An enormous thank you to George for a most enjoyable day to re-introduce me to Woodturning (50+years since early attempt at school). He provided so much information (not all remembered) on various interesting techniques, tools, materials and finishes. His relaxed and jovial manner was very engaging, with a strong emphasis on safety and a hands on approach, he very comfortably oversaw two of us stepping in as necessary to correct minor issues throughout the day. Much inspired, Woodturning is now set to become my new retirement hobby and I hope to meet George again for further guidance on suitable equipment and perhaps a further course.?
Many thanks also for Sue's hospitality keeping us well watered and fed throughout the day with regular supplies of tea/coffee/cold drinks, biscuits and a very welcome lunch sat out in their sheltered garden outside the workshop.
Alister Harpur
Many thanks to George for an excellent day. He is an intuitive teacher and fills you with complete confidence. He is an expert in both the physics of wood and wood turning, as well as having the artistic flair you would expect in a master craftsman. Highly recommend anyone to take this course. Many thanks also to Sue for keeping us topped up with coffee and a lovely lunch.
Alan Boyle
I really enjoyed my day with George and Susan, thank her for her hospitality, and George's patience and expertise..
I sent a pic to my daughter, and she cheekily said I must have bought it!!!
Christine Macfarlane
I had a stimulating and creative day today with George Foweraker teaching me the essential theory and basic practice of woodturning. George is clearly a master craftsman and he instilled a lot of confidence in me as a complete rookie. His workshop is well equipped and safe and we had regular breaks for drinks and snacks and lunch at the halfway mark. Ending up with a bowl to bring home was a bonus and the offer of help with further advice and tuition most welcome. Highly recommended for anyone who is thinking about getting into the discipline of woodturning or who like me just wanted to try something new.
Tim Taylor
Thanks George and Sue for your hospitality and importantly the skilled teaching on the lathe. I am normally a bit gung ho about learning new things but this needed clear guidance which we got throughout. The result was an amazingly beautiful bowl, which has received many compliments. Everyone has commented on the beauty of the wood- thanks so much for allowing us to use those pieces- made it extra special.
Thanks again and a special shout out for the scones Sue - what a gorgeous treat at the end of the day.
Meriel Norris
Having recently retired I finally have time to pursue wood turning as a hobby. I found George Foweraker's website 'Artistry in Wood' advertised in the Wood Turning magazine and decided to book a 2 day course before choosing a lathe. I am so glad I did that! George was able to advise me on best choice of lathe and also recommend some turning and sharpening tools.
The 2 day course is good value as it gives enough time to cover lots of essential information and to allow me to actually try some bowl turning under George's expert tuition and watchful eye. I learnt a great deal and found both George and his wife Sue were excellent hosts with plenty of tea / coffee breaks and lunch was provided!
I came way with 3 lovely bowls (impossible without George's knowledge guidance) and great deal of useful information not least of the safe use of the lathe and the tools, but also sanding and finishing which is so important to achieve a good result.
I now feel confident enough to get a lathe and begin to practice and hopefully master the art of wood turning. I would thoroughly recommend George's course to anyone thinking of taking up the hobby.
Thanks again George and Sue.
All the best and hope to see you both again before too long.
Simon Crozier
Just wanted to say thank you so very much for making us feel so welcome at your lovely home on Thursday. Meriel and I had a fantastic day and we were so pleased with our bowls. As you know I was feeling very nervous but I really needn't have, because you were so good at explaining everything and very patient and supportive.
Maggie Burrows
Thank you George for an interesting experience day and also to Sue for providing the food and drink throughout the day, also many thanks for picking me up from the campsite.
After the necessary health and safety instruction you gave enough theory and demonstrated the techniques at each stage of producing a bowl. After practice, and your patience, my holding of the wood gouge was then removing wood successfully.
By the end of the day I had produced a bowl that I and my wife are very pleased with, the addition of the texture and colour as well as the shape make it a nice feature piece.
Thanks again for an inspiring and interesting day.
Les Gale
I very much enjoyed my one-day woodturning course with George Foweraker. The day was well structured, and by the end of it I had a beautiful finished wooden bowl to show for it, all my own work - under George's watchful eye and guiding hand.
George started with a little introduction to wood itself, which showed where the different possible "blanks" for a bowl might come from in a tree trunk, and the challenges and possibilities with each position. Then I was introduced to my selected piece of wood, and we started setting it up on the lathe. As we worked together through the various different tools, George introduced each one, and showed me how to use it. His years of experience and patience came through, and I felt very comfortable taking up the tools. Once I'd started using each of them myself, he was on hand to guide and instruct as appropriate. All in all, I finished the day with a full day of hands-on experience, and a beautiful bowl. A great day's work!
Thanks again - and to your lovely wife for the lunch.
Clive freeman
Our great day with George started 6 months earlier when Brenda, my wife picked up a chisel for the first time and tried carving at a Maori settlement in New Zealand. Building on the rewarding sense of working with wood, I booked us in with George for a day of wood turning tuition as her Christmas present in 2018.
Total novices to wood turning, we arrived in Burnham on Sea on a sunny bank holiday Saturday to spend the day acquiring some new skills. George is an accomplished teacher, generous with his praise and passionate about his subject. You learn about woods, grains, tools and lathes and importantly progress at your own pace - with George helping and keeping a watchful eye on progress.
We finished with 2 very different bowls turned in sycamore, one a traditional bowl emphasising the natural grain and features of the wood, the other a shallow bowl with a lacquered paint finish. Both are a good size and now on display in our house. Throughout the day, Sue, George's wife kept us refreshed with drinks and lunch, all taken away from lathes in their beautiful and mature garden. The experience was good value for money and great fun. We will be coming back to try our hands at turning again.
Nigel and Brenda Clews
After mentioning to my wife I'd like to try woodturning, she very kindly gave me a birthday present of a day's experience with George. She couldn't have chosen better. My day with George started with a cup of tea (made by the delightful Sue), a nice chat and then straight into the workshop. George is a very patient, informative and knowledgeable teacher. He takes you through step by step of what is required to turn your first bowl and by the end of the day (after more tea and a delicious lunch) you walk away with a bowl that looks very professionally turned. As a consequence of this day's experience I am now a proud owner of my own lathe and spend rather a lot of time in my shed now!!!
Jamie Mould
I just wanted to say how grateful I am to George and his wife Sue for making today's woodturning session a very enjoyable one. George was very informative and broke down each stage making it easy to take in everything I needed to know in turning my first bowl. I would definitely recommend him to anyone looking to pursue woodturning as a hobby or to a more advanced level.
Danny Grub
The day I had with George was very informative . George is a good teacher and made the day very enjoyable. I was very pleased with bowl I made and well looked after with lunch tea and coffee.
Thanks again
Paul Wood.
Paul Wood
This was a one day course that my wife bought for me as a present. I have been on woodturning courses before and do bowl turning at home but haven't done any for the last 18 months. There was another person on the course and he was new to woodturning. George covered the basics of woodturning and bowl turning in particular. George is a very able teacher and was more than capable in managing one that was a novice to woodturning and another that had some experience. He was a great help to us both. I was able to refresh the techniques that I already knew but were a bit rusty, improved on some with George's help and learnt some new ones that will improve my woodturning considerably.
We both ended the day with a finished bowl pleased with what we had achieved.
Unsal Hassan
Dear George.
Thanks very much for your and your wife's hospitality yesterday. The course was very informative, and as an absolute beginner at wood turning it was a real pleasure to create a beautiful finished bowl - which has been much admired by friends and neighbours, and most importantly, my wife!
I am sure that you are correct to keep the numbers of students to a minimum. The constant flow of information and advice , and of course the demonstrations and " hands on" practical work, is much better when you provide virtually individual attention.
Nick.
Nick Alexander
I signed up for the day's introduction as a way of getting to know about wood turning.
I have shown an interest in this skill and was thinking of learning more before taking the plunge and buying any equipment.
I found that the day was very informative with skill and knowledge being shared.
There was extensive care and support given through out the day with openness to help with all procedures.
I was also given the offer of after care and support if I needed it.
I had a great time with and learnt lots to take away.
Oh and I also made a bowl :)
Great day, highly recommended if you want to learn or just go for the experience
Mark Stanton
Thanks for a really great day and lovely refreshments. It was a fun learning experience and I came away with a fantastic wooden bowl and for my first attempt I couldn't have done it without your help!
Steven
I spent the day learning about wood turning with George, having not used a lathe since I was in school. George was a great teacher and had a good balance between him showing and us doing, and the end result was something we could be proud of. I'd definitely do it again to learn some different techniques or take someone along with me."
Matt Agget
Many, many thanks George and Sue for an interesting and thoroughly enjoyable day last Friday. Apart from learning the basics of turning, we actually produced a bowl and got to take it home! Thank you for your patience and expertise and we both hope to come to Burnham for another hands on tuition day. The supply of tea, biscuits, soup and a Daphne cutting was very welcome and please pass on our thanks to Susan.
The best part of the day for me was to see a bowl develop and emerge from the sycamore blank you provided and thank you for your input of the coloured rim. Cathy has taken hers to Devon this weekend to show her Mum!
You have sown the seed of woodturning and next time we come over the bridge, I hope we can bring something we have made in Wales!
Chris and Cath
Many thanks to George and Sue for a very enjoyable day in Burnham introducing me to woodturning.
Whilst clearly I have a long way to go George's thorough introduction to the nature of wood, the equipment and techniques combined with patience and an obvious enthusiasm for the craft enabled me to come away with a bowl I was pleased with and my wife even said she wouldn't mind having on the sideboard!
Clive hooper
A Christmas present from my wife this was a skill which I had always wanted to try .My son and I had a great experience under the guidance of George,he made us both feel at ease.
Great hospitality from his wife Sue .I would highly recommend the course for anyone who would like to explore wood turning.
The sycamore bowl now has pride of place in my home.
Richard
Just had a fantastic day with George at Artistry In Wood. He has so much knowledge and experience that he passed on to me as a student. I couldn't believe the standard of the bowl I was able to turn under his tuition. I'd recommend him to anyone, young or old, experienced or novice. Nick."
Nick Oke
I had my first wood turning lesson with George today , given to me as a gift for Christmas.
George is a great teacher with much patience for a novice like me.
His guidance and useful information for learning to turn made the experience fun , interesting and easy to pick up as a beginner.
George is good company, and I enjoyed the lovely lunch made by sue , his wife.
I was very pleased to make and finish a lovely bowl to take home.
I highly recommend George's lessons .
Thank you both for a great day.
Reg Day
My wife bought me a day of tuition with George as a birthday present at the end of November 2018 and we both went along to Burnham on Sea early in January 2019. George and his wife Susan, both made us feel very welcome and after a good cup of tea and some introductions, we got to work. George has a clear love of his subject and was very clear (and patient) in explaining the basics to us both as (more or less) complete novices. After explaining some basic theory principles about wood grain, shrinkage, cutting direction etc and having given us a safety brief, George selected some sycamore blanks and prepared them for mounting on the lathe. He then expertly guided us, step by step through all the processes of making the blank round, shaping and finishing the outside, then hollowing and finishing the inside. At every stage, George constantly helped, advised, cajoled and motivated us. When necessary he stepped in and helped, but he was very restrained in doing that and largely left us to make our own mistakes, so that we felt the finished items were genuinely our own work. The turning lessons were never too long - being regularly interrupted with breaks, tea, biscuits and a delicious home cooked soup at lunch time. We both thoroughly enjoyed the experience and will definitely do more in the future. Thanks to George and Susan for their hospitality, patience, training - and good company."
Mike and Caroline Bews
What a great day, Lots to learn but with a great Teacher was made easier and more enjoyable, The hospitality was lovely and made to feel very welcome. Will be booking another day very soon. Once again thanks for a great Day
Gary
I had a fantastic day! My mum and I went together for my 30th birthday treat and it was brilliant. We both made beautiful bowls and both completely different.
The whole day was really inspiring, George is clearly very passionate about his craft and I would highly recommend spending time learning wood turning with
Elaine Andrew
What a great way to spend a wet wintry day!
We were welcomed into George and Susan's home with tea and biscuits, very welcome after our (not too long) drive from Bristol, and soon after introduced to the workshop. Neither of us had any experience working with a lathe before, but, after the safety briefing, George quickly got us started, giving enough information and guidance to move from block of wood to finished bowl in a single day without overwhelming us with too much information in one go.
We thoroughly enjoyed our day, and would highly recommend the course.
Thank you George for a memorable day.
Christine Foster
Dear George and Sue
Many thanks for the wood turning lesson on Friday, I had a very good and informative day with you and my family were very impressed with the bowl which i took home
I am now well motivated to continue the craft and am happy to recommend you to anybody
Your lovely wife fed and watered me very well and made me feel very welcome
Kind regards to the both of you
Colin
Colin Ralph
Firstly, thank you so much for your time yesterday - I really enjoyed it so much!!! Also, thanks so much to Susan for all the lovely food and tea, which was very welcome. Furthermore and as you requested, I have produced the following review of my experience, which I would be happy for you to use in any way you think fit and hope it's OK for your requirements?
Yesterday, I visited George Foweraker for a one-day woodturning experience. On arrival, I was immediately offered tea and biscuits and made to feel very welcome. Once inside his workshop, George set about explaining with diagrams the various properties of wood. This was very interesting and helped me to understand why cutting procedures had to be made in certain ways in order to ensure a good quality finish. George then set me to work on the lathe with a piece of oak, which was hard to work. However, with a lot of guidance and patience, George helped me make the first tentative cuts. Gradually, my bowl began to take shape and all too soon, it was time for lunch. Susan, George's wife, produced a wonderful lunch of hot home-made soup, delicious ham roll and more tea. Time, after lunch, was spent refining the shape of the bowl, sanding it, adding texture and colour and then finally giving it a coat of protective lacquer. At the end of the day, I realised I had produced a very decent product and something that I was actually quite proud of thank you George! Overall, I had a brilliant day and considered the whole experience excellent value for money. Furthermore, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this training to anyone with an interest in woodturning or to anyone else wishing to pursue this creative hobby further.
Nigel Hoy
My husband gifted me a craft course voucher and I selected a day course for 2 with George on the merit of the previous reviews for the course and it did not disappoint. We had a great day and went home with beautiful turned sycamore bowls that we are really proud of.
George's relaxed and friendly teaching style had us confidently working away at creating our bowls in no time. The day was a really great mix of learning the science of wood and the turning process, and the creativity of reading the form, deciding how far to take a cut and how to create an aesthetically pleasing shape!
Special thanks to Sue who made us feel warmly welcomed and looked after with a delicious home made lunch and plenty of biscuits!
Naomi Waterman
Great day shared with a friend.
From complete novice (aside of a few woodwork lessons at school with a teacher that merely instilled terror rather than skills) with the aid of calm coaching from George I managed to turn out a bowl I am proud to showoff to other people. Thank you. Thanks also go to Sue for fine fayre.
Helen McD
Lovely day on Saturday being taught by George how to produce a lovely sycamore bowl. Really felt that I had made something of excellent quality - very nearly - all on my own. My friend and I had a great day. Lovely soup too Sue.
Margaret Staker
I thoroughly enjoyed my day yesterday
Thanksyou George for your patience and for sharing your considerable experience - I feel Im getting the hang of it now!
I can't wait to see the response from my friends when they open their gifts
Jax
Just to say what a brilliant day this was. Relaxed but "no nonsense" tuition, with a great result.
David
George I want to thank you so much for such a wonderful day resulting in a beautiful beech bowl. From the moment Susan opened the door I knew it was going to be a fun and relaxing day. After a drink you went through the all important safety issues when using tools and a lathe then we set to to choose a piece of wood. It was great to see my bowl slowly taking shape and you were always patient and encouraging. After lunch, which Susan had prepared for us, we used various different sanding techniques to give the bowl a very professional finish. My family, who arranged my day wood turning as a Christmas present, were thrilled with the end result and I am very proud of my days work thanks to a great teacher.
Vicky Taylor
Another great day and a great bowl
As always George's guidance was both instructive and enjoyable
We were both very satisfied and just a little bit tired at the end of the day!
Jax and John
George, thank you for a fantastic day wood turning. As an enthusiastic beginner I needed to know some basic skills and build confidence to achieve repeatable results. Your steady, coaching approach enabled me to learn how to make a turned bowl in a safe and creative way. The key skill I picked up was the attention to detail when it matters to make a high quality product. I was really surprised by the ease we did several different finishes and then cut them off to end on the final choice. The whole day was an enjoyable discussion about tools, techniques, wood types, sharpening systems, abrasives, form and finishes. I would advise anyone to have this lesson in the first few weeks of getting a lathe. Thank you and your wife for a great day.
Bruce Eyley
George
Many many thanks for your hospitality and my day of woodturning with you, your patience and skill was a pleasure for me far beyond my expectations.
Your tuition was most helpful to this rank amateur, your explanation of all the facets of woodturning we covered were very clearly put to me and I hope that I may call on you again in the future.
Kindest regards Don
Don Irving
Thanks so much for a wonderful day of wood turning.
It was a real pleasure, not just to learn new skills and handle the wood but also to chat with you.
Please also thank your wife for making me feel so welcome in your home.
Matt Woods
I had such a wonderful experience learning to turn a bowl with George for the day.
I wasn't sure what to expect and found the whole experience a joy!
The workshop was a perfect learning space and George was a fabulous teacher
I would recommend to anyone interested in wood turning you wouldn't find better!
Thank you George
Vicky
What did I expect? What did I get?
My experience of woodturning is from club and show demonstrations and I am otherwise mainly self-taught. I expected to get hands on professional tuition in a good workshop from this course.
On arrival I received a fabulous, warm welcome from George, but probably more importantly from the Boss, Sue. She looked after us with refreshments and kindness which was matched by George's professional approach to woodturning.
The first day was spent on safety, tool sharpening techniques of tool use and bowl completed. What a lot I learnt!
The second day commenced with putting into practise what I had learnt from the first day's tuition but the bulk of the time involved textures; how they are created and combined with finishes. This included not only proprietary brands but also George's techniques for colouring and decoration.
I came away with two of my creations, but more importantly, to me, a sense of achievement and plenty of inspiration for future projects. We had plenty of banter in a totally relaxed atmosphere but this did not detract from the intense learning situation. The course had totally lived up to my expectations.
Thanks, George (and Sue) for looking after an old codger!
Derek
I am very proud of the bowl I made and it's attracted many compliments from anyone who has seen it
I found the day a really great balance of theory and practice - hard work for the uninitiated but we had a lot of laughs too ..
George's teaching style is based on his own experience which I personally always benefit from
What most enthused me is that I discovered that I too could have the talent if I was prepared to listen and apply what I heard
Lax
George is a wonderful teacher, very patient, and corrects your mistakes kindly and with humour, provided you keep your hands out of your pockets. Clearly a master of his craft, George is also an artist which you are reminded of every time you pop to the loo. I have been using a lathe for the last year or so but wish I had come to George first, it would have saved a lot of ruined work and cross words. My wife could not believe how beautiful the bowls were that I took home after being with George, she might even let me spend more time in the shed. I look forward to the next few months tying to use the techniques I have been taught, but expect I will be back again for a refresher course before long."
John Bird
We've just spent a fabulous day with George and his lovely wife Susan. They made us feel very welcome right from the start.
George is very knowledgable, patient and very approachable. We went home with 2 beautifully created bowls made from Beech and because I love colour, George allowed me to indulge in this by letting me add pearlescent colours to my bowl - fabulous!!
Thank you Susan for a lovely lunch and lots of cups of tea and biscuits. Very much appreciated.
By the end of the day we felt like we'd known George and Susan for ever.
And, thanks to George and his expert tuition we will definitely be taking up woodturning as our new hobby.
Dave and Jill
2 day course for a birthday present was made very enjoyable by George and his wife Susan. Their hospitality was great. It made me feel at home and relaxed. George's excellent tuition was pitched perfectly for a beginner like me. The creative and technical aspects of woodturning were imparted from George's experience with a humorous and easygoing teaching style. I had fun and I feel that I have learnt a lot from this course. It has motivated me to continue woodturning as a hobby. A generous birthday gift and an excellent tutor.
Lee Fitzgerald