JOHN LLOYD FINE FURNITURE NEWSLETTER February/March 2016 Download & print pdf version
It may have been a cold and wet few weeks outside but inside the workshops have been hot with new ideas, designs and creations. Our final term students are steaming through their speculative pieces only too aware that Easter is approaching rather too fast!
John’s popular short courses have been enhanced for 2016 with a view to giving the very best value for money. New skills, projects and test pieces have been added and the teaching day extended from 8.30am to 6pm. Those extra 90 minutes each day, the equivalent of an extra day, gives you a massive learning time bonus. So why not make 2016 the year you expand your woodworking expertise?
The new ‘Skills Week‘ is also the perfect introduction for anyone considering taking a long course as a career change, the cost of which is deductible against anyone subsequently booking a long course.
“Honing angles, grinding angles, cutting angles, angles of attack, frog angles, primary bevel angles, secondary bevel angles, micro bevels, back bevels………….. Confused? You should be!” Continuing with his mission to better everyone’s sharpening, John’s latest blog, recently posted, is entitled ‘Sharpening – A New Slant on Angles!’
Restoration work is still pouring in, there’s definitely something in the air – perhaps it’s Spring?
Aspirational Woodworkers need Inspirational Courses
Firmly focused on enabling the complete beginner, the enthusiastic amateur and the aspiring professional to develop the exacting standards of the cabinet maker, John Lloyd’s exciting new range of 2016 short courses, as always, have solid hand-skills at their heart and are carefully designed to embrace the vast range of cunning new kit, techniques and materials that are now available to make a woodworker’s life easier and more productive.
John offers the perfect balance of traditional and modern woodworking techniques, the ’Skills Week’ is a great introduction for the complete beginner, or an opportunity to brush up on vital basic, and not so basic techniques, covering everything from sharpening to simple dovetails and even the chance to get sticky with some vital gluing strategies.
The woodworker’s ability is so often judged by the accuracy of their dovetails. The ‘Dovetailing’ course simplifies the process whilst looking at some of the more impressive versions of this timeless joint. ‘Making a Child’s Chair’ is a brand new course for 2016 and is a great introduction to the wonderful world of combining angled joints and curved components on a small scale. Courses in ‘Veneering & Inlays’ and ‘French Polishing & Modern Hand Finishing’ demystify these fundamental processes. John’s ever popular 2 day Wood Machining course, with health and safety at it’s core, is designed to allay any fears and introduce students to the benefits of mastering the big machines.
John draws on more than 20 years of teaching experience to present these intensive courses in a relaxed and approachable style. All the courses are held at John’s own workshops in the Sussex countryside and are taught by him. Teaching hours are 08.30 – 18.00, allowing each student to achieve the very most from their time in the workshops.
SKILLS WEEK – ESSENTIAL CABINET MAKING HAND SKILLS 5 Days
The Cabinetmaking Skills Week is the course you’ve been waiting for. If you’re a complete beginner this will give you the perfect grounding; if you’ve been woodworking for a while, this will be a great tune-up, sorting out any bad habits and reinforcing fundamental skills.
Everything in Woodwork is based on Sharpening so this is the initial focus. You MUST have a sharpening system at your fingertips that works for you, we will look at angles, the exotic and not so exotic steels used for blades, high speed grinders, water-cooled grinders and bench stones. You will learn a method of sharpening freehand, but you will also learn how to use honing guides – it’s quite OK if freehand honing remains an aspiration for the moment. Western dovetailing and cross-cut saws are great to use, but they also need to be super-sharp for accurate work, so we’ll look at sharpening a Dovetail Saw too. Read more…
A recent commission for an AV Unit in English ripple sycamore with an ebonised base and an adjustable smoked glass shelf. The corners were mitred with compound mitres in the base. Compound mitres are particularly good for focussing the mind!
We used Lamello Tenso fittings to join the mitres. We hadn’t used these fittings for mitre joints before and we’re pleasantly surprised and there was no need for cramps.
WOOD MACHINING COURSE
The feedback from my latest bunch of Wood Machining students makes teaching all the more pleasurable:
“I got exactly what I wanted – advice on what to look for in machine tools, which tools are more useful than others, as well as lots of tips and tricks.”
“John is incredibly knowledgeable, but also made it easy to understand – plus he came across a decent guy. Cakes, biscuits and sense that this was a family venture without super-tight time keeping made this very enjoyable and refreshingly uncorporate. I picked up lots of tips and found it easy to ask questions. I also discovered that what I want is a good bandsaw rather than a good table saw and that in itself will have saved me the course fee!”
“Well structured and comprehensively covered the subjects. Time well used with sensitive feel for the needs of the participants.”
“I liked the techniques side of using the machines, e.g. what joints you could make and how.”
The Weald & Downland Open Air Museum
Later this month, John has again been invited to deliver two sessions as part of the Weald & Downland’s MSc Course in Timber Building Conservation, a course accredited by the University of York.
The Museum has established itself as a provider of specialist education and training in building conservation and historic building techniques. The fifty historic buildings reconstructed on its beautiful downland site give the Museum an unrivalled teaching resource in this specialised area.
John always looks forward to this opportunity to teach their students, this year the sessions are on the Ethics and Practice of Furniture Restoration and Traditional Coatings and their Identification.
The Museum is a truly fascinating place, well worth a day out if you are looking for something different.
BENCH RENTAL AVAILABLE
A bench has become available in our dedicated ‘bench rental’ workshops to share with other like minded woodworkers. Would suit furniture makers, antique restorers, semi retired second careerists or simply woodwork enthusiasts of any age. These workshops are light and bright and solely for the use of bench renters, they are not shared with students or large noisy machines! There is a well equipped, sound proofed machine shop adjacent, easy parking close by and great camaraderie – there’s always a helping hand with timber delivery should you need one.
FOR SALE
Are you longing for a really good bench? These beautifully made and carefully thought out cabinet makers work benches, designed by John Lloyd, and made to order in his workshops. Standard dimensions 1800mm (6′) long x 600mm (2′) wide with a custom built height. Other sizes are available on request.
JOHN’S TIP OF THE MONTH
John first came across this useful tip in Fine Woodworking magazine over 30 years ago and has been using it ever since:
To stop your screwdriver slipping when trying to undo an obstinate screw, dip your screwdriver into valve grinding paste before attempting.
It works even better if your screwdriver is well tuned and we’ll let you know how to do that in our next newsletter!
FINE FURNITURE MAKING LONG COURSES
Term Start Dates
11th April – 1st July 2016
19th September – 9th December 2016
16th January – 7th April 2017
24th April – 14th July 2017
25th September – 15th December 2017
NEW 2016 Short Course Programme
March 19-21 Weekend, Care & Repair of Antique Furniture. Bring own small items to work on
March 28-Apr 1 Skills Week – Essential Cabinetmaking Hand Skills. Make Cheese Board & Biscuit Box
April 4-8 Demystifying Dovetails. Make a Drawer
April 9-10 Weekend Sharpening & Tuning Hand Tools. Students are invited to bring their own tools for appraisal if they wish
April 18-22 Antique Furniture Restoration Techniques. Students are invited to bring own small projects to work on if they wish
April 25 –29 Joints Explained. Make a Side/Bedside Table
May 9-13 Conquering Chairs. Simplifying the basic principles Make a Childs Chair
May 16-20 Understanding Veneering – veneering, inlays & banding. Make a veneered & inlaid tray
May 21-22 Weekend Fundamental Cabinetmaking Skills. Practical test pieces
May 25-27 Beautiful Boxes – Learning to Love Laminating. Make a Beautiful Box
June 6-10 French Polishing & Modern Hand Finishes. Students may bring own small projects to work on if they wish
July 11-15 Skills Week – Essential Cabinetmaking Hand Skills. Make Cheese Board & Biscuit Box
July 16-17 Weekend Sharpening & Tuning Hand Tools. Students are invited to bring their own tools for appraisal if they wish
July 18-22 Demystifying Dovetails. Make a Drawer
August 1-5 Joints Explained. Make a Side/Bedside Table
August 13-14 Weekend, Care & Repair of Antique Furniture. Bring own small items to work on
August 17-19 Beautiful Boxes – Learning to Love Laminating. Make a Beautiful Box
August 20-21 Weekend Fundamental Cabinetmaking Skills. Practical test pieces
August 22-26 Antique Furniture Restoration Techniques. Students are invited to bring own small projects to work on if they wish
Sept 5-9 Conquering Chairs – Simplifying the basic principles. Make a Childs Chair
Sept 10-11 Weekend Sharpening & Tuning Hand Tools. Students are invited to bring their own tools for appraisal if they wish
October 10-14 Understanding Veneering – veneering, inlays & banding. Make a veneered and inlaid tray
October 24-28 French Polishing & Modern Hand Finishes. Students may bring own small projects to work on if they wish
