Our Woodworking Courses

Rowden has a long standing reputation for training the next generation of cabinetmakers.

For over 35 years we have carried a philosophy to respect the craft of fine furniture design and making whilst pushing our students to do the best work they can, regardless of their experience or background.

David Savage founded his workshop in 1984, after attending the Ruskin Art school in Oxford and thereafter training with the great maker, Alan Peters. The Rowden teaching methods and ethos David instilled, were inspired by both the Arts & Crafts movement, David’s time at Ruskin and with Peters.

For over 15 years these tried and tested teaching methods have been pushing our students to be exceptional woodworkers under the tutorage of the team that David hand-picked and assembled here at Rowden. We have trained both beginners with no experience in the craft; through to seasoned makers with a decade or more as professional furniture makers. Coming to Rowden is about upping your game, regardless of where you are starting.

We aim to train you to be an exceptional woodworker, designing and making exceptional furniture. For each student there is a transformative capacity to the course, for instance; when learning for the first time how to use a tool correctly, or the deep fulfilment that can come from newly found confidence at the bench.

At Rowden we take the students beyond simply designing and making beautiful furniture, to provide an education in artistic drawing, business classes and technical and computer aided design – all the composite parts of being a cabinetmaker in the 21st century. We know this has to work in the real world, not just the bubble of a learning workshop.

This contributes to the continuing success of the Rowden alumni who come to train here from all over the world. Our commitment to the values associated with the Arts & Crafts movement, teaching woodwork from the fundamentals to the complex, and a finely honed in the curriculum, continues to turn ideas for a piece of furniture into a reality, students into cabinetmakers and cabinetmakers into award winners.

We offer classes suited to the aspiring beginner, through to those looking to build a career as a woodworker and everything in between. Get in touch to discuss our upcoming availability below.