Pren reviews

Andy Packer reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day

"I had a session bought for me as a birthday present and hadn’t touched a lathe since I left school 30+ years ago. Les is a great teacher who is very knowledgeable about his craft. He has an easy manner and explains everything in terms you can understand without getting overly technical. I had a great time and came away with a fantastic bowl & tree as well as some new skills. I’ll be booking another session with Les once I’ve got a lathe and some practice under my belt. Thanks for a great day Les."

Pren responded:

"Thanks for the review, Andy, I'm really pleased that you enjoyed your day.... there's a woodturning club which used to meet at bangor, but now meets at Star, near Gaerwen, on Anglesey. If you're interested, let me know and I'll find some further details for you."

Rae reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day

"Really good fun. Les is very knowledgeable and the day was full of interesting information with real hands on learning. Definitely a full value day. I highly recommend all women wear high neck clothing! I came aware having made several items which my daughter loves. Nice to see an expert at work to."

Pren responded:

"Thanks for the review, Rachel. I'm pleased that you enjoyed your day and especially pleased that your daughter loves her wooden cup and her tree."

Peter Howard reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day

"My wife booked a one day wood turning course with Les a a surprise birthday present. Although I had acquired some knowledge of wood turning some years ago Les was able to show me skills using a bowl gouge that I had not seen beforehand. Les is a fantastic teacher and with his skilful and knowledgeable guidance I was able to complete the difficult task of turning a yarn bowl. I had a fantastic day working with Les in his workshop. Thanks Les"

Pren responded:

"Thank you so much for that, Peter. I thoroughly enjoyed working with you."

Mick Larkin reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day

"I have just attended a full day course with Les and I have to say I throughly enjoyed the day. Les took me from no experience to completing to projects. His manner and how he explained every detail was very good indeed. Good facilities and great equipment to use plus all COVID aspects were covered. I would recommend this course, brilliant."

Pren responded:

"Thank you so much for that, Mick. I thoroughly enjoyed our day at the lathe."

Rhodri Jones reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day

"I was having difficulty bowlturning so I spent a day with Les to see where I was going wrong. The difference between what I could make before to after the lesson was huge! Les is very informative, knowledgeable and is very patient, which really gives you a confidence boost for being able to do it yourself. He clearly addressed any problem areas and suggested numerous ways of going about the different aspects of woodturning. All of which I am very thankful for! I would highly recommend him to both complete novices and experienced woodturners and to anyone thinking about getting in touch to do so."

Pren responded:

"Thank you Rhodri, I'm so pleased that you found the day useful."

James Wright reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day

"Les' one day course is perfect for any novice and I highly recommend it. This was a fantastic birthday present from my parents from which I was able to walk away with a few pieces I will always treasure. The tuition itself is 1-to-1 and excellent value for money. Les' depth of knowledge, passion, and experience were top notch and his workshop a great retreat. Naturally I had many questions and learned a lot about the sylvian arts throughout the day. Thanks again for a great day. I hope to be back soon."

Pren responded:

"Thanks for that, James. I really enjoyed working with you and I have just one question....did you ever get all those wood shavings off your jacket?"

Graham Tunstall reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day

"I have just completed a wonderful woodturning course with Les. I found him very knowledgeable and patient when teaching, this allowed me produce a very nice wooden fruit bowl. Les explained correct use of all the various tools and techniques needed. His workshop is clean and very equipped with everything required available. I would recommend this course to everyone."

Pren responded:

"Many thanks Graham, I'm really pleased that you enjoyed the day."

Graham Williams reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day

"An excellent teaching day and well worth a 2 hour journey from the Midlands. Les is an excellent skills teacher and coped with a complete novice turner. The teaching is hands on from the moment you enter his Aladdin's den of a workshop and the theory is picked up as it arises, rather than in a formal presentation at the beginning. We moved rapidly through all the basics, with tips on technique and general advice throughout the day. As an experienced woodworker, I was a little unsure as to whether turning was a natural progression for me. A few minutes with Les convinced me that a new world or woodworking lies out there. A one day course is extremely good value for money as it is one-and-one tuition for the whole day."

Pren responded:

"Thank you so much for the review, Graham. It was a very enjoyable day and your desire to learn and enjoyment of what you were doing, made my job a very easy one."

John Roberts reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day

"Les is very welcoming and put's you at ease. Les is very patient and knowledgeable, with his guidance I was able to make a lidded box, Xmas tree bauble, and a small Xmas tree, these items were what I had asked Les to try to make. I already have orders for 15 of the Xmas trees, so I am going to be busy for awhile. If there are any budding wood turner's out there it would be money well spent on a lesson with Les. Thank you Les on a very enjoyable day. Yours Xmas tree John."

Pren responded:

"Ha ha! We had a bit of fun, John.....'twas a good day and I do hope that Grace liked the box."

Nigel Foster reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day

"Les is a first class tutor with a very easy going manner along with a vast knowledge of wood & turning it. I had a two day session with him & along with learning how to use the lathe & tools safely I managed to produce 4 very pleasing pieces to take home with me. Altogether a very pleasant & educational time, money well spent, I may even do another couple of days when I have gained some experience on my newly acquired knowledge to go a stage further. Thank you Les Nigel"

Pren responded:

"Thanks for that, Nigel....it was a pleasure to work with you and I'm really pleased that you felt that it was two days so well spent. Les."

John Livingston reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day

"Great course - Les helped me to turn a bowl that was of a far higher standard than I could have imagined prior to the course."

Pren responded:

"Thank you for the review, John. It was a pleasure working with you and I'm delighted that you're pleased with your bowl."

Mr G Pike reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day

"Excellent for these reasons; Very able wood turner with excellent standards of completed product and wide experience Able communicator interested in teaching students to achieve using highly developed skills Well equipped workshop using higher quality machinery Pleasant scenery and surroundings in this part of Wales A warm welcome and interest in people coupled with his love of wood turning meant the whole days' experience was very enjoyable and fulfilling Thank you Les"

Phil Hackney reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day

"I had the pleasure of attending one of Les’s Woodturning class - it was brilliant. He assessed my previous experience (total beginner) and doctored the lesson accordingly. Extremely articulate, informational and a general fab guy I left having proudly turned two pieces very excited and inspired. I cant recommend the experience enough. Thanks Les."

Colm Ebdy reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day

"Had a brilliant time, learning how to operate the lathe safely and came away with a good understanding of how to turn. Les is a very knowledgeable and patient tutor and puts you at ease. I enjoyed the day, which seemed to fly by! I came away with a lovely scorched bowl and a xmas tree!! I have since purchased a lathe and Les was good enough to advise me on what was good and not so good, and has even offered to help me get started once i have the lathe set up, what more can you ask for!!"

Mervyn Daniel reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia - taster course

"My introduction to wood turning allowed me to create a very attractive bowl from a simple block of oak. Les explained the pros and cons of different woods, the basics of the various equipment we used and the choices available to finish the bowl. He guided me through the various production stages while allowing me plenty of hands on experience. Les was a great teacher and we had some fun. I can thoroughly recommend the experience which, now that I am retired, has left me seriously considering buying a starter kit (and returning to Bala to have some more coaching)."

Tom reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day

"As well as being an excellent craftsman, Les is a very accomplished, attentive and personable tutor. Completely open and keen to share his own hallmark techniques, tips and tricks. A thoroughly enjoyable day tailored to exactly what I wanted to learn. Recommended!"

Timothy Vale reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day

"Attended one of Les wood turning courses this week and It was one of the best and most enjoyable things I have done. I came away with a desire to continue it as a hobby and a oak burr bowl that surpassed my expectations. Les is a great teacher he understands, and can simply explain any aspect of the process. and the one to one tuition was great. Highly recommended, Thank you Les."

Sallie Field reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day

"Les provided my husband and I with 4 hours of expert and friendly tuition. We were both able to come away with a beautiful bowl - far more professional looking than i ever thought possible. Les is a fabulous teacher and the one to one nature of the course really helped. We both thoroughly recomend this course and both are enthused to go back and spend more time learning this skill."

Rose quirk reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day

"I attended a day course and with Les's guidance, completed a bowl that impressed even myself, whos a beginner. . Good content and Les offers additional information plus is guided by the students. In fact I would consider attending again to devrlop more turning skills."

David Palmer reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day

"Thoroughly enjoyed course. I am very pleased with the bowl and candlestick I made, I liked choosing the piece of wood to use. Les is an excellent tutor."

Keith reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia, North Wales - Full day

"Excellent course, very enjoyable. Les is very patient and a skilled instructor, even managing to coach me to turn a bowl I am really proud of. I would highly recommend this course to anyone wanting a start in the art of wood turning."

Tom Birley reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia - taster course

"i took my girlfriend lizzi to go and do an introduction into woodturning as it is something i have got interest in. Les was kind, encouraging and a great teacher. He demonstrated his vast knowledge of the tools and how to use them correctly as well as his knowledge of wood. He gave us lots of opportunities to use the tools and if we were struggling he would come and give us extra support when doing more challenging techniques. i got to experiment with beading techniques on my sycomore wooden bowl whilst Lizzi made a fruit bowl out of walnut wood with some scorched lines. We were both incredibly proud of the product we made. Overall, we have thoroughly enjoyed our experience, would recommend it to anyone looking to learn a new skill. We are definitely going back to seeing Les again. Thank you Les you were brilliant"

Caroline reviewed: Learn to turn in Snowdonia - taster course

"I took my son to a Wood Turning Taster Session with Les and he had an absolutely fantastic time. He made a bowl out of oak, scorched it and lime waxed it. He loved being able to use the machines and coming home with something to show for his efforts."