I've been through the booking calendar and pulled together every class date that still has space between now and the end of July. Most of the beginner dates before Christmas are already full, so the new year is where the room is.
In the list below, the number of places available (at the time of writing) is in brackets. Those numbers change as people book, so the booking page always has the most accurate availability. Every date below is in 2027 unless it says otherwise, and for the two-day class the date given is the first day.
Beginner classes
Two Day Beginners Class, £325
Two days that give you a proper foundation. You turn a mushroom and a bottle stopper on the first day, then spend the second day making your first bowl. You also go home with nearly four hours of refresher videos to watch at your own pace.
Thursday 14 January (1), Thursday 28 January (3), Thursday 18 February (5), Thursday 1 April (5), Thursday 29 April (5), Thursday 27 May (5), Thursday 17 June (5), Thursday 1 July (5) and Thursday 22 July (5).
Woodturning Experience Day, £180
A relaxed first go at the lathe, with no experience needed. You make a pen in the morning and a small bowl after lunch, and I demonstrate everything before you try it.
Saturday 6 March (1), Saturday 27 March (3), Saturday 24 April (5), Saturday 15 May (5), Saturday 29 May (5), Saturday 26 June (5) and Saturday 10 July (5).
www.thewoodturning.school/beginners/woodturning-experience-day
Bowl Turning Experience Day, £180
A full day on one bowl, from a rough blank to a finished piece. It suits anyone who already knows that bowls are what they want to make.
Friday 12 February (2), Friday 23 April (1) and Friday 9 July (5).
www.thewoodturning.school/beginners/bowl-turning-experience-day
Box Turning for Beginners, £185
You turn a lidded box and learn how to creep up on a lid that fits properly. A little experience helps, and the class is kept to four people.
Friday 26 February (4), Saturday 13 March (3) and Friday 14 May (4).
www.thewoodturning.school/beginners/box-turning-for-beginners
Pen Turning Experience, Sunday mornings, £80
A short Sunday morning class where you turn a rollerball pen to take home. It makes a good first taste of turning, and it works well as a gift.
Sunday 10 January (1), Sunday 21 February (5), Sunday 4 April (5), Sunday 16 May (5) and Sunday 4 July (5).
www.thewoodturning.school/beginners/pen-turning-experience
Intermediate classes
Colour and Lacquer Masterclass, £229
A full day taking a sycamore or maple spindle from the blank to a gallery-standard finish. You dye and seal it in the morning and spend the afternoon on lacquering and polishing. Everyone goes home with a kit for spraying at home.
Friday 4 December 2026 (1), Saturday 9 January (5) and Saturday 3 April (5).
www.thewoodturning.school/intermediate/colour-and-lacquer-masterclass
Skew and Spindle Gouge with Les Thorne, £185
A day with Les Thorne on safe, controlled use of the skew chisel and spindle gouge. You work through planing cuts, beads and V-cuts, and learn how to stay clear of catches.
Saturday 30 January (3) and Saturday 17 July (5).
Introduction to Hollowing, £185
Hollowing through a small opening means working by feel and sound rather than sight. You start with a practice piece and move on to a hollow form of about 4 by 5 inches. You'll need to be comfortable with basic bowl turning first.
Friday 5 February (3).
www.thewoodturning.school/intermediate/introduction-to-hollowing
Bowl Turning Improvers, £185
For anyone who can already turn a bowl and wants better curves and thinner walls. We work on tool presentation and body position, and on reading the feedback from the cut.
Friday 5 March (3) and Friday 7 May (4).
www.thewoodturning.school/intermediate/bowl-turning-improvers
Emma Cook: Centrifuge Platter, £185
Emma Cook is back to decorate platters using the spin of the lathe to throw the colour across the surface. Every platter comes out differently, and there's plenty of talk about colour along the way.
Friday 25 June (3).
www.thewoodturning.school/intermediate/emma-cook-centrifuge-platter
Emma Cook: Pedestal Bowl, £185
A new project for Emma that combines cross-grain and spindle turning in one piece. Once it's turned, you carve texture into the edge and can add colour if you'd like to.
Saturday 26 June (2).
www.thewoodturning.school/intermediate/emma-cook-pedestal-bowl
Stewart Furini's classes
Both of Stewart's classes are fully booked. There's a waiting list for each one, so add your name on the booking page if you'd like a place in the event of a cancellation.
Stewart Furini: Airbrushing, £185
A day learning to colour and decorate a wide-rimmed bowl with an airbrush, using stencils, templates and masking. You turn the bowl yourself during the day.
Friday 19 March and Saturday 12 June, both fully booked.
www.thewoodturning.school/intermediate/stewartfuriniairbrush
Stewart Furini: Power Carving, £185
A day trying out rotary tools and cutters to carve texture into wide-rimmed bowls, with colour as an option.
Saturday 20 March and Friday 11 June, both fully booked.
www.thewoodturning.school/intermediate/stewartfurinipowercarving
If your date has gone
All fully booked dates now have a waitinglist option on the booking page, so it's worth adding your name if the one you wanted has already been taken. Read more about our waiting lists here.