WWA Courses for 2021
The Association is pleased to offer a range of short courses for members again this year. They are presented by members, for members and costed as a benefit of membership. People not yet a member are most welcome to join. Please download the form under the Membership tab of this website. All courses are presented in our COVID safe workshop in Abbotsford. The program below details date, cost, presenters and a brief description of each event. More detailed descriptions of will be published in the next newsletter.
As the year unfolds updated information will be sent to members. Courses need at least 4 participants to be viable and are capped at 6. As happened three times last year, courses may be repeated as demand requires. It is probable that additional courses will be offered. Reminders about upcoming courses will be emailed to members.
How do I join a course?
Courses are filled on a first paid, first confirmed basis. If you would like to participate in a course or if you need any information please contact Phil Nanlohy. Phil’s contact is philnanlohy@gmail.com and his phone number is 0416 022 252. (9 to 9, 7 days) Please check with Phil that space is still available for the course you want and then make the payment to confirm your spot. To pay for a course a direct debit needs to be made to the Associations account. (BSB: 112879, Acc. No.: 107098141, Acc. Name: Woodworkers Association of NSW)
Current state of course bookings As at 14 May 2021
June Courses Update
At the June general meeting members present were surveyed about what other courses they thought should be organised for the second half of the year. This was done because the existing courses were almost fully subscribed. If all the bookings were confirmed with a payment, there would have been only 4 vacancies available for the rest of the year. There were no courses scheduled for November or December.
This update describes the expanded agenda that is now being developed. The shaded rows in Table 1 show the new, repeat or proposed courses that have been added to the program. Following are more details of each course and the results of the survey. If you would like to book a place in any of these courses please email Phil Nanlohy at philnanlohy@gmail.com.
| Course | Date/s | Paid | Bookings | Vacancy |
| Introductory Woodworking No 2 | 26/6 | 5 | 6 | 1 |
| Hand Cut Joints No 1 | 10/7 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Marquetry | 19-23/7 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| Box Making | 16-20/8 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| Router Introduction (New Course) | 28/8 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Leather Stitching, Lacing & Plaiting (New Course) | 11/9 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Introduction to Finishing | 18&25/9 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Hand Cut Joints No 2 (Repeat Course) | 2/10 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Shaker Step Stool | 23/10 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Domino Mortiser (Proposed Course) | 13/11 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Gifkin Dovetail Jig (Proposed Course) | 27/11 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Table 1: WWA Courses Program Second Half 2021
The Courses
Introductory Woodworking No 2 on Sat 26/6/2021
Led by Clare O’Reilly and Phil Nanlohy
This course will run on Saturday week. Participants will explore design and construction processes while making a folding stool. There has been a late withdrawal which means that there is now a vacancy in this previously booked out course. Please contact Phil (041 60 222 52) for information. Fee is $120.
Hand Cut Joints on Sat 10/7/21
Led by Matt Dwight
This course is full with more members on a wait list. Matt has generously agreed to run the day a second time this year. There are already three bookings for the repeat course. Please see the details below.
Marquetry on Mon 19, Tue 20, Thu 22 and Fri 23/7/21
Led by Peter Harris and Peter Dunn
Marquetry is where the craft of woodwork and the art of illustration and abstract decoration meet. This course is currently fully booked. If any places become available they will be advertised to members through an email up date.
Box Making on Mon 16, Tue 17, Thu 19, Fri 20/8/21
Led by Peter Dunn and Peter Harris
This course is also fully booked. The luxury of working for four days with these two very experienced makers means that the participants will be able to immerse themselves in this central aspect of woodworking. If places are relinquished they will be advertised.
Router Introduction on Sat 28/8/21
Led by David Palmer
This is the first of the new courses. It arises out of experience of member demand from the Accreditation Day earlier in the year. This course is limited to 4 participants. David will work intensively with two members in the morning session and then two more in the afternoon. Participants will make a product whilst learning how to safely use the Router in the workshop. They will also gain their accreditation on this machine. The fee is $120.
Leather Stitching, Plaiting and Lacing 0n Sat 11/9/21
Led by Phil Nanlohy (0416022252)
This is not a woodworking course. It will teach participants how to use saddle stitching, lacing and plaiting to create projects with pieces of garment leather and hide. Participants will use ‘stitching ponies’ made from upcycled plywood, will learn edge lacing and flat and round plaiting. It was the most popular choice in the member’s survey. The fee is $120.
Introduction to Finishing on Sat 18 and 25/9/21
Led by Shane Wiechnik
Shane has taken his very well received one day course and expanded it to fill two consecutive Saturdays in September. This course is a comprehensive deep dive into the practice of Finishing taught by one of Sydney’s leading conservators. Having taken this course last year I would recommend it whole heartedly. Click here for Shane’s story. The fee for this two day course $200.
Hand Cut Joints Repeat on Sat 2/10/21
Led by Matt Dwight
Matt is a very experienced teacher and maker. His courses are always popular. As the name suggests this course focuses on the use of hand tools to accurately create commonly used ‘Hand Cut Joints’. The fee is $120.
Shaker Step Stool on Sat 23/10/21
Led by Brian Dawson and Steve Townsend
This course has run for a number of years. Participants will make a handsome step stool after the Shaker style. Ideal as a step up to reach high things or as a low seat to work on things down low. Very handy in the workshop, kitchen or anywhere else. The fee is $160 to cover the cost of the wood and other mareials.
Domino Mortiser On Sat 13/11/21
Leader is not yet known.
The arrangements for this course have not yet been finalised but it has been pencilled in for this date. The association now has a Festool Domino machine at the Abbotsford workshop for member’s use. This machine facilitates the accurate use of floating tenons in furniture joinery. The fee will be $120. If you know of someone who might be interested in leading this course please ring Phil Nanlohy on 041 60 222 52.
Gifkin Dovetail Jig on Sat 27/11/21
Leader is not yet known
This well-known jig is available for use with the router table in the workshop. The Gifkin Dovetail Jig is most often used to create boxes. It is a very versatile jig but needs to be used carefully as the router bit is exposed as the joints are cut. The fee will be $120.
Course Survey Results
The table below shows the results of the Courses survey that was conducted at the June general meeting. It shows the suggested courses ranked by Total mentions, by the “Good Idea” selections and then “I’m in” choices. These three ranking were very similar for the first 7 courses. There were 20 responses.
| Possible Course | Good idea | I’m in | Total
Rank |
Good idea | I’m in Rank | Possible Date |
| Leather Stitching Lacing, Leather and Plaiting | 14 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | September 11 |
| Intro to Steam Bending | 11 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Late 2021? |
| Using the Gifkin Dovetail Jig | 11 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 3 | Late 2021 |
| Joinery with Festool Domino | 10 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Late 2021 |
| Accreditation Day. | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | October ? |
| Supervisor Training | 7 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 6 | November ? |
| Intro to Spoon Carving | 5 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 7 | Early 2022 |
| Making 3D Cutting Boards | 2 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 7 | March 2022 |
| Introduction to Woodworking | 3 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 10 | Feb 2022 |
| Making Toast Tongs | 1 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 7 | Early 2022 |
| Totals | 71 | 39 |
Table 2: Possible additional WWA courses
Cheers
Phil Nanlohy
For the WWA Committee
Email text
Dear Members,
Please find attached a courses update.
Five new, repeated or proposed courses have been added to the agenda for the rest of this year. This has been done because the existing set of courses were almost fully booked out. The choice of additional courses has been based on a survey completed at the June general meeting. Please open the attached Word document to see what is on offer.
There has also been a late withdrawal that has opened up a place in the Introductory Woodworking course timed for Saturday week, the 26th of June. Please contact Phil Nanlohy (philnanlohy@gmail.com or 0416022252) if you would like a place in any of the courses listed in this update.
Cheers
Phil Nanlohy