Traditional & contemporary craft courses in north Wales
handmade by you in
wernog wood
Make a stool, live-edge bench or table
using traditional green woodworking techniques
See course details, dates, costs, tutors & stories from students below
As well as Windsor and ladder back chairs, stools, benches & tables are firm favourites in the greenwood furniture-maker's repertoire.
Chair maker Ben Willis will give you the choice to make a beautiful live-edge bench, a small table, a milking stool (or possibly a pair) or an elegant tall bar stool. Over three days, you will learn traditional green woodworking techniques to hone your components, using ash freshly harvested from our woodland. You will then be guided through the process of shaping and smoothing the top of your piece, before joining it all together using robust wedged mortise and tenon joints.
This course is an ideal taster for aspiring green woodworkers and leads naturally on to our annual green wood chairmaking course which Ben will be running immediately following this.
If you are interested in taking part in both, please get in touch.
COSTS TO BE CONFIRMED
Tea, coffee and simple lunch included in your course price
We also offer accommodation & evening meals
Click here to see what we offer
This course is aimed at adults, aged 18yrs +
and is suitable for beginners to those with experience
Ben Willis learnt his craft whilst working as an assistant
with Mike Abbott, a key figure in the revival of traditional wood working techniques. Since his time with Mike, Ben has been honing these skills and has also learned from others whilst developing his own ideas and approaches to the craft.
Although not a purist, the essence of what Ben does is still rooted firmly in practices developed over thousands of years. In today's tech-heavy society and in which manual skill is becoming less & less valued, the perpetuation of these skills is becoming ever more important.
Ben lives in the urban forest of London, where he teaches green woodworking and chair making to aspiring furniture makers, as well as producing his own work for sale.
See Ben Willis Woodcraft to see his beautiful work.
Stories from our students
So amazing – my second go on this wonderful course – great tuition, fun people. Good, wholesome food and relaxed camping fun. A winning formula for a crafty country escape! - Camilla
I am SO glad I booked onto the course - I really enjoyed it. I have had some lovely comments from people about my stools.
Huge thanks to you & Rob for hosting us! You're on to a winner there, and I would love to return at some point for another course. - Lucy
I emailed Wernog Wood at to ask if they knew someone who could make me a memorial bench instead of me just buying one on-line. Claire replied why not make one yourself! Ben was very knowledgeable and happy to pass that knowledge on to others while not doing the job for you. I had a great time and came away with new skills and a beautiful bench I made in memory of my Mum, Dad & Brother. - Jon
Upcoming Dates
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N.B. If you cannot see the Book Now section, scroll up to Upcoming Dates
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or
If you would like to attend a course but can't make it on the available date, you can register interest in future dates.