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I attended the strumstick course with my partner and we had a really good time. We are complete novices at woodwork and instrument making, but were thrilled with our results! Thanks Ted.
Ted was a fantastic teacher and tailored the day to suit my needs. He is friendly and very knowledgeable. A thoroughly enjoyable day. Well worth trying
Response from Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses:
Lewis had enough energy for the 2 of us and more besides, he made in my opinion some of the best joins on this course. I hope he comes back in summer on the bandsaw box course. Thanks from TedHad an amazing day. Was able to get hands on experience working with a variety of woodworking machines. Ted was really friendly and helpful and was always happy to guide me through and explain the in detail each step of the process, whilst still giving me full autonomy to make my own design choices.
I would definitely recommend this experience, especially if you have ever thought about building with wood.
Response from Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses:
Well done my friend it was a pleasure to work with you and see your successful clock build come to life. Also nice to chat about our common interest woodworking. Hope to hear from you soon. Thank you from TedJust the ticket took everything I wanted from the course, Ted is a nice guy and very helpful, thanks.
Response from Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses:
Thanks David I appreciate your kind response and hope to hear from you soon on another course. Regards TGreat Course and very fulfilling day - Thanks, Ted!
Highly recommended... Ted was a good, easy-going (and very patient) tutor and was very happy to answer my questions, even beyond the box making course.
Thoroughly enjoyed the whole day and will definitely be going back for another course.
Thanks, Ted (looking forward to the next)
Response from Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses:
Thanks Richard you have some good skills at hand indeed. Hope you are well and look forward to seeing you soon mate !Great fun and really interesting. Ted has a great knowledge of guitars and is full of tips and advice for newbies like me and lots of stories from when he was in bands.
Also, if he suggests getting a pie from the local pie shop, you say yes! Yum
All in all well worth the two and a half hour drive. Might go back for a strumstick!
Thanks Ted
Response from Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses:
Thanks JoelGreat Course, great result at the end of a cracking day,
Help and guidance from Ted, as and when needed to progress through the day and finish up with a very nice clock. Who would have thought that after seening a jumble of wood at the beginning.
A day well spent with Ted.
Keep up the good work.
Response from Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses:
Thanks Norman you were a true gentleman and always welcome on my courses. I think the colour of your clock was fantastic and I'm sure it will look nice by the fireplace for many years to come. Kind regards TedA very enjoyable day even for someone -- perhaps especially for someone -- who had not done any woodwork since schooldays.
Tim was very good company and a good tutor -- ready to help but not intrusive.
I shall be going back to make another item.
This course was hands down one of the best days I have had this year. Ted is so knowledgeable and such a fantastic chap! You will no doubt learn loads on this course and you will end up with a fantastic and fun instrument at the end of it.
The workshop is very comfortable and well equipped, also very pleasant and interesting conversation was to be had in the periods of waiting for glue to set up and breaks.
I strongly recommend anyone interested to take this course you will not regret it.
Thank you Ted for such a fantastic day, you have inspired me to look into setting up my own workshop and I'm sure I'll be joining you again in the future for another course
Mike
Response from Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses:
I have to say Mike completed his instrument in good time and he really knows many things including woodwork terminology. I was not surprised when his work turned out great. I know we will meet again and speak about music very soon.We had a thoroughly enjoyable day with Ted. He is a highly personable tutor with great skill, knowledge and patience. I am now looking forward to stripping the guitar back to component form and adding a colourful design finish to the woodwork, comfortable in the knowledge that I can rebuild it without too much trouble.
Highly recommended!
Response from Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses:
James asked lots of questions about the technical issues involved in guitar building and he was able to do most of the work himself. Well done James I hope you can come back soon for another woodworking course. Thanks again and kind regards Ted.Great course. Very interesting to see guitar being put together stage by stage. Ted explained everything clearly and paid great attention to detail. I found the day very enjoyable and can recommend the course to anyone who has an interest in electric guitars. Ted is also an excellent player and shows you what can be achieved on your creation. He is also an all round good bloke!
Response from Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses:
John was a very practical 5and has some good skills. I hope to see him again soon as he has time on his hands now. Well done JohnA excellent one-on-one 1-day course, at the end of which (much to my surprise) I created a box of far better quality than I thought myself capable of. Tom is a very knowledgeable and convivial host, for which nothing was too much trouble.
I left with a useful insight into some of the tools (bandsaw and sanders) and techniques I am interested in pursuing at home.
Highly recommended.
Response from Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses:
Well done to a fine craftsman. I think Paul had great hand skills at the outset and his control of the bandsaw was second to none! With very little help from me Paul has created a little box to last him into old age.Received this course as a birthday present for my 50th.
I must say, Ted was very enthusiastic and I thoroughly enjoyed the day.
The course was very easy to follow with Ted's guidance. I was not put under pressure to do anything I didn't want to do.
At the end of the course I had completed my instrument.
Overall it was a very satisfactory day and a great birthday gift from my children.
Thank you, Brian S
Response from Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses:
Well done Brian a true craftsman indeed. Hope you get many hours of fun with the new instrument !Really enjoyed the course. I learned a lot about woodworking in general and guitar making.
I'll definitely come back for another course in the future.
Thank you Ted. All the best.
Dave
Response from Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses:
David was a typical hands on no fuss sort of guy and the results of his effort certainly paid off.Finally (lockdown permitting) I got my Bandsaw Box Making day. Ted was very flexible with the re-booking due to 3rd wave lockdown restrictions.
I did ensure that I had a good look at Google Maps first, but my SATNAV route did come off the A500 a junction too soon, the one-way system and locals are not very forgiving.
My past woodwork experiences were 40+ years ago at school and so it was good to be back in a proper workshop. Ted is a salt-of-the-earth, easy-going person and so it was nice to chat as the day progressed. The Bandsaw is by far the workhorse here, I'd recommend a few practice runs on marked-up scrap pieces to develop the feel for moving the wooden block through your stenciled outline. Outside and inside curves provide their own challenges when adjusting the piece and time spent here helps to produce cleaner lines later. With the parts cut out, it was time to use the belt and oscillating sanders being mindful to maintain those consistent lines and edges for a smooth fit. Ted is always on hand to advise and help with your progress, but it is very much your own creation. Once the box is glued, which is no mean feat (I think we had 12 clamps to keep the box and drawer secured), we can use the sanders to get rid of any remaining overlaps - ready for the Danish oil finish.
I was very happy with the day and what I'd achieved. A big thank you to Ted for showing me the way and providing this opportunity.
Response from Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses:
David was a typical hands on no fuss sort of guy and the results of his effort certainly paid off.Had a great day building a kit guitar with Ted. He's a knowledgable teacher and I enjoyed the chat through the day. Also plenty of tea on hand which is always a bonus.
I'll be returning to do another course with him asap.
Response from Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses:
Thanks Peter your a true gentleman my friend. I hope the 6 string electric guitar gives you many hours of enjoyment? Its also good to know you and your daughter are thinking of doing a course together?Was a really good day, very enjoyable and ted was very knowledgeable about guitars and luthiery. Excellent learning to use tools like the band saw, table router, drills, scrapers and sanders. Ted takes you through each step and has some great tips and tricks. The instument was excellent and finished to a high standard even though it was only done in one day. Thanks to ted for a good time and will now look into making my own projects at home.
Response from Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses:
Well done and good luck in your future builds.I got this course as a gift. This was because I'm looking to study instrument making at university.
This was the first time I've picked up tools in about 5 years but Tim's guidance and willingness to answer any questions really helped me get comfortable and confident in the techniques
Ted's a great person to be around is all round interesting, funny while managing to stay informative.
I had an amazing day and left with a great sounding instrument. I can wholeheartedly recommend this course.
Response from Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses:
Thank you Frankie I dare say you will be a great craftsman in the future. Many thanks to your mum for buying the course and I hope to see you on another day course soon. Merry Christmas and Happy struming in 2021....... Remember practice makes perfect 🎸🎸👌What a fantastic course! Tim is a really friendly, patient tutor, who is as hands on or off as you need throughout. The workshop is well kitted out with all the equipment you need without being an intimidating space.
We started the day understanding the timber and marking out the first couple of cuts and then straight into it on the bandsaw. Tim gave a good explanation on the use of each machine and was always on hand to advise. There was time to make practice cuts before commiting them to the final instrument and always a way to work around things that you might find tricky.
I thoroughly enjoyed the day and have learned a lot of techniques about something that I've never tried before.
The end result was a strum stick that I'm really proud of and plays amazingly well.
I would not hesitate to recommend Tim's courses to anyone of any experience level who wants to try something new. You wont be disappointed!
Response from Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses:
I have to say Chris is a fantastic student who had good skills due to his love of woodwork. He is methodical and precise in his approach too.Got to say this was one of the most enjoyable days I have had, I saw the course online and dropped hints to my wife who got me the course as a present.
Ted proved to be not only a great teacher but wonderful company and easy to get on with chatting about our mutual love of music and he doesn't make a bad cuppa either.
I learnt so much during the day and ended up with a Strumstick from wood I could not believe would turn into a stringed instrument, not only was I impressed so was my wife and friends who have seen it. Ted is also a very talented musician so at least I got to hear how the Strumstick could sound before I got my hands on it.
Due to the amount of fun I had more hints were dropped to my wife and I have since been down to Ted's for a day on the Bandsaw course.
Response from Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses:
Cheers Paul your hand skills are excellent my friend and I'm sure you could build a full size guitar with a little help. I'm hoping to start a Jewelry box course in January let me know if you want to come because you're welcome any time. Happy struming in 2020 thanks again Ted