Build For Your Garden - Woodwork Course
Course Overview
Build three beautiful garden pieces and gain practical woodworking skills.
Over six weeks, you will build three garden-ready pieces from scratch, with two sessions dedicated to each project. This gives you plenty of time to learn new techniques, work at a comfortable pace and enjoy the process.
This fun and relaxed introductory woodworking course begins with a bird house to bring life to the garden, followed by a Versailles-style planter tub for your favourite potted plants, and finishes with a sturdy garden trug for carrying tools, produce or cut flowers. All three projects are beginner-friendly and yours to take home.
Session 1 – Getting started
- How to read a simple plan and mark out timber accurately
- Choosing the right wood for your project, and where to get it
- The basic tools you really need for recreational woodworking
Session 2 – Sawing and shaping
- Sawing straight, clean cuts by hand — the foundation of every project
- Shaping timber freehand with a saw, and choosing the right saw for the job
- Simple ways to solve problems that can arise during a project
Session 3 – Drilling and fixing
- Using a jig to make matching, repeatable pieces — a technique used by experienced woodworkers
- Drilling and fixing with confidence, so screws go exactly where you want them
- Choosing the right screws, nails, glues and drills, and demystifying the hardware store
Session 4 – Joining and assembly
- Cutting neat mitre joints
- Building a frame that sits flat and square
- Working with a nail gun for fast, satisfying assembly
Session 5 – Fitting and finishing
- Fitting parts together to close, accurate tolerances
- Rip sawing at difficult angles and introducing flush-cutting techniques
- Sanding by hand and with machines
Session 6 – Finishing touches and taking your skills home
- Choosing and applying the right finish to protect your work, including shellac, oils and varnishes
- How to create a practical workspace even when you have limited space at home
- Building practical, transferable skills you can take into your next home project
Outcomes:
By the end of the course, you will:
- Complete three handmade garden projects to take home
- Gain confidence using essential woodworking hand tools
- Learn core skills in measuring, cutting, joining, sanding and finishing timber
- Understand how to choose the right timber, tools and fixings for a project
- Develop practical skills you can apply to future DIY and woodworking projects
Who it's for
Adults with no woodworking experience who want to make something practical and good-looking for the garden, with plenty of time to enjoy each build.
The course is taught hand-tools-first, so no previous power-tool experience or access is needed. All skill levels are welcome, and absolute beginners are especially encouraged.
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David Searson
I’m David Searson, a woodworker, maker and workshop teacher based in Sydney. I craft practical, beautiful pieces from local Australian timbers and have a particular love for traditional techniques, simple tools, and creating functional items for the home and kitchen.
My workshops are beginner friendly and focused on skills you can take home and keep using, whether you’re making a gift, restoring a well loved board, or learning to handle tools for the first time. I aim to blend creativity with clear technique, drawing inspiration from heritage forms, scientific ideas, and classic bush tools.
Helping people gain confidence through making is at the heart of what I do. Whether you’re 18 or 80, there’s something deeply satisfying about shaping wood with your own hands. Most weeks you’ll find me at the local produce markets, selling handmade pieces, chatting with visitors, and offering repairs to keep well used items in service.
If you’re curious, careful, and enjoy learning by doing, you’ll feel right at home in one of my workshops or with a handmade piece from my stall.
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