Two Day Beginners Class . . .
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![A wooden bowl on a workbench with wood shavings and black lids in the background.]()
Turn Your First Bowl
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![Two unfinished wooden bowls on a dark green surface, with one bowl partially inside the other.]()
Turn a Lidded Pot ( changing to a Bottle Stopped and Mushroom in 2026)
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![Two men working together on a woodworking project, one guiding the other as he shapes a piece of wood on a lathe machine in a workshop.]()
Learn to use Turner's Gouges
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![Four people wearing protective gear are working with a lathe in a woodworking workshop. One person is turning wood while others observe.]()
Each Cut Demonstrated
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![Group of five men wearing safety glasses and helmets in a woodworking workshop, observing a lathe machine.]()
Professionally Guided
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![Instructor demonstrating woodworking on a lathe to three students in a woodworking workshop.]()
Hands-On Experience
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![A woodworking workshop with various power tools, machines, and workbenches. In the foreground, a blue lathe machine is visible, and in the background, there are multiple other machines, a workbench with wooden bowls, and a white drill press.]()
Fully Equipped Workshop
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![A person working on a pottery wheel shaping a piece of clay into a hollow form in a workshop.]()
Exclusive Follow-Up Videos
Two Day Woodturning Beginners Class
Cost: £299.00 per person. (price rising from January 1st)
Your Solid Foundation in the Craft
Two days at the lathe. Three finished pieces. The skills and confidence to keep turning at home.
Day One focuses on spindle work. You'll turn a bottle stopper in the morning, learning precision and finishing a piece with a suitable cork. The afternoon brings a mushroom, where there's no hardware and no rules, just your eye and the wood. By the end of the day, you'll have two finished projects and a feel for how the tools behave.
Day Two is dedicated to your first bowl. Shaping the outside curve, hollowing the inside, feeling the wall thickness with your fingertips. Everything you learned on Day One feeds into this. By late afternoon, you'll sand, finish, and hold something you've made from a rough chunk of timber.
We meet at 9am at the Tree House café, grab a coffee, and walk over to the workshop together. Groups are small, a maximum of five, so there's time for proper guidance. I demonstrate each cut before you try it, and when things go wrong, we talk about why and fix what we can. That's how the learning happens.
Refresher Videos
You'll be learning a lot over these two days from tool control, sharpening, different cuts to finishing techniques. It's normal to forget bits of it once you're back home.
That's why we've put together over an hour of refresher videos covering the key techniques. You can watch them at your own pace, pause and rewatch sections, and copy what's demonstrated when you're at your own lathe.
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Book up to 9 Months in advance. Bookings close 15 days before date.
Use the calendar to select the next available date of your chosen class.
Select the number of people you wish to book.
Click on the start time below the calendar, then choose 'Select and Continue’.
Add your name, mobile number and email address.
Indicate the name(s) of the person(s) coming and their level of experience.
Pay your non-refundable deposit of 30% of the booking total.
Your card details will be securely stored with the payment gateway (Stripe).After deposit payment has been made, a confirmation email will be sent to you.
Fourteen Days before the day, we will remind you that we will take your between 10 and 14 days before the class using the stored card details. A receipt will be sent.
You will receive your final joining instructions five days before the day. If you booked for someone else, please make sure you forward these details to them.
More Information
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![Man using a wood lathe to carve a piece of wood, wearing safety goggles and a black helmet, in a woodworking shop.]()
Your Day Includes:
- A place on a group of up to 5 students
- Timber
- Use of machinery
- Use of Tools (You can bring your own)
- Use of any consumables or other items
- Lunch at the onsite coffee shop
- Refreshments
- PPE and Insurance
- Over an hour of video refreshers on the tool techniques learned as well as recommended machines and tools. -
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Timings
Day One
- 9.00am: Meet at the Tree House Coffee Shop:
- 9.30am: Start to make shavings!
- 12.30pm: Back to the coffee shop for lunch
- 1.00pm: More shavings to complete the project pieces
- 4.00pm: End of the day.Day Two:
9.00am: Meet back at the workshop to begin finishing the bowl.
11.00am: With the bowl finished, it is time to move on the more advanced lidded pot.
12.30pm: Lunch time.
1.00pm: Continue to turn and finish the lidded pot.
4.00pm: End of the day, clean and tidy!
The day may run over to give everyone time to finish their pieces. -
![Four metal chisels with sharpened tips, aligned vertically on a light surface.]()
Tools Used
- Spindle Roughing
- 3/8″ Bowl Gouge
- 3/8″ Spindle Gouge
- Diamond Parting Tool
- French Curve Scraper
- Multi-Purpose Tool
- Carbide Hollowing Tools
- Inertia Bowl Sanders
- Sanding Sealer
- Finishing Wax
- Finishing Oils -
![A woodworking shop with various tools and equipment, including lathes, saws, and a workbench with wood pieces.]()
Payment, Changes & Cancellations
- 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.
- Amendments can be made up to 14 days before date for £10 admin fee.
- Cancelling within 14 days will forfeit all monies paid.
- Click HERE for full terms and conditions.
Meet Your Tutor
Martin Saban-Smith RPT
Martin Saban-Smith is a member of the Register of Professional Turners, author of Woodturning: Form and Formula, and founder of the Woodturning360 online community. He's been teaching woodturning since 2018 and learns something new every time he teaches a new class.
Martin’s teaching approach is patient, with room for questions, the understanding that mistakes are steps towards skill, and that learning is more process over perfection, community over competition.
Whether you're making your first cuts or refining techniques you've practised for years, he'll meet you where you are.
Visit Martin’s own website HERE.
Questions About This Class?
Drop us a line with your query about this class and we will get back to you as quickly as possible.
