Reviews for Devon Wood Crafts

My wife was able to book the course with Colin at short notice, as a surprise for my birthday whilst we were caravanning in Devon.
Colin was very welcoming, and created a relaxed atmosphere over the first of many coffees and I explained that my knowledge was limited to having watched a few online videos and previously admiring other peoples creations at various craft fairs.
Colin first outlined the agenda for the beginners course and then showed me the lathes which we were going to use for the day in his extensive workshop.
I felt that Colin’s tutoring was pitched perfectly, and clearly down to his extensive knowledge and experience. At the end of the morning I really felt I had created my first masterpiece!! - with first class explanations and demonstration, with only limited intervention from Colin when required.
The morning had flown by, so we stopped for an enjoyable light lunch before commencing the afternoon session on a contrasting more delicate item, with different skills and detail being explained and observed.
On completion of this task, Colin then took time to show me how the tools are sharpened before answering my questions regarding what level of equipment would be suitable to embark on my new hobby.
The extensive course notes with pictures and text which are provided as part of the package will be a very useful reminder and reference for the future.
Full marks to my wife for booking the course, and 10/10 to Colin for a most informative, enjoyable and well presented introduction to woodturning - which I would recommend to anybody.

What a fun day ! With no experience and little knowledge Colin was a fantastic teacher who immediately put you at ease with his relaxed style and great hospitality. The teaching was at a brilliant pace with patience and care which not only covered the techniques of woodturning but also stance and posture to establish good habits from the outset. To then come away with two pieces of finished work was truly exciting. All this with a great sense of humour made the day fly past in an instant so thank you Colin for a wonderful experience 😁👍

I had a great day with Colin. We started the day in the best possible way with a cup of tea! Then straight on to the business. He answered all my questions clearly and patiently. Although I had done some turning, Colin showed me the right way of doing it which included things that were obvious when mentioned to me but not things I had previously thought about. I have now turned a couple of pieces that I am extremely pleased with thanks to Colin’s guidance. I can only say that it was a fantastic day which flew by too quickly. I highly recommend the course.

What an enjoyable and valuable day this proved to be. As an experienced woodworker this was another skill I am seeking to add and Colin proved to be the perfect teacher for me.
His knowledge skillset and patience were amazing and he was more than able to answer all of my questions fully and practically-I always have a thirst for knowledge and in Colin's case I was not disappointed. He covered so many areas for me -from how to cut blanks from logs ,sharpening and so many other topics and in particular where I was struggling to master the skew chisel.
I came home with my mind overwhelmed by the input of information but have now downloaded the various articles Colin has written (and provided) so that I can make best use of his teaching.
I cannot recommend highly enough this this one to one course and I hope to go for another in the future to further my skills.

This was my first-ever experience of woodturning, and my only foray into woodwork since a spectacularly dismal performance at school in the early 1980's, where my main output was shavings. I could not have been in better hands, as Colin is patient, extremely knowledgeable and personable, and I came away with two pieces that make this absolute novice feel competent in the craft. Obviously there is a lot more to learn, but Colin's wisdom and experience encapsulated in the comprehensive tuition notes will give me the confidence to grow my skills.
I cannot recommend this course highly enough.

My wife bought me a day with Colin wood turning as a present. My lathe experience was 59 years ago, and at school! One of my best and most memorable days. Colin is a great teacher, listens to his student and is careful to pitch the day at the level of the student, with enough challenge to keep you on your toes.
He is very attentive and ensures you are aware of any bad practices (I was about to make many!)
A really great day, I am delighted with how much I learned, Colin is a pleasure and inspiring, an excellent teacher! I am recommending his workshops to all, both friends and strangers!
Thank you Colin for such a treat experience.

I’ve had a hankering to take up Woodturning for a few years now.
I booked two consecutive days with Colin, what a wise decision.
Fantastic, relaxed, friendly and patient tuition.
I left with a lovely bowl and box, a head full of good advice and enthusiasm to build a workshop and fill it with the required machinery, tools and equipment to continue this journey.
Thank you very much, Colin. I will be booking further improver courses in 2022 and appreciate your vast knowledge and shared advice, which has already saved me far more than the cost of the course in striking un-required tools and machinery from my shopping list.
Will keep in touch and no doubt pester for opinions as my shopping list focuses further.

I have been wood turning for only a few weeks and a day with a professional teacher is well worth it. I would recommend a course with Colin for anyone wishing to improve on whatever skills they have. In my case my skills were pretty basic, but Colin taught me a lot of quite impressive techniques that allowed me, with Colin's help, to turn a very nice bowl which is the first serious thing I have made. I then started on a egg-cup but didn't have enough time to finish it. I think it is worth putting in the effort to make one really satisfying piece and the egg-cup is still nice to look at. In helping me turn the bowl, Colin made it clear that he is a perfectionist and the slightest blemish on the wood has to be corrected. I was amazed when, as I was doing something wrong, with one finger Colin corrected the angle of the gouge without visibly doing anything. I must ask him again how he did this in the hope that I get the angle better next time.

Colin was friendly, patient and combined great teaching skills and his vast knowledge to provide an excellent 1 day introduction to woodturning course for me. I could not have hoped to learn more in a single day. Colin also sent reading material in advance which helped me to maximise what I was able to learn on the day, and sent me further useful information after the course responding to a question I had asked during the day and the web address of a local woodturning club I could attend. I really enjoyed the day and was absolutely delighted with the bowl I took home with me at the end of it. Would happily recommend.

Instead of gifting more "stuff" to clutter the home / planet, my father's 70th birthday gift was a day's wood turning day course with myself and our fantastic teacher / wood turning guru for the day - Colin Simpson. We both love creativity and crafting and, though neither of us had done wood turning before, we had a super fun and productive day. Colin was a friendly and experienced teacher and we each went home with a beautiful bowl and a gorgeous egg cup that we had made ourselves (each made from a beautiful but sustainable piece of wood - from a dead tree that had fallen locally). Lunch of a delicious cheese board, fresh rolls and tomatoes from the garden was a real treat too! We were with Colin for almost 8 hours and every moment was either interesting or fun - a wonderful experience which my father and I both loved. It was also quite a mindful experience where all the worries of the world fell away as you strove to master the tools and processes you were taught. Finally I was delighted to see that the experience was an even more eco gift than previously imagined because Colin uses an air source heat pump and solar panels for energy - absolutely wonderful! A fantastic teacher, a great sustainable ethos and a wonderful day!

As a relatively new woodturner but a background in building I was looking for someone to fill in the gaps and give me some practical direction to develop my turning. Colin tailored the day to suit me and my questions, with demonstrations, hands on exercises, notes of different techniques, and examples of his work showing points he was making. I was especially interested to learn practical ways to harvest and prepare logs to build up stock for the future, something he does himself. I got guidance in sharpening my own tools on my own system and advice on tools I want to buy. No point in having the best display of tools on your wall when you only need the ones to do the job. He clarified the use of texturing tools for me and we did a bit of colouring as well. Colin is a very talented, practical and successful craftsman in his own right, which makes him a very good teacher. If anyone is thinking of getting into woodturning, a day with Colin would be the best thing to set you in the right direction ideally before you bought your gear as he would save you a lot of time and money. The best day I've had in a long time, many thanks Colin

My wife and I recently did a one day lesson with Colin for wood turning in his workshop.
Neither of us had any experience and didn’t really know if at the end of the day what we might end up taking home.
Colin was great, his experience and knowledge was amazing, his instructions and understanding of our abilities put us both at ease, we learnt (and did) the whole process from a slice of tree trunk, to attach to a lathe, woodturning/cutting, sanding and types of finishes. At the end of the day we had made two fantastic bowls. We are both so proud and amazed what we had achieved in one day.
Thank you for a great day’s experience Colin and thanks to his wife who made a very tasty lunch.

Sarah and I booked a joint single day course with Colin and we were really impressed with his professional but relaxed approach, his knowledge and expertise, his patience and his ability to work with people with different skill levels. We felt we learnt so much in a single day. Colin answered every question no matter how simple and gave us both confidence to try everything before us. We have recently acquired a second hand lathe and Colin invited us to bring the lathe chisels, which he assessed, explained their uses and sharpened. All in all we got everything out of the day we could have hoped for and more....and left with a great bowl each! A brilliant day!