The One-Day Woodturning experience and the Two-Day Beginners Course every three weeks most of the time. Intermediate classes tend to run roughly monthly.

Check the calendar for each course you are interested in. The calendars will always show the next available date.

Courses run by The Woodturning School have a maximum number of five students (for most classes) in most classes with a minimum of three booked on for the course to run. If Martin runs the course, it will likely run with two.

Externally run courses usually require four to run with a maximum of five.

Date changes are permitted once the 30% per person non-refundable deposit has been paid, subject to availability for a £10.00 admin fee.

Our company policy is that students are a minimum of 18 years of age.

If you are aged 16 to 18 and wish to try woodturning, we recommend you book a one-to-one lesson with either Les or Martin and ensure you have a responsible adult to stay with you throughout the day. Better still, book them onto the same day and learn together.

Alternatively, we support the Youth Training Scheme run by the Association of Woodturners of Great Britain that offers free training for young people at our workshop and others up and down the country,

Each course has details on how to book. Please check on the course you are interested in.

A deposit of 30% is required to secure your booking. This deposit is non-refundable in the event of cancellation by the client. It covers buying materials and advertising your space in the event of cancellation.

We are lucky that our courses are popular and usually book up months in advance.

Rather than keeping a waiting list of students for the many courses we run each year, we recommend you join our mailing list to be notified of any last-minute availability or cancellations. We notify the mailing list 24 hours before posting availability on Facebook and Instagram.

Scroll to the bottom of the screen to join the mailing list.

Not easily. We are not set-up for phone or in-person bookings. We can help you though.

The process is time-consuming as we have to act as you on the site as if you are doing it yourself.

We will then need to take your card details over the phone (which we are not keen on doing) to complete the booking.

Of course! Learning with your own tools is very beneficial. Each course has a list of the tools used so you know what to bring. If you don’t have one of those listed, use ours – no problem.

The only caveat is that your tools should be sharpened before you arrive. If the tool is not deemed appropriate for use, we can briefly guide you on sharpening it correctly and you will need to use the supplied tools. This is for your benefit and safety during the course.

Dress for the task and the weather (at all times, shorts are not advisable). Sturdy footwear (leather boots or solid shoes) is essential. Long hair should be tied back, and please remove watches, bracelets, and rings.
The workshop can be on the cool side in winter, though we'll have the wood burner going if it's particularly chilly.

Absolutely not. Gloves and lathes are not friendly with each other. For your safety, you will not be permitted to wear gloves.

The Tree House Coffee Shop on-site, where we serve coffee and lunch, is used to handling dietary requirements. Let us know in the notes when you book and we'll speak to the kitchen.

Not for our beginner courses. The Woodturning Experience Day, Pen Turning Experience, and Two-Day Beginners Course are all designed for complete novices. Intermediate and Sunday Studio sessions require some prior turning experience — check the course description for details.

The one-day Woodturning Experience focuses on turning a slimline pen and a very basic introduction to bowl turning — you'll learn the fundamentals. The two-day course goes deeper: you'll turn a bowl, spinning top, a lidded box, and cover more techniques including tool sharpening and design. You also get access to over an hour of refresher videos to watch at home.

Yes. When booking, just add the recipient's name and details in the notes. Alternatively, you can purchase a gift voucher — valid for 12 months against any group course.

Up to 9 months ahead. Bookings close 15 days before each course date. Our beginner classes book up a long time in advance. We recommend you book as early as possible.

On most full-day courses, yes — morning coffee and lunch at the Tree House Coffee Shop are included. Pen Turning and Sunday courses do not include lunch, so please bring your own.

Full-day courses start at 9:00am with coffee at the Tree House Coffee Shop, with turning from 9:30am. We usually finish around 4:00pm, though we'll run over if needed to make sure everyone completes their piece. Sunday and pen courses start at 10:00am.

We're at the back of Garthowen Garden Centre in Four Marks, Hampshire (GU34 5AJ). There's plenty of free parking.

You'll take home everything you make. Depending on the course, that might be a bowl, a pen, a lidded box, or a decorative piece. It's yours to keep.

Not really too much of a problem. Lathes and techniques are generally right handed but spindle work in particular can be completed either-handed. Bowl turning though is right-handed. Martin is himself a leftie and can adjust his teaching to suit with the necessary encouragement and patience!

It happens — that's part of learning. We have plenty of timber, and Martin or Les will help you recover or start fresh if needed. No one leaves empty-handed.

A deposit of 30% is required to secure your booking. This deposit is non-refundable in the event of cancellation by the client. It covers buying materials and advertising your space in the event of cancellation.

The remaining balance is taken automatically 10–14 days before the course using the card details stored securely with Stripe.

If we cancel a course, you'll receive a full refund or the option to transfer to another date.

Yes. Book a private session with Martin or Les, tailored to whatever you want to learn. Get in touch to discuss availability.

Yes — we have a range of e-learning courses with video content and written instructions. Visit the e-Learning section of the website.

It depends which finish. My Danish Oil is tested to EN71-3 and is the one to reach for on anything that will hold food, so salad bowls and fruit bowls get that. The cellulose sanding sealer, the lacquers and the Intrinsic Colour dyes have not been tested for food contact, so I would keep those for decorative work.

Our lessons are structured around a fixed structure, so everyone works the same timber through the same process. If you have something at home you would like to bring as well, mention it when you book and we will see what time allows.