which course is right for you?

introduction:

It’s possible to learn some of the many diverse techniques needed to create fine boxes from books – there are certainly some good ones out there, I even wrote some of them myself. But with the best will in the world, it’s just not the same as doing it – real, hands-on, shavings-all-over-the-floor type experience.

These courses are held in my barn conversion workshops on the beautiful Acton Scott Estate, midway between Wenlock Edge and the Long Mynd in the South Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty [now boringly renamed ‘National Landscape’!] If you don’t know this area, you have a great treat in store – the countryside around here is stunning!

I’ve always wanted to keep numbers small to preserve an intimate and personal experience, so all my group courses are for a maximum of four participants. This ensures a friendly and informal environment for learning some of the techniques that I regularly use to produce my boxes, and for meeting other like-minded enthusiasts.

I’ve had a fair few through my doors over the years – if you’ve been before you might recognise yourself in the background of this page! And it’s safe to say the feedback I get is pretty good …

Please take a look at the courses sideshow to get a flavour of what goes on during the courses here …

I’ve made every mistake in the book …

… and plenty that aren’t, so I make sure you don’t! But my approach is not for everyone – if you’re looking to fettle your plane so that it creates translucent shavings the thickness of a Higg’s boson, then you will be disappointed … read more

… if you want to create dovetails in YET ANOTHER clever way, hand cut or otherwise, then again you will be disappointed. And if you want to get your chisels so sharp that a feather will gracefully shear itself in two just by landing on the edge, then … well, you get the picture. There are plenty of others out there offering these things …

On the other hand if you want to learn to make exceptional boxes, simple or complex, with a minimum of fuss, picking up a wealth of tips and tricks along the way, then my courses are for you. I try to guide and advise rather than preach, and despite their being primarily intended for boxes, most of the techniques I teach are transferrable to a wide range of projects. Indeed they can lead to a significant reappraisal of a person’s general approach to woodwork …

I’ve been running box making courses for 30 years, drawing on my experience of making commissioned pieces for clients around the world. Along the way I’ve developed a select range of skills and techniques, distilled down from many disciplines. I’ve never made furniture, and as a result my approach to fine box making is more closely related to musical instrument making than it is to traditional cabinetmaking.

And most of the courses are appropriate for beginners – many of the processes I teach are ‘de-skilled’, relying as they do on simple jigs or setups, so a high level of handskills isn’t required. Even complete beginners can achieve a result to be proud of – it’s common for participants to comment that the box they’ve made on one of my courses is the best thing they’ve ever done …

schedule & booking:

For a complete list of the courses currently available and information on booking your place, please visit the schedule & booking page.

There’s detailed information about the different courses offered below, each expandable by clicking the ‘ … read more’. Which route you choose is up to you: if cost is an issue then perhaps one of the weekend courses is for you, but if you want the time to be as flexible as possible to pursue a very particular aspect or project, then the one-to-one would be best. It depends on your experience, your budget, and what you want to achieve.

rectangular box courses:

These courses are to make a set project: a simple, elegant, rectangular box which can be a jewellery box, or a stationery/writing box, or just a box. The box you make is solid timber, with a book-matched and veneered lid with my own designed decorative line inlaid around the lid, and fitted with smartWare, of course. Participants have a choice of timber, veneers, inlays and lining. I offer two versions of this course … read more

weekend: this is a compact and intensive course and the limited time means that the box isn’t quite finished. Nevertheless, all the important processes are completed. Final sanding, oiling, attaching the hinges [with mortices already machined] and finishing the lining are all pretty straightforward and can be achieved on a kitchen table with a minimum of equipment.

you will learn how to:

  • achieve a perfect book-match and veneer the panels to create the lid and base – simply, cleanly, reliably.
  • glue up a box so that it s absolutely square WITHOUT having to measure diagonals
  • cut off the lid quickly, easily and neatly [the boxes are made closed ]
  • accurately and safely cut the grooves for the inlays inverted on a router table  unseen
  • trim the corners of router cut inlay grooves square
  • make PERFECT mitres where your inlays meet at the corners – no galloping horses here!
  • sharpen and use the mighty scraper – the most versatile and best value tool you will EVER own
  • use abrasives to prepare for finishing properly
  • apply an oil finish
  • line your box to a professional finish with pig-suede
  • … and many other tricks and tips along the way …

6 day: all the above, but also including fitting a lock and escutcheon and making a tray. Applying the oil finish, fitting the hardware and lining with pig suede is all completed in the 6 days so you go away with a beautiful, completed box.

I’ve recently extended the format of this course from 5 to 6 days to allow plenty of time for off-piste questions and generally allow for as relaxed an atmosphere as possible. I’ve traditionally run this from Wednesday through to the following Monday inclusive and I intend to keep to this for now.

schedule & booking

curved box courses:


The format and shape of these boxes has become a sort of signature of mine. A few other makers have made boxes to the same basic shape, and most are kind enough to credit me with the design and refer to it as an ‘Andrew Crawford’ box.

Making a box on which every exterior edge and surface is curved and veneered is considerably more involved than making a rectangular format box.

As a result of running several versions of this course throughout 2024, and on the basis of feedback I’ve received from participants, I have decided on a new approach for 2025. I’m now offering this as an 11 day course in 2 parts, 6 days followed by 5 days

NB: these are demanding courses and require that participants have some woodworking experience: … read more:

full course, part 1, 6 days [Monday to Saturday]: plain veneered box

My original design for these boxes always included some sort of inlays around all edges. But some veneers are arguably decorative enough in their own right not to need any additional decoration, and ‘plain’ veneered boxes of this format can look stunning! Here are 3 such boxes made on recent courses:

The first shown above is a very unusual streaky maple burr, the second is burr oak, and the third a stunning Brazilian rosewood burr [strictly ‘burl’ as it came from the US, and the participant was American!]

Participants in part 1 of this course make and veneer the box with veneer of their choice – 2 trays are also made during down time time between veneering operations.

These boxes are best french polished and there will be comprehensive instruction during the course on achieving this superb finish. And as well as ensuring that the box is thoroughly prepared to accept this finest of finishes there will be some hands-on polishing practice done to a sample panel veneered with the same veneer as your box, alongside the work to the main box – so the work to polish the box can be completed after the course.

full course, part 2, 5 days, [Monday to Friday]: inlaying the above

This is only available to participants who have completed part 1, and will usually follow straight on from part 1 with the Sunday between them off as a rest day – for me and the participants! Whilst this is certainly the best way to complete the project, committing to two consecutive weeks can be difficult for those who have a demanding jobs – so it is also possible to do parts 1 and 2 separately.

Part 2 is devoted to the fitting the various inlays to arrive at the ‘full’ version where all exterior edges are inlaid. 

some examples of full format boxes achieved by students this year:

schedule & booking

curved box introductory weekend:

this is an introductory weekend to the above course during which all templates and jigs are made, and the basic box assembled. Subsequent processes are explained in detail and comprehensive notes supplied with a view to enabling an experienced woodworker to complete the project on their own.

This weekend is equivalent to the first 2 days of part 1 of the full course, which can be joined on day 3 by those having attended the weekend course.

specials:

Unlike the rectangular and curved box courses which are project based, these weekends concentrate on a particular process or technique with a view to enhancing and personalising your projects. There are several to choose from – some of which are already in the schedule, and some others in the pipeline but with no dates decided. These will be offered if there is interest … read more

inlay weekend:

This course introduces some of the many possibilities to personalise your work by making and inlaying your own designed lines, inlay motifs, escutcheons and other details. Making your own and not relying on bought inlays, many of which are designed for larger items or for restoration, gives you complete and uncompromised design freedom.

the course will cover:

• designing, making and fitting your own simple inlay lines
• designing, making and fitting curved inlay lines
• different ways to make the harlequin design
• designing and making escutcheons
• making custom inlay motifs
• appropriate timbers
• correct/efficient/safe use of a scalpel
• … and much more

NB: with the exception of the harlequin design, this is all ‘inlay’, as distinct from ‘marquetry’. Strictly speaking the harlequin design is ‘parquetry’, which is effectively the ‘pattern’ version of marquetry, so not involving any hamsters or windmills. A quick definition/clarification:

inlay: the inlaying of lines or designs into an already veneered ground, or into solid timber.
marquetry: the assembly of a picture or design from veneers which is then laid down complete onto a substrate.

The possibilities are endless …

french polishing weekend:

This course teaches my approach to this time-honoured finish, including a few of my own tips and tricks developed over time specifically to deal with finishing boxes and other small items.

All the important stages of the process are covered, and a fine finish achieved, in the 2 days. But it’s important to understand that a ‘finish’ achieved in such a short period will not last well. The best and most stable finishes will need around 2 weeks to achieve.

chopstick making weekend:

Well, not a lot to do with box making, of course, but way back in the late 90s I did a project for Good Woodworking to show how to make chopsticks.

It was very popular … I’m offering this now as I’ve recently seen some very complicated [and sometimes expensive] approaches on social media. One such is offered by Bridge City Tools – see the video here – Interesting to see the very mixed comments, particularly the one about the badger!

My comment if I were to post one: Naaaah! – I’ve made 1000s of these and you don’t need all those poncy jigs, just a few carefully prepared bits of mdf and a table mounted router. It’s easy [and cheap!] – I show you how!

schedule & booking


a few others in the pipeline:

smartWare & lining weekend:

… hinges, locks, escutcheon making and fitting, cutting perfect keyholes, lining and other related elements …

4 day completion:

This course is intended for those who’ve done a rectangular box weekend, but never got round to completing their box – I know there are a few of you out there! Also for those who DID complete their boxes, but who want to ‘upgrade’ their box to include the extra elements that differentiate the box made on the 6 day course from that made on the weekend: lock, escutcheon, tray, lining, oiling … all done to completion.


jig making weekend:

making some of the basic jigs and aids that I regularly use in my making … … including cabinet scraper sharpening in depth.

If you’re interested in any of these courses, whether dates are set or not, please email me.


one-to-one:

The ground that can be covered by any project-based course is necessarily limited to the project in hand, and although there’s usually time for some off-topic discussion, many who attend my group courses are inspired to come and spend some one-to-one time at a later date so that certain aspects touched on during the course can be investigated in more detail. This can be making inlay lines, using burr veneers, curved-form boxes, learning french polishing, fitting complex interiors – or to make a special project from scratch … read more

The one-to-one days are basically bespoke training days tailored to cover exactly the areas you’re interested in – the choice of what we do, and how long we spend doing it, is entirely yours.

You could be a complete beginner looking for a pleasurable pursuit, or an experienced woodworker looking to fine-tune certain skills, discuss a special project or looking to change direction. I can also advise on setting up a workshop, or on adapting an existing one, and prioritising tools and machines for making fine boxes.

You may or may not go away with an elaborately veneered and inlaid decorative box, but hopefully you will leave armed with some new ideas, techniques and tips that will help you to develop your own style of boxes, or anything else for that matter.

And also having enjoyed some time in beautiful rural Shropshire.