Working in Wood

The craft revolution has teased out the talents of would-be designer makers and blessed us with more original, handmade products.

It has also inspired a legion of hobbyists and courses in everything from pottery and printmaking to sewing and candle making.

Learning about woodwork is high on the wish list of many but finding a class is very difficult.

“There was a time when most towns had evening classes in woodwork but that is not the case any more. They are quite difficult to find,” says Chris Tribe, an Ilkley-based furniture maker and teacher, who has just written a definitive guide for beginners.

Complete Woodworking, published by Quarto, details essential skills and techniques. It is a revelation for those who don’t know the meaning of mortice and tenon and spoke shave shaping. It also makes you realise that “knocking up” a shelf is not as easy as it looks.

The initial chapters look at wood as a material and the different type of tools needed to work with it. This is followed by methods and five projects, including a set of contemporary shelves, an oak side table and a memory box.

While it is a superb book and full of helpful photographs, Chris believes that absolute beginners would also benefit from a course. He runs them at his workshop in Ilkley but they often over-subscribed.

“Woodwork is a physical thing and you can’t get that from a book so to have some input from someone with experience really helps,” he says.

You also need to assess whether you have the right personality type. You may be creative but to be a good carpenter you also need a lot of patience, the ability to pay close attention to detail and good spatial awareness.

“You don’t get immediate results because there are a lot of processes involved and it can take a couple of weeks to make something,” says Chris.

However, if you have that patience and precision then woodworking is very rewarding. “My favourite task is planing. I love the way the plane works on the wood,” says Chris. “Cutting dovetails is also very satisfying. You just get into the zone and focus but some people can find that hard. “Woodworking is not for everyone. It demands accuracy especially in furniture making where you have to make sure your measurements are right to less than half a millimetre.”

Even if you do have the knack, you will find using wood difficult if you have the wrong tools. Budget tools are a false economy. Buy well and, if possible, buy vintage tools made from quality materials. There a number of specialist suppliers, including oldtools.co.uk

* Complete Woodworking by Chris Tribe is published by Quarto, £20. It contains everything from the tools you need and how to use them to setting up a workshop and basic techniques. www. quartoknows.com

Chris is a furniture maker and teacher with a studio at the Corn Mill, Railway Road, Ilkley, where he runs one-day workshops and courses, www.christribe.co.uk, tel: 01943 602836. Leeds College of Art also run woodworking courses, visit /www.leeds-art.ac.uk