Online Classes
I started online classes because of Covid and now I’m continuing with them because they worked so well. Distance needn’t stop us now either. Join me from anywhere in the world.
I will continue to run in-person classes whenever possible but I will also be running these regular, live online Zoom sessions in which I demonstrate spoon carving skills. Doing it live means that you can still ask questions and I can give specific advice too. You don’t have to have your camera turned on but I’d recommend it to get the most out of it.
I’ve created a curriculum of classes below with progression from stage to stage. You don’t need to take all of them or take them in order but that will give you the most complete knowledge base. Feel free to let me know what you think of this system and how it could be better. Do the times suit you? Is the price right?
Some the classes below may not be available all the time. Check back another time or email me to highlight your interest in a particular class.
The Classes
I’ve tried to lay out a clear system of online classes to offer you flexibility to focus on the skills that you think you need to improve. They range in duration from 1.5hr to 3hrs and I have arranged them during evenings and weekends to maximise availability. I’ll try to facilitate those in different time zones too.
After you book a class, you can buy the tools and materials you will need from the shop and I will post them to you ahead of time. If you already have these, you can of course use your own tools and materials. I will assume you have what you need. If you are located in Ireland, I’d recommend booking at least 3 days in advance to allow for postage. I’d recommended booking 3 weeks ahead of time for American participants. If the materials are delayed and don’t arrive in time, don’t worry, we’ll just book you into the next class. For international participants, note that all times are Irish time (UTC or UTC+1, depending on the season).
It’s worth mentioning that there is, of course, a risk of accidents with sharp tools so be sure to have a first aid kit on hand.
Knife Skills 0: Butter Knife Carving (Straight knife skills)
Price: €40 (tuition only) or €86.20 (includes tuition, tools, materials and postage)
Duration: 1.5hr
This is an great intro to knife carving or a refresher on the carving grips if you’re rusty. you can order a slojd knife and a butter knife blank to practice on if you need them.
Class content:
safe carving techniques, using the main knife grips.
Butter knife carving method
Make your own wooden butter knife!
Q&A
Knife Skills 1: Spoon Carving (Straight and bent knife skills)
Price: €55 (tuition only) or €138 (includes tuition, tools, materials and postage)
Duration: 3.5hr
This is a great intro to spoon carving with the straight knife and the spoon knife. This class pairs well with Axe Skills 1 to cover all aspects of spoon carving. I will usually run both classes on a single day so you can do both if you wish.
You can order the tools and a pre-prepared spoon blank if you need it.
Class content:
Safe carving techniques while using the straight knife and bent knife.
Spoon carving method.
Make your own spoon!
Q&A
Knife Skills 2: Advanced Spoon Carving
Price: €45 (tuition only)
Duration: 2hr
You should have your own tools by now and have carved at least one or two spoons. If you have a foundation of spoon carving skills, you will get a lot more out of this class. It’s a good follow-on for those that took my beginners spoon carving course and are looking to improve their skills. You should rough out a spoon blank to practice on ahead of time.
Class content:
We will carve a spoon together while discussing the more advanced aspects of knife carving.
How to carve efficiently without injury
How to achieve long cuts, even facets and smooth transitions
How to achieve a smooth bowl
Being systematic
Q&A
Axe Skills 1: Roughing Out a Spoon Blank
Price: €30 (tuition only) up to €89 (tuition, tools, materials and postage)
Duration: 1.5hr
This is the first step when you carve your own spoons. The class is suitable for complete beginners. It pairs well with Knife Skills 1 to cover all aspects of spoon carving. I will usually run both classes on a single day so you can do both if you wish.
You can order a billet of green wood and an axe if you need them. If you’d like to use your own axe, please make sure it is a sharp axe, suitable for carving. You will need some form of chopping block to work on. A stump of round wood is ideal but any large chunk of wood will work.
Class Content:
Wood storage and selection
Safe and efficient axe work
Method for roughing out a spoon
Q&A
Axe Skills 2: Advanced Axe Skills
Price: €30 (tuition only)
Duration: 1.5hr
This is for those who have roughed out a few spoons and wish to improve their axe skills. Ideally, you should have your own sharp axe by this stage. If not, you can buy one from the shop.
Class content:
Axe sharpening (you should have sharpening apparatus for your knives already. Any sharpening stones will work)
Understanding wood grain orientation.
Advanced spoon crank techniques
Using bent wood
Q&A
Sharpening Skills 1: Straight Knives
Price: €30 (tuition only) or €96.50 (includes tuition, sharpening kit and postage)
Duration: 2hr
Sharpening is an absolutely essential skill. It’s a lost art. It takes a bit of mastering but its ultimately fairly simple and everyone should be able to do it. This class is good for everybody because we all use knives on a daily basis, not just wood carvers. I will cover the method for wood carving tools and kitchen knives. I will send you a knife sharpening kit (Sharpening Kit 1, ordered separately from the shop), including a two-sided diamond stone (400/1000 grit), a non-slip rubber base, a storage bag, a leather strop and some honing compound.
Class content:
Understanding edge geometry
Different types of sharpening stones
Sharpening method for slojd knives and other woodworking tools
Sharpening kitchen knives
Stropping
Long term maintenance
Sharpening Skills 2: Bent Knives (spoon knives and other curved blades)
Price: €25 (tuition only) or €56.50 (includes tuition, sharpening kit and postage)
Duration: 1.5hr
Whereas Sharpening Skills 1 is for everyone, this one is only for spoon carvers and other woodworkers. This will focus mainly on sharpening spoon knives but the method will work for most curved tools including adzes and gouges. I will send you a bent knife sharpening kit ahead of time (Sharpening Kit 2, ordered separately from the shop). There is no overlap between sharpening kit 1 (straight knives) and sharpening kit 2 (bent knives) so feel free to book both classes and order both kits.
Class content:
Sharpening spoon knives
Private Classes
Price: €60 per hour
Duration: 1-3hr
If the group classes don’t suit your schedule, you’d like to address something specific or you simply want a more intensive one-to-one experience, private classes may suit you.
Choose from the available time slots when booking
Leave a comment detailing what you’d like to focus on.
Ask as many questions as you like!
Class Schedule
All scheduled classes and workshops are shown below. Do check in as more are added or subscribe to the mailing list below to hear about new updates.
If you know someone who’d enjoy one of my online classes, a class voucher could be a great, unique gift. If you buy a voucher, the recipient can use the autogenerated code to book themselves into any day workshop or online class, whenever it suits them. The cost will be deducted from the value of their voucher. You will receive a link to a printable voucher as well if you’d like to have something physical to give. Then, they just have to book themselves in on any of the upcoming events.