost entirely hands on. Ollie has a knack of knowing when to gently intervene and instruct. I learnt far more on the 5 day course than I imagined I would. I am no expert, but I feel confident and capable of tackling a wide range of tasks. I also know that Ollie would be happy to provide ad hoc advice if I needed it. The course notes are excellent as well as the refined shopping list for future projects that followed. Thank you Ollie!"

21 Jun 21'

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

"This is an excelkent course run by Oliver who is very informative, knowledgeable and patient. I have vastly improved my technique in staining and oiling, have learnt that I love the process of French polishing and that I need more practice in my furniture painting. However, I have gained the knowledge to take these forward and know that Ollie is at the end of an email for future advice. I would highly recomnend this course and would love the chance to attend another one in the future."

25 May 21'

Julie Curran reviewed: French Polishing & Woodcare - Beginners Course - 1 Day

"I had a fantastic day with Ollie. He told me french polishing was a bit of a rollercoaster and he was right. Throughout the course of the day we transformed the £20 table I bought at a junkshop into a really beautiful looking piece. I could never have believed we would accomplish so much in a short space of time. Ollie is knowledgeable, patient and easy going at the same time. I will be rebooking!! Thanks Ollie."

21 May 21'

Simone Kirwan reviewed: Mid Century Modern Refinishing & Restoration Workshop - All levels - 5 days

"Ollie's course is excellent. I went in there with little knowledge of furniture restoration and came away feeling confident and surprised at the skills I had acquired during the week I was there. From stripping, sanding, fixing and french polishing to the finished product Ollie offered guidance and support throughout. I would highly recommend this course! Thanks so much Ollie!!!!"

18 May 21'

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

"My partner Rhys and I run a small business selling vintage and antique furniture. We both attended the week long course and we were blown away by the amount we learned during our time with Ollie. We're now more than confident that we can tackle anything that comes our way and this will help our business tremendously. Ollie is a fantastic teacher, explains everything with great care and patience and is very easy to get on with. Thank you so much Ollie! Ellie Pyke Pyke & Co Vintage"