Green Woodworking Taster Session (Family-Friendly)

A family-friendly workshop for all abilities, learn the basics of green woodworking using a shave horse to create simple items like a tent peg, flower or mallet.

Join us for a session with BMC’s Coppicing + Greenwood tutor, Tom Dillon, who will demonstrate several green woodworking techniques before guiding you to get hands-on and make your own tool. In this family-friendly session, all capabilities are welcome to try woodworking using a shave horse to make a simple item like a tent peg, flower or mallet. 

Tom will run two sessions throughout the day so you can book on to either the morning or afternoon slot.

You will learn:

• The basics of working with greenwood
• How to use a shave horse (a combination of a vice and workbench used for green woodworking)
• If capacity allows, you may also use the pole lathe

Who is this for?

• Anyone aged 7 and above keen to learn how to work with greenwood
• All capabilities welcome from beginners to experienced woodworkers
• Under 16s to be accompanied by an adult

Course Instructor

Tom Dillon (he/him) has been ‘playing’ in the woods for over 15 years. He initially trained as a chairmaker in Herefordshire with Mike Abbott, then lived off-grid in the woods for several years working and learning alongside other master woods-folk – coppicing, round-wood building, making furniture, carving spoons, and turning rattles and bowls on a foot-powered lathe.

Tom has been managing small woods and sharing his craft for 10 years. He is currently one of the Coppicing & Green Woodwork tutors at BMC, usually based at the Treherbert campus.

Key Information

Date - Friday 18th April 2025, 10am - 12.30pm OR 1.30 - 4pm

Location - Unit 5, Talgarth Business Park, LD3 0PQ. 

Arriving - There is limited parking at Talgarth Business Park, and ample parking in the main Talgarth Car Park on the opposite side of the road.

What to bring:

• Packed lunch and water bottle
• Comfortable clothing that you don't mind getting wood shavings on
• Closed-toe shoes
• If you have your own carving knife, please bring it along

How much does it cost? 

Tickets are £8 per person

Refund Policy

We will refund a 50% of your ticket until 2 weeks prior to the course start. After that tickets are non-refundable. Depending on the uptake of the course we hold the right to cancel it, in which case you will be refunded. In cases of extreme weather or other unforeseen circumstances that force us to cancel the course, you will also be refunded.

Accessibility

This course is rated as 1 (most accessible) on our scale of accessibility. Read more about our accessibility policy here.

Please see our booking terms & conditions upon checkout for more information.

We will endeavor to make adjustments where possible, please get in touch with magda@blackmountainscollege.uk if you have access requirements.