Rustic Carpentry reviews

14 Nov 18'

Lesley W reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"Just enjoyed a 'mother and daughter' day making lovely oak/ash stools' at Ian's workshop. It was a truly brilliant day learning this craft, which we both thoroughly enjoyed. Even though I was a complete beginner working with wood Ian was very patient and supportive throughout the process and we came away with a treasured piece of furniture and the memory of a fabulous day. Thank you Ian!!"

31 Oct 18'

Johnathan reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"I have just spent the day making a carved wooden stool and mallet - which I am incredibly proud of. This course was excellent. Ian is very knowledgeable and an excellent teacher, he is very patient. Thank you for a great experience."

25 Oct 18'

Stella Blay reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"This was a great session! Ian's enthusiasm for his craft shone through and his patient and gentle teaching provided great encouragement. He made sure that I achieved a fantastic result that I could be (and am!) proud of! It was fabulous to work with traditional tools, well loved and maintained; to be shown how to use them properly and then see the results. I would strongly recommend this course to anyone wanting to liberate their inner crafts(wo)man! You will be amazed at how well you do, and you will take home a completed piece of furniture that will last a lifetime. Thank you Ian for a great time!"

19 Oct 18'

Debbie Bennett reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"A great experience, a real break from the stresses of my day to day work. Ian’s workshop and approach to his craft is a real pleasure to be part of, his knowledge and passion make the day fly by, so much so that it’s not until the stool is made that you realise just how much your muscles ache! This would be a great team building experience, with the opportunity for developing both team work and a little healthy competition too!! Like many before , my stool has pride of place in our home, next stop garden bench !! Thank you Ian for a great day ?"

18 Oct 18'

Sara hill reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"My husband and I have just spent a fantastic day making a stool each with Ian. It was a birthday present which I didn't realise I even wanted to try. Can't thank ian enough, I really enjoyed the experience and found it very enjoyable and a complete break from everyday life. What an absolute treat. Thank you"

14 Oct 18'

Pete reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"This was bought for me as a gift and it could not have been better - an excellent and inspirational experience . Ian’s enthusiasm, knowledge, skills, friendly attitude and patience were exceptional throughout. He teaches you the skills and guides you through the whole process of creating a piece of furniture you can be confident you’ll be proud of. A thoroughly rewarding day and highly recommended experience!"

11 Oct 18'

John reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"Ian's course was a fantastic way to switch off from the everyday pressures of normal life and lose yourself in the simple pleasure of green woodworking. The location was superb and working in the early autumn sunshine was such a tonic compared to my usual desk-bound work. All in all a very good day and I walked away with what is now used as a small side-table to boot. Thanks Ian."

25 Sep 18'

Richard David Way reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"This experience was given to me as a birthday present. It was an excellent present. The course was fully hands on and extremely rewarding to attend. Ian is very knowledgeable and very friendly. The course was relaxed and there was plenty of time to complete each stage of the project without feeling rushed. The stool I made now has pride of place in my home and I sincerely look forward to visiting again for another one of his courses. I would recommend his courses to everyone."

24 Sep 18'

Clare Mellor reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"What a brilliant experience! Ian is so passionate about his work and is a wonderful teacher. He took us through some of this history of wood working before showing us the traditional way to make two beautiful stools. It was hard work but we absolutely love the end product and they are now looking great in our home. We have learnt new skills and have a new found respect for this craft. We would like to thank Ian for a wonderful experience (and for all the cups of coffee) and would highly recommend this course to everyone-thank you!"

17 Aug 18'

Esin Esat reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"An absolutely amazing experience. Really enjoyed the workshop. Ian has done an excellent job of introducing the variety of traditional woodworking tools and techniques, and guiding us through various stages. Brought home with me a high quality stool, and a mallet that I made during the workshop."

17 Aug 18'

Wahid Khan reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"Wasn't sure what I was letting myself in to - but I shouldn't have had any reservations. It was exactly what I wanted. Ian was both welcoming and understanding and his obvious passion for the craft is infectious. Given the time limitations I felt we achieved a great deal, with Ian's help and guidance. To come away with a mallet and an oak seat stool was very satisfying. If you want to learn basic geenwood skills, then this is an excellent introduction to the craft. With people like Ian around, the skill, knowledge and appreciation will hopefully never fade."

14 Aug 18'

Erika Lax reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"This was an amazing thing to do. I bought it as a gift for my younger son who is an artist and loves working with natural materials. I tagged along, more to spend some time doing something with him without the mayhem of the wider family. Ian was so friendly, knowledgeable and helpful that the hours went by really quickly. My stool has pride of place in our conservatory, where we spend most of our time now that we are retired! An added bonus is that I now have lots of Christmas present ideas for that son because he wants to do more woodcraft."

14 Aug 18'

Dean reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"I was bought this experience for Christmas from my wife and took my dad on the day. It was great! Ian is very knowledgeable and very friendly and the class is very informal. Plenty of time to ask questions and try techniques out. We both had a great day and were VERY pleased with the stools we took home. We would highly recommend this course and I have mentioned it to some colleagues already."

9 Aug 18'

Krishan Vara reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"The day was like being at your mates workshop, having a good chat and creating some amazing work. Ian is incredibly competent, passionate and has a deep understanding in the history of the craft. Amazing practitioner too as I was able to have a nosey around his workshop at some of his projects. The day unfolds at a good pace and Ian is never more than a wood shaving away for some advice or keeping you moving in the right direction. A great day with a great guy (tutor)."

23 Jul 18'

Katherine and Luke reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"We had the BEST day making a mallet and stool each with Ian. The barn is perfectly in keeping with the traditional tools and feel of the day. Ian was great and taught us a lot. We are so pleased with the beautiful stools we have taken home and can’t wait to try another course with Ian! Thank you again for a lovely day :)"

22 Jun 18'

KC Constantine reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"First course I got for my partner was the stool making, based on my partners experience and the excellent hand crafted stool he produced and the whole experience of being taught by a true craftsmen who is a mind of information and and is of a wonderful disposition, I decided to purchase the Bench making day for my adult son who has never put his hand to this sort of thing before,working as a manager and with a very busy home life with three children, time to just lose yourself in this craft for a few hours was the best experience of relaxation albeit physical but totally rewarding work to produce the most amazing Bench which is pride of place in my sons garden waiting to have its very own area to sit proudly in. Cannot praise Ian enough for the way he is in his patient and informative teaching manner, my son thoroughly enjoyed his experience (especially as I'd arranged it as a surprise for them both to be working on something together) and he was amazed at how it took him away from the rat race for two minutes and has learned a valuable pratical new skill and is already thinking of what he could do next. In short, give this course a try, you wont regret it and you'll have a life long memory of a wonderful day making something in the traditional way with excellent tutelage and be very proud of your work. Truly worth every penny."

16 Jun 18'

Karen M reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"What a fantastic day! Ian is a fabulous host/teacher, who is clearly passionate about green woodwork. His craftmanship is simply amazing, and the pieces of work that he produces, anyone would be proud to own. Right from the start he makes you feel very welcome, including providing you with a lovely cup of tea. For a novice who is keen to have a go and learn new skills, Ian is extremely patient. He guides you without being overbearing, and allows you the time to create your very own handcrafted stool. What can be better, than to have a day learning traditional skills, and to go home with a beautiful piece of furniture. Would highly recommend! Thank you Ian."

21 May 18'

Andrew & Geraldine reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"We spent a fantastic day in the sunshine making stools under Ian's expert guidance. It is obvious from the start that Ian has a passion and knowledge of green woodworking and with his friendly and relaxed teaching style makes for a wonderful day and you end up with a lovely stool to take home. Would fully recommend this workshop"

19 Apr 18'

Jane and Tom reviewed: Rustic oak garden bench - one day course

"A very enjoyable day making our garden bench. We really enjoyed visiting Ian's workshop and learning about how things were done in the past and also having a go at these techniques. Our garden seat was beautiful and we were so pleased to see how a tree trunk could be shaped into a useful item. The course was well prepared and Ian was patient and encouraging at every stage."

16 Apr 18'

Jackie Cable reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"What a fabulous 5 hours my son and I had. Ian is a brilliant teacher & his passion shines through. It is so theraputic & you end up with a beautiful & unique piece of furniture. Totally recommend. Thank you Ian for a splendid time"

11 Apr 18'

Bob Halsey reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"Ian is very obviously passionate about wood and it's impossible not to have some of his enthusiasm rub off on you. With his instruction and support we produced lovely and useful oak and ash stools. Thoroughly recommend this 1 day course as an introduction to working in green wood."

11 Apr 18'

Mike Dunn reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"Ian is very knowledgeable, interesting and a good teacher. We had an extremely enjoyable day. I would recommend this course to anyone."

8 Apr 18'

Danielle reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"An excellent day. I really enjoyed learning from Ian, who is encouraging, knowledgable and clear in his guidance. It was fascinating to hear a bit about the history of the craft and see the tools, and very cool to end up with your own hand-made stool! Highly recommended."

7 Apr 18'

Liz reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"Great course! Ian was an excellent teacher, patient, friendly and knowledgeable. And we came home with a lovely stool made of quality materials! Thoroughly recommend."

23 Mar 18'

Joanna reviewed: Oak stool making experience - rustic carpentry & green wood work

"I bought for my boyfriend for Christmas present. He absolutely loved the lesson and the end product. He learned a lot and cannot stop talking about it. Highly recommend Ian’s workshop."