Phoebe Everill’s Furniture Making School holds a range of woodworking and furniture making courses and classes suitable for everyone.
Short Courses
The following woodworking short courses will be running this year. Click through for more details and to register.
Phoebe also runs regular classes at her Furniture Making School – for details, check the main furniture making school page here.
Make your own dovetail saw with Karen Davis and Phoebe Everill
Karen Davis is back to teach another round of this fabulous course.
Karen has 30+ year’s experience as an Optical Mechanic making prescription spectacles which involved all aspects from lens grinding and surfacing to cutting, shaping and fitting lenses into frames. Working to an accuracy of 1/10mm, that has to be perfectly individually aligned for a person to be able to see clearly.
Having an eye for (pun intended) accuracy and alignment of spectacle frames among other skills I have mastered has been helpful with woodworking and tool making. I started woodworking to make some basic furniture around the home but after doing a tool making workshop with Phoebe I was hooked. I found that with handsaws in particular the handles were too big and I couldn’t get the control and accuracy I wanted, so to fix the problem I made my own.
Course Details:
You will craft a saw that fits your hand perfectly, learn how to file, set and sharpen teeth for rip cut. (Leaves door open for a crosscut saw later).
There is plenty of precision in this one from accurate drilling, ‘peening’ brass rivets, shaping your handle, fitting the blade and then sharpening.
Please bring with you:
Your own PPE, earmuffs, safety glasses and dust mask (P2).
Please wear covered shoes.
Cost:
$660 inc. GST
Dates:
26th & 27th July 2025
Bookings:
Please register your interest here to attend this course.
REGISTER INTEREST »
Designing and Mocking up a Chair with David Upfill-Brown and Phoebe Everill – 10 day course
I am delighted to introduce David Upfill-Brown to students of my wood school. David is an internationally renowned chair maker and teacher. Please look at his website for more information.
David Upfill-Brown and Phoebe Everill will guide participants, through designing and planning to make a sittable mock-up of an occasional, dining or work chair out of wood.
Our expectation is to enable participants to make their chair later, in their own studio or workshop or in continued classes with Phoebe.
Particular emphasis will be on ergonomics and structure.
Limited upholstery; seat and back can be considered but overall upholstery is too big a subject for this class.
Participants will arrive with a firm design idea but be prepared for change.
The design process will also accommodate repeats and production – if desired.
Level:
Advanced
Please bring with you:
Sketchbook with your own design idea / brief.
You will need to bring your own PPE, earmuffs, safety glasses and dust mask (P2).
Please wear covered shoes.
Please bring your own lunch.
Cost:
$3300 inc. GST
Dates:
This course runs for 10 days:
Wednesday 19th – Friday 21st February 2025
Monday 24th February – Friday 28th February 2025
Monday 3rd – Tuesday 4th March 2025
Bookings:
Please register your interest here to attend this course.
REGISTER INTEREST »
Tool Making Workshop – Carving Axe and Slöjd Knife
Two day course to make your own carving axe and Slöjd knife with Liam Culbertson & Phoebe Everill
This is the perfect course for anyone who has completed a course with Liam and loves green wood carving.
You will begin the process from a pre-cut steel billet, forging and tempering and setting the bevel with Liam.
You will make and fit the handle with Phoebe and learn hands on sharpening techniques.
You will learn about:
- Making your handle from a bandsaw blank and carving with a drawknife.
- Using a shave horse
- Forging and tempering steel
- Making a leather sheath for your carving axe.
Level:
Intermediate / Advanced
Please bring with you:
You will need to bring your own PPE, earmuffs, safety glasses and dust mask (P2).
Please wear covered shoes.
Cost:
$800 inc. GST
(covers tuition plus materials)
Dates:
12th and 13th of April 2025
Bookings:
Please register your interest here to attend this course.
REGISTER INTEREST »
The practice of Netsuke carving with Hape Kiddle
In this course students will carve a Netsuke (The Japanese art of miniature carving )Fish.
This carving, while small in size, requires much time to carve owing to the size and detail.
“I consider Netsuke to be the tiny giant of the carving world. It is possible to explore an endless line of ideas and forms and this course is designed to assist in this carving journey. Netsuke is an ideal form of carving for someone limited in workshop space, travelling, or looking for a meditative carving practice.”
Hape Kiddle
Students will learn and utilise the traditional techniques of:
- Uki-bori (the raised grain used for texture and pattern)
- Himotoshi (the cord holes used in Netsuke for the cord) These are often cleverly incorporated into the carvings design.
Suggested tools to bring if you have them:
- Carving Knife- 60mm blade ( No longer ). Curved cutting edge – not straight.
- Flexcut 11 piece carving set ( or equivalent )
- Carving protective glove ( optional )
Allow 7 hours including an hour break for lunch per day.
Level:
This course is suitable for all carvers and those with more advanced carving skills can easily be extended.
Please bring with you:
Your lunch
A notebook, pencil & eraser.
Your own PPE, earmuffs, safety glasses and dust mask (P2).
Please wear covered shoes.
Cost:
$900 inc. GST
Dates:
22nd, 23rd and 24th August 2024
Bookings:
Please register your interest here to attend this course.
REGISTER INTEREST »
Tool Making Workshop – Bent Gouge and Slöjd Knife
Two day course to make your own bent gouge and Slöjd knife with Liam Culbertson and Phoebe Everill.
This is the perfect course for anyone who loves to carve spoons, bowls and cups.
You will begin the process from a pre-cut steel billet, forging and tempering and setting the bevel with Liam.
You will make and fit the handles with Phoebe and learn hands on sharpening techniques.
You will learn about:
- Turning handles on the lathe
- Using a shave horse
- Forging and tempering steel
- Making a leather sheath for your knife and bent gouge
Level:
All levels
Please bring with you:
You will need to bring your own PPE, earmuffs, safety glasses and dust mask (P2).
Please wear covered shoes.
Cost:
$660 inc. GST
Dates:
4th and 5th January 2025
Bookings:
Please register your interest here to attend this course.
REGISTER INTEREST »
Tool Sharpening Workshop
The Art of Sharpening
Keeping chisels and plane blades really sharp is absolutely essential for achieving excellent results in your work.
Woodworking is also far more enjoyable and easier when your tools are really sharp.
The workshop will provide you with a very comprehensive sharpening class.
You will learn the fundamentals of tuning and sharpening a hand plane, sharpening chisels and using a variety of sharpening methods.
Bring along your own plane blade and at least one chisel.
The course runs from 9am – 4pm with lunch from 12:30pm – 1pm.
Morning & afternoon tea provided – please bring your own lunch.
Level:
All Levels
Please bring with you:
Your lunch
A notebook, pencil & eraser.
Your own PPE, earmuffs, safety glasses and dust mask (P2).
Please wear covered shoes.
Cost:
$220 inc. GST
Dates:
31st August 2024
Bookings:
SORRY, THIS COURSE IS FULLY BOOKED, but you can register your interest to be added to our waitlist should a vacancy open up.
Tool Making Workshop – Spokeshave
One day course to make your own spokeshave.
An opportunity to make your own spokeshave, utilising a premium hock blade assembly with rock maple body and brass ware.
You will learn about:
- Cutting a mortice using the morticer.
- Shaping the tool using the bandsaw, linisher and lots of hand work.
- Sharpening the blade
- Sanding and finishing
- Using your new tool!!
There will be 5 people in the class.
Level:
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
Please bring with you:
You will need to bring your own PPE, earmuffs, safety glasses and dust mask (P2).
Please wear covered shoes.
Cost:
$350 inc. GST
(covers tuition plus hardware kit)
Dates:
8th June 2024
Bookings:
Please register your interest here to attend this course.
REGISTER INTEREST »
Mastering Joinery Series – Mortise and Tenon
Krenov Sawhorse
This two day course is a great opportunity to construct a pair of these classic sawhorses, light, strong and stackable, every woodworker has a use for these.
You will learn how to accurately mark up, cut and fit 3 types of mortice and tenon joinery (blind, through wedged and draw bore pinned). With these skills you can tackle more complex furniture projects.
Kim Winton and Phoebe Everill provide a learning environment where plenty of time is available to progress your skills.
Please bring with you:
- Your own hand tools if you have them (handsaw, chisels and block plane) or you can use ours.
- Dust mask
- Closed shoes
- A notebook, paper, pencil and eraser
- Your lunch
The workshop is suitable for adults (16+). All skill levels are welcome, no experience needed
Cost:
$475 inc. GST
Dates:
26th and 27th of August 2023
Bookings:
SORRY, THIS COURSE IS FULLY BOOKED, but you can register your interest to be added to our waitlist should a vacancy open up.
Spoon carving with Emily Dellios
1 Day Course
You will design and carve your own wooden spoon, which you can take home and use with pride.
Your instructor for this class, Emily Dellios, will begin with a discussion on types of wood, a guide for the tools you will be using during class, and a general overview of various wooden spoon carving techniques.
You will get the chance to practice the correct usage of hand tools and feel confident in making your very own spoon. No previous experience is necessary for this class, as you will be guided every step of the way. We will focus on safe use of hand tools.
Allow 7 hours including an hour break for lunch.
All tools and materials supplied on the day (though we recommend bringing your own tools if you have them). We will help you get them really sharp!
Please wear covered shoes to class, all tools and materials are provided.
Please bring with you:
- Bring your own PPE (dust mask, eye and ear protection, closed shoes)
- A notebook, pencil and eraser
- Your lunch
The workshop is suitable for adults (16+). All skill levels are welcome, no experience needed
Cost:
$180 inc. GST
Dates:
6th of March 2023
Bookings:
Please register your interest here to attend this course.
REGISTER INTEREST »
Carving a Huon Pine Boat Sculpture with Carol Russell
Boats are symbolic of many things, freedom and adventure among them. Their lines are beautiful and inherently sculptural.
Huon Pine is a renowned boat building timber, In this 3 day course you will carve your own little Huon Pine boat sculpture.
It isn’t so much a model, as a sculpture that captures the essence of what boats mean to you and how they make you feel. You can create a small row boat or a sailing boat with a billowing sail.
It’s enormously rewarding to sit and drink a cup of tea or coffee from a vessel you’ve carved yourself. In this 2-day class you’ll design and carve a small handled cup from white beech using hand tools only.
Carving small objects is a very meditate process, the slower process of using hand tools allows you the time to really understand the relationship between the timber, the tools and the form.
- Timber and tool selection
- Design
- Safety
- Creating a blank
- Carving techniques
- Finishing – sanding, texturing, painting and charring (shou sugi ban)
- Tool maintenance and sharpening
- Mounting work
Please wear covered shoes to class, all tools and materials are provided.
Please bring with you:
- Bring your own PPE (dust mask, eye and ear protection, closed shoes)
- A notebook, pencil and eraser
- Your lunch
The course runs each day from 9am – 4pm over 3 days.
Cost:
$990 inc. GST
Dates:
18th, 19th and 20th of April 2023
Bookings:
SORRY, THIS COURSE IS FULLY BOOKED
Carving Small Animal Forms from a solid block of wood with Carol Russell
This two-day class will focus on carving small animal forms from a solid block of wood, not a pre-cut blank. We will use only hand tools so you are in control of the whole process and need very little in the way of tools to continue after the class.
The emphasis is less on anatomical correctness and more on the features that bring out the characteristics of the subject and those aspects that make animals so endearing to us. The tilt of a head, the position of the ears, the way light falls on their features. Timber choice plays an important role too, form can be highly influenced by grain and colour.
We’ll be working with a range of Australian timbers. The level of detail, hardness of the material and finish will determine how many little sculptures you will complete during the course.
The course will cover:
- Timber and tool selection
- Design
- Safety
- Creating a blank
- Carving techniques
- Finishing – sanding, texturing, painting and charring (shou sugi ban)
- Tool maintenance and sharpening
- Mounting work
Please wear covered shoes to class, all tools and materials are provided.
Please bring with you:
- Bring your own PPE (dust mask, eye and ear protection, closed shoes)
- A notebook, paper, pencil and eraser
- Your lunch
The course runs each day from 9am – 4pm over 2 days.
Cost:
$660 inc. GST
Dates:
15th and 16th of April 2023
Bookings:
SORRY, THIS COURSE IS FULLY BOOKED
