Saturday sessions put six beginners at the same bench as the three of us who run the studio. That mix only works if the process is clear, the conditions are honest, and nobody is guessing what happens next.
We keep the room small on purpose. Six people means each person gets time at the sharpening stone, a turn at the vice, and a straight answer when a plane iron is set wrong. Regulars and first-timers share the same bench, and the talk usually drifts to grain direction, how a joint should close, and why reclaimed Oregon pine behaves differently from fresh oak.
Every session opens with what we will cover and what each person will actually do with their hands. No hidden steps, no assumed knowledge.
Closed shoes, tied-back hair, and a cap of six people. If a session is full, we say so rather than squeeze in a seventh chair.
Questions get answered at the bench, in the moment. If something is outside what we teach, we tell you instead of improvising a lesson.
Tools are set and checked before anyone picks them up. Timber is inspected for splits and nails, especially the reclaimed stock that comes off current commissions.
Each session gets a short written note: the timber used, the tools covered, and any snags that came up. It stays with the workshop records, not in a public gallery.
These are working sessions, not a certified course. We do not hand out qualifications, and we do not promise a finished piece to take home beyond the small joint you cut.
Ask what a session covers before you commit. Read the notes from a previous one. Talk to someone who has sat at the bench. The work speaks for itself.
A few things get asked often enough that they are worth setting down plainly. The notes below apply to the community side of the studio: the three cabinetmakers, the beginners who come in on Saturday mornings, and anyone thinking about joining a bench session.
The bench you sit at on Saturday is the same bench used during the week for client commissions. Offcuts from current jobs become your practice timber, which means the material changes from one week to the next. There is no fixed curriculum and no certificate at the end. You leave with a small joint you made yourself and a clearer idea of how a plane, a saw and a chisel actually behave on oak, ash or reclaimed Oregon pine.
Sessions are capped at six so everyone gets time at the sharpening stone and room to ask questions without shouting across the room. When a session is full, it is full. We do not run a waiting list that quietly grows, and we do not squeeze in a seventh person because someone is keen. First-timers and regulars share the same bench, and the pace stays slow on purpose.
You do not need to have held a hand plane before. What we do ask is practical: closed shoes, long hair tied back, and enough attention to follow the safety points at the start. If you have your own tools you are welcome to bring them, but the workshop has what you need for the morning. Beginners are the point of the session, not an exception to it.
Coming to a Saturday session does not book you a slot in the production schedule, and it is not a prerequisite for one. Client work and teaching run on separate tracks. If you want a built-in cupboard, a kitchen island, a shopfitting counter or a restoration looked at, that starts with a quote request and, in most cases, a site visit across Gauteng. The two things simply do not queue behind each other.
We work mainly in oak, ash and reclaimed Oregon pine, and the stock list on the site shows what is on hand before you book anything. That list is a snapshot, not a promise: boards get used, and a species available this month may be gone the next. The same applies to what you practise on. If a particular timber matters to your project, say so early and we will tell you honestly what is realistic.
On older solid-wood furniture we lean towards keeping what is there. Splits get rejointed, loose legs get reset, and worn surfaces usually stay worn. If you want a piece sanded back to look new, that is a different job from the one we normally take on, and it is better to say so at the start than to discover it halfway through. The history in a table is often the reason it is worth fixing at all.
If something here still reads two ways, ask before you commit to anything. A short question now saves a misunderstanding at the bench later. You can reach the studio at hello@tycooncorporation.com or on +27 87 482 4501.
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