Hackney City Farm

At the London Greenwood workshop you will use a foot powered pole lathe to turn your own wooden bowl from locally grown green wood. 
Starting by learning good axing technique to prepare your bowl blank then how to set up a pole lathe you will move on to use two hand forged turning tools and powering your lathe by foot you will create a functional wooden bowl to take home with you. 
We will also talk about drying, oiling and caring for your bowl as well as selecting materials and how to continue. 
We will be working outdoors in all weather but we'll stay dry (under a tarp if it rains) and there will be a fire if gets it chilly.
 
We offer low income spaces on some course dates, please contact us for details.

Turn a wooden bowl outdoors on a foot powered pole lathe

Valerie Hazan

I've done a number of classes at London Greenwood and have enjoyed them all. This new wood turning course was no exception. It is the only manual pole lathe class available in London and taught in the outdoor workshop within Abney Park. Our teacher Dave had prepared the blanks and the tools so we were able to get straight down to using the pole lathe. We all completed very handsome bowls (for a first go!) by the end of the day and I feel i have acquired a good understanding of the process. This class is taught in small groups  (4 of us on this occasion) so there was plenty of individual attention. As Dave had warned us, it's a physical day (foot-powered!) but there were plenty of stops for lunch/tea/coffee and a great feeling of satisfaction on completion. 

George Chapman

Great course with helpful knowledgeable teacher with small class size so you were never left waiting for guidance.  Lovely location and atmosphere.  Pole lathe bowl turning is a fun challenge.  Highly recommended

Thida Eng

Amazing class! Dave is a great teacher, he was really helpful and patient with us. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in doing something crafty :)

Alice Tyler

This class was a great day (despite the rain!), we learned a lot under the excellent teacher Dave. We had a lot of fun, got a bowl out of it and were totally exhausted after (in a good way :). 

Heini Schneebeli

I certainly learned new ways to work with a foot powered lathe and Dave was an excellent teacher with lots of skill and patient. 
Green Wood Abney Park is a great set up and I will be back again.
Heini  

Jessica Bell

This was a great day, and had the best time - definitely want to come back to make more. Thanks very much!

Ben Harvey

We loved the course and the bowls! Dave was very knowledgable and patient, and the location at Hackney City Farm was beautiful. Highly recommended!

A hard but rewarding day with excellent tuition. So pleased with my bowl 🙂  Thank you!

Jenny Baker

Really enjoyed this day. It's hard physical work but very satisfying. Dave, the tutor, explained things clearly and demonstrated what to do. He was really patient and encouraging. would highly recommend this course

Jane Myat

Fantastic day: well organised, great setting, clear, focused and personalised tuition in a friendly supportive environment. Huge gratitude to Dave, Graham and the team at London Greenwood

Hedley

Great course.  Lovely location.  Very sensible and attentive instruction just when needed, but very hands on without too much standing around.  

Keith Clarke

Great day with excellent teaching and lots of fun

Rachel Alabaster

It was a fantastic day. Really well taught by lovely guys. Will definitely be coming back! Thanks to all. 

Jeff Jackson

I really enjoyed the day, the the process and technique were explained very well and I would definitely recommend this course  to anyone interested in learning an ancient craft. 

Sean 

Fantastic - really enjoyed it and would recommend

Alana Jelinek

Brilliant fun. Actually achieved a pretty good bowl. And a good workout

Yoav Ronat

Had a great day and a wonderful experience. Dave is an excellent tutor and I’m very pleased from the result. Definitely recommended!

Emily Knight

Brilliant course, with a very kind and knowledgeable instructor. Highly recommended

Chris Turpin

Fantastic course - professionally (and patiently) instructed by Dave. A really good day - I learnt a lot.

Nicholas Clegg

Really great day. Well structured, really nice instructor. Left feeling tired (it's a physical day) and really happy with my bowl. Would definitely recommend it.

Belinda Edwards

Fabulous course!  Supportive and helpful teacher. Lovely place. I really enjoyed the whole day 

Justine Henry

This was a brilliant day! The whole experience with an idyllic setting on a spring day, with all the helpful people involved, friendly staff & yummy food served in the on site cafe. Wood Turing on foot powered lathe was so much fun. It felt like peddling a bike with one leg, whilst scoring a wooden record, to carve the bowl. Definitely requires some co-ordination & concentration to get right. David the tutor made it look easy. Am looking forward to oiling the finished bowl, once the green wood dries out. Have already recommended this course to friends. Just do it! 

Eleanor Turner

Great day! Super helpful teacher and a lovely setting.

Jem Roberts

Excellent course, really great pace and calming direction. 

Borja Lorente

An amazing workshop, through and through.
Aided by the great weather, the quiet day spent in the tranquil respite of London Green Wood was as enjoyable as it was didactive.
And we ended up with nice bowls to boot!

Sara Karlsson

Turning my own bowl was a great experience! It made me inspired to turn more bowls and other things in the future!

Mat Jones

Really fun day learning how to turn a bowl on a pole lathe

David Young

A really great course - just what I was looking for to get back into pole lathing after a break of two decades! It was good to see complete novices doing just as well as self proclaimed carpenters like myself, and tantamount to the skill and care our trainer took with each of us. Thanks Dave!

Mike Dallimore

Enjoyed the class. I would recommend all the classes at Green Wood London.

Stuart Walker

Fabulous day learning bowl carving in hottest weather ever. Exceptional instruction. 

Laura Sedgwick

Fantastic workshop in a beautiful location. Anyone wanting to spend a day crafting would highly recommend!

Very intense, but fabulous day! We wee working in a stunningly beautiful setting. Tutor is very patient and helpful. I totally recommend this course.

Yahia Elgamal

The class was great. Was very intensive, starting with axing a piece of wood that was prepped slightly for us. Then we started turning the wood for many hours. At the end, we used a carving knife to get the stem out of the bowl. 

Dave, the instructor, was very patient and helpful. I definitely recommend this course, but be prepared from some physical effort. The place was fabulous  in the middle of hackney farm, was a great experience overall.

Learn how to turn a wooden bowl using a foot powered pole lathe at our woodland workshop in the city. Suitable for beginners and improvers.

Abney Park, South Lodge

Spend some time together learning new skills. This workshop is for children and young people (aged 9-18) with an accompanying adult to learn whittling together. 

Please note - *one ticket admits 1 Adult and 1 Child/ Young Person*

Families who have not attended London Green Wood courses before must bring one adult along for each child attending.

**In this workshop**

Using locally grown green wood we'll practice safe carving knife grips and make spatulas, staffs, wands or wooden knifes. 

For families that want to start whittling at home, this is great introduction for both adults and children to learn how to work safely with knives. We recommend that parents join this course so that they can keep their child safe when whittling at home and be confident in their child's abilities to work with knives and wood.

**Now you can**

* Whittle away to your heart's delight
* Practice your skills and make your own projects at home
* Supervise your child to use a whittling knife at home.

Family Whittling Workshop 9yrs+

*Wood can be used for all manors of things. Mostly, and certainly in that case of London Green Wood, beautiful wood is used to create an array of stunning objects. However, did you know that wet wood, unlike dry wood, could also conduct electricity? That’s what we call versatile!*

This workshop is for children (aged 8-12) with an accompanying adult to learn whittling together. Using locally grown green wood we'll practice safe carving knife grips and make staffs, wands or wooden knifes. 

For families that want to start whittling at home, this is great introduction for both adults and children to learn how to work safely with knives.

* Whittle away to your heart's delight
* Practice your skills and make your own projects at home
* Supervise your child to use a whittling knife at home.

You get to take away all your creations from the day, whatever they may be!

Places book up fast, so book now to ensure a spot!

Abney Park Cemetery

Ruth

Great experience, definitely plan to go back. Lovely activity & lovely location.

Gemma

Fantastic. Lovely surroundings, and nice to do something calming and learn a new skill!

An inspiring afternoon workshop from which we not only took away our wooden creations but sound knowledge of types of wood and safe whittling tips. Getting to work on the  'shaving horse' with a two handled knife was an added bonus.  Great to be outdoors working with our hands - we loved it! Thank you.

Kim Slade

It was fantastic! Jo showed us, in stages, what we needed to do and let us get on with it. My son, Harry, loved it because he was able to be really hands on with the tools and you also get to take your piece home with you at the end. I especially loved it and we are now looking forward to our next workshop together with Jo. Highly recommend London Green Wood CIC and Jo for her lovely calm and informative approach.

Grainne McNeill

Both 9 year old Dermot and his grandad loved the session and plan to book another one very soon!

5 stars!

Emily Poole

This was a great workshop, we both really enjoyed it. It was really good to go to a workshop for a parent and child to learn a new skill together. I was hoping for a hand carving course though so we could continue at home after the course, so a little more information about the content before would have been very useful.  We will probably try and book another one in the summer though, the venue was good as was the instruction. 

Vitor

Jessica Neil

We really enjoyed it.  Well organised and in a great location.  It's good to learn something new and have something to take home with you.  My daughter wants to go back and do more.

Jennifer Johnston 

My 10 year old son and I loved this workshop. He was given so much independence to use the tools himself and great guidance to use them safely. He learnt loads and felt really proud of what he achieved. 

Luíza Chandy

This was a great class. Our girls are 10 and 15 years old. and in our class they both got to use the axe, the saw and the shave horse, all taught really well and safely. We came home refreshed after our time outside without screens and enjoyed it so much that we will be booking again sometime next year. 

Alice Toomey

We had a wonderful day, and came away wanting more, so already planning our next session. Thanks so much!

Esther Oxford

My 13-year-old son and I really enjoyed this session at Hackney City Farm. We made a butter knife and a marshmallow toasting fork - sitting by a fire. Jo and her colleague are charming and precise teachers. I highly recommend. 

Julian Madams

The session was well structured and lasted two hours outside under the trees.  We used green wood that had been freshly cut that day. We learned various techniques on knife holding, types of wood, what part of the tree to use to make different utensils, what to do to preserve the wood if you need to pause the project for a while. We worked on a marshmellow stick and a butter spreader. We didn’t finish.
Ben was a great teacher; we had a lot of fun.

Maeve Barclay-Brown

We didn’t really know what to expect but everyone absolutely loved this, a big groan went up from kids and adults alike when the teacher said we only had a few minutes left. The teacher was lovely, endlessly patient and good-natured. We all want to do it again. 

Noah Schenato

Sorry, We missed the lesson because of external event !!!

Vanesa van Vlerken

We had a lovely time whittling. The place is lovely and the person teaching as was super nice. I wish they had a regular weekend course for kids. 

Agi Tsang 

We really enjoyed the class and hope to be back regularly from spring.  The class was well organised, the leading lady ( bad memory to names 🤦‍♀️ Sorry) was very friendly, knowledgable and with positive attitude and approach to kids. We were lucky to have a small class of only 2 families. Thoroughly enjoyable experience.🙏 

Matthew Godfrey

Zach King

Esther was fantastic - really patient and helpful when there was something the kids were finding tricky. Zach was teaching his sister how to whittle yesterday and they were busy with it most of the day!! Thank you - would recommend

Madeleine  Bowyer

Great day out so nice to be whittling in nature in the middle of Hackney what a brilliant group very welcoming and felt safe at all times. Very much look forward to doing another workshop soon. 

john wagener

Me and my daughter really loved the class. thank you so much . we both learnt a lot and the tuition was very relaxed and we got to know the rest of the group a bit as well which was fun. well done. 

I think setting up the seats beforehand would have given us a bit more time to whittle  - then would be 5 stars

Laura Redman

This was a great workshop.  It really inspired my daughter and was fun to do together.  Wish there were more things for kids and families!

Janice Macaulay

Great tutor who gave us a wonderful introduction to whittling. It definitely made me want to do some more courses with them. Lovely location as well. 

Learn safe whittling skills at Hackney City Farm

Family Whittling Workshop - 8-12 yrs

This is a four day course, taught outdoors at our Hackney City Farm workshop. Courses dates are either over a long weekend Thursday-Sunday, or weekly on Fridays. Please check the dates before booking.

This is our most in-depth course and can be adapted to all levels of experience. The aim is for you to become safe and confident with an axe and a knife. This course is designed to give participants an introduction to green woodworking using unseasoned wood straight from the log and hand tools. Suitable for all including: complete beginners, those who have carpentry experience but are new to green woodwork, and those who have done a little green woodwork and would like to learn more. We will work with locally sourced indigenous hardwoods and make a series of practice projects to give you confidence with basic green woodworking tools and techniques.

This course is also an induction to the workshop for new members of our coop (annual membership fee £50-£150, not included in the course).

Included in the price of the course is your own Mora 120 knife to use and to keep.

Low income and unwaged discounts are available for this course, please contact us for details.

**In this class**

Through making a series of practice projects, such as spoons and spatulas, you will learn: the principles of green woodwork, safe and confident axe techniques, knife grips from the Swedish tradition of spoon carving, tool sharpening and pole-lathe turning.

By the end of the course we hope participants will feel confident to continue to make things in wood, either on their own or at our regular cooperative workshop sessions. So this course should be seen as the beginning of a wood affair.


Induction to the London Green Wood Workshop

*It is well known that trees are capable of living for thousands of years. What is less known however is that trees never actually die of old age. Instead, it is usually insects, diseases and people that cause a tree to die*

Through making a series of practice projects, such as spoons and spatulas, you will learn: the principles of green woodwork, safe and confident axe techniques, knife grips from the Swedish tradition of spoon carving, tool sharpening and tool maintenance.

* Look after and sharpen your own tools
* Continue making with wood, either at home or at the London Green Wood workshop
* Give handmade presents to your friends and family

Students will take home all that is made during the course.

Places are limited so book now to make sure you get yours!

Clare

HELEN

Day one of a one-day-a-week course done and it was great.  Small group, great teacher - I have already acquired a huge amount of knowledge!

Fantastic, inspiring, workshop with great teaching and friendly students. Learned lots of practical skills and I love having breakfast every morning with my hand carved spoon!

Really great course .
Jo is a very good teacher - relaxed, but full of instruction.
We all got to learn different techniques, and how to use tools and devices which are specific to green woodwork (and not available in any diy store).
I would definitely recommend this course.

Really fun classes, I hadn't ever picked up a spoon knife before and this got me slightly addicted!

Great place, great community, best tutors!! Thank you!!

Absolutely loved the introduction to Green Woodwork workshop. Really practical and hands-on. Very friendly people and Jo is a great teacher

I found this course very well resourced and organised with a relaxed and encouraging atmosphere.    The location is second to none for a course of this type in London -it was wonderful to be working under the trees and the weather was kind

Jo is a patient and knowledgable teacher providing clear instructions of safe working techniques and there is plenty of opportunity to practice sharpening and the opportunity to work individually and together .    Added bonus is that past students also attend on Thursdays to work on their own projects so plenty of opportunity to  pick up tips from more experienced students.    I hope to be able to join in Thursday community access sessions from time to time.

Everyone is very lovely.
 I like them to share them own woodwork experience and have lunch together :)
I will go back to learn more from them

A brilliant course for people with little or no knowledge of woodworking. By the fourth and final session, we had acquired enough basic skills to cut down a piece of hazel and for each of us to turn a section of it into our own wooden spoon - immensely satisfying!

The introductory course is brilliant. Though it’s very relaxed you’ll earn how to make a range of different thing and you’ll come away with plenty of finished pieces. As well as a great teacher in Jo, you also get the support of a super helpful community of makers that use the space. I’ll be going back for sure - I’m currently shopping for tools.

Great course in a brilliant spot. Very welcoming and really informative

Great course. Attentive tuition, friendly people, lovely setting for the workshop. I'll be going back for sure!

I can't think of a better way to spend my Friday's  :)
Thanks so much to Jo, and the lovely crew that use the outdoor workshop, for sharing their skills in such a relaxed manner, it's been really nourishing.

This course was brilliant.  It is based around learning basic carving skills, but you make lots of stuff as well as a part of that (spoons, butter knives, scoops, spatulas etc).  Jo takes you to a level where you can confidently attempt projects of your own in a safe manner, and deals with axe work, hook knife, straight knife, draw knife, and a few other things (gouges, sharpening, aspects of design).  I really feel like I've been taught the basic approaches and techniques of a craft in quite a short time, and can now go forward and practice them.  Each Friday was the highlight of my week, and I look forward to returning to the workshop as often as I can in future.  The atmosphere at the workshop itself is a really potent antidote to living in a big city, and it feels like you're dipping into a wonderful community of people who are keeping a set of skills alive and in use even in London. Highly recommended to those who wish to deepen their knowledge of green woodworking beyond just making a single item.

Introduction to Green Woodwork Workshop

Madeleine Ladell

A truly excellent course. Having attended several one-day Green Woodwork courses I was keen to do the four-day Introduction. Jo is a wonderful teacher: patient, skilled and encouraging. She tailors the course to individuals and paces things really well. The course introduces you to axing, carving and whittling using straight and curved knives, sharpening tools, and getting into good habits by using tools safely. The atmosphere is always good with a variety of lovely people taking part and other skilled makers working alongside and giving helpful tips, all in the natural outdoor space. Completing the course allows you to become a member of the cooperative and use the facilities thereafter at designated times. Highly recommended. Thanks, Jo! 

alison taylor

Thoroughly enjoyable and invigorating; the classes were the highlight of my week. The tutors (Dave and Jo) were knowledgeable and welcoming and I was amazed how quickly we progressed. They taught us how to use different tools and techniques confidently, always with safety foremost. Every day I took home items I had made and could use. Highly recommended for those who want to be outdoors, learn craft skills, be amongst similar co-operatively minded folk and are happy to take advice from all manner of friendly spoon makers who drop in to use the tools and equipment. 

Another 5 star course.  The Introduction to Green Woodwork course was a great way to learn to work with a range of tools and wood. Informative and relaxed and guided brilliantly by Jo and Dave who provided skilful, nudging towards improving techniques.  Over the four days I came away with a number of hand-made items and feeling much more confident with my green wood working.  Inspiring. I would wish this course for anyone wanting a little respite from the pace of this city of ours. Thank you. 

Radhika Shah

wonderful space in London. 
welcoming and friendly. 
Great introduction to green woodworking . thank you 

Nicholas Evans

Excellent course. The tutor was very capable and while being relaxed did ensure a 'safe environment' given the nature of the work and the use of (very) sharp tools. She also was very approachable and was very constructive in her comments. I have  now joined the 'London Green Wood' membership and intend to do further courses with them. 

I had a brilliant time at the Intro to Green Woodwork workshop. This is done in small groups of six so with lots of individual attention and a really enjoyable group dynamic. The emphasis is very much on learning to use essential tools for green wood work safely, and small projects are done each week to practice these skills. Jo is a brilliant teacher and there is a supportive atmosphere with other woodworkers also working on projects in the outdoor workshop. Lots of tea/coffee and shared snacks. Our 4 week course was interrupted due to Covid-19 restrictions but Jo has kept in touch with us and will arrange for our group to finish the course together when next possible.  I can't wait!

Caterina C

Expert and thoughtful teaching to a small group in a secluded location - it was great to be outdoors even in the cold and wet (under rain cover). Very enjoyable

Rupert Bozeat

Excellent teaching, new techniques and tools. Good range of items to make and to be able to make a final piece from log to table is a wonderful experience. 

Joanna Bending

I really enjoyed the course - teaching was excellent, and the range of tasks was well considered.  Would definitely recommend! 

Tessa Dash

The 4 day introduction course was great fun - the tutors were wonderful and I learned new skills each day. I'm can't wait to do another course!

janet davies

Really good course, both teachers very informative and helpful. It was a busy four days and great that we were hands on working all the time
Lots of space to ask questions and a good mix of group and individual attention

Teresa Sarroca

The course was fantastic. The pace was relaxed and allowed for all of us to move forward as a group but plenty of time to go at your own pace and level. The space itself is so nice and everyone was very warm and welcoming. I would strongly recommend the course! A really great way to unplug and be outside and you learn loads. We left feeling very confident in being able to take things forward on our own. 

Kate Maidment

Lovely place, nice people and great teachers - fully recommend! 

Great class, really helpful, good equipment and a lovely day in a little city woodland corner in the sun. What more can you ask for. Highly recommended.

janine young

This was a superb course which I bought for my husband. He found. Jo to be a brilliant teacher who supported the learners different abilities and interests. It was a mixed gender group and he came home feeling accomplished after each session. 

Anastasia Lewis

This was an amazing, discovery filled 4 day experience! Fun, educational, thoughtful, practical, relaxing, intense... it had it all! Lovely conversations, a new useful skill learned, new friends made and time well spent! I just want to keep coming back! And I will, it is already in my plans. If you are considering this course, give it a try!  It is money well spent and you will get all of the basic knowledge for your own future green woodworking projects.

Fabian Bermudez Canta

This is a really great course to introduce you to woodwork. We learnt many different work carving techniques and made lots stuff that we could take home (spoons, knives, spatulas, etc). I’ve now joined as a member and will be going back to the workshop to continue learning and making. 100% recommend :)

Richard Popple

Loving it so far! Shame it's not Abney Park but the guys have done great job of making HCF a nice home. Thanks.

Jaxon Diss

great course! well structured with super friendly teachers. the new location is great too!

Lesley Smith

Excellent course very good teachers. Atmospheric venue. Would highly recommend.


Nicole Holgate

Such an amazing group and a brilliant experience!

Asli Deniz Torunoglu

Amazing course for everyone interested in green wood! As a complete beginner, I learned a lot from Jo and Cyriac, who are both very good teachers. Definitely recommend!

Phoebe F

Very informative, knowledgeable instructors and great fun

Aaida Khawaja

I had an amazing experience with London Green Wood. Cyriaque is an excellent teacher, giving us confidence with the tools and grips. I can't recommend this course enough, everyone was so friendly and helpful. Thank you :) 

Ellen

I am a forest school leader and use an axe, knife, mallet, saw regularly.  However I had so much fun, taking time out in their beautiful workshop to really learn about fine tool work, sharpening and different green wood techniques and tools.  I never knew spoon carving wood be so much fun!  I highly recommend the four day intro for anyone who's interested in using their hands for fun, hobby, crafting and to spend time in a calm, social space.   The facilitator leading the teaching was helpful, knowledgable and easy to learn from.   

Lewis Kay

What a wonderful, in-depth course. I learned so much and came away with so much knowledge I can apply to my own work. I'm looking forward to doing more courses with  London Green Wood.

oliver rakocevic

This course delivers what it sets out to deliver... Our tutor, Cyriaque, was patient and knowledgeable. The group was a good size (6 participants) and all the members I met were friendly and helpful. I learned loads and loved it! I am looking forward to returning to LGW for more green woodworking and friendly connections!  

Tessa K

Move over mindfulness courses! This is the best way to settle the busy mind  and have some focussed creative time in a wonderful outdoor setting with a  patient and calm tutor. 

Exceptional teaching on the four day course. Skills really broken into achievable bite sized chunks. An absolute pleasure to be part of. 

Roger

An oasis of calm in central London. It is difficult to convey in words the immense satisfaction this 4 day course produced, time slowed down, It has left a hunger to learn more. Thank you…

Introduction to working unseasoned wood with hand tools, participants are invited to become members of the LGW cooperative workshop after the course

Turn a wooden bowl outdoors on a foot powered pole lathe

Age Requirement