Sylva Wood School

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Sylva Wood School

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30/09/2026

If you are interested in learning more about our Wood School course’s, our Woodworking & Gender project or our passion for home-grown timber please consider dropping by for our open day on Saturday 5th December.

Timed to coincide with a Wood Centre Christmas market we will be open from 10-4pm

We very much look forward to welcoming you into our warm workshop!

🪵🪚🪑🌳🎄

26/09/2026

New cohort of Professional Course students arrived this week. They started their journey with machine training/induction - a combination of safe working practices and getting the best from the equipment. They processed some lovely air dried oak and some sweet chestnut that will be used to make a table and some boxes. In selecting appropriate material for each component they considered the oaks characteristics, defects and figure, whilst also being mindful of efficiency!

We are very excited to start this course and delighted to see the cohort is again 50:50 gender mixed.

24/09/2026

Open to all woodworkers who would like to learn more about our passion for woodland management and home-grown timber.

Eddie & Hayley from Odies Oil UK - 100% natural wood finish said,

‘If you are a woodworker, keen to understand more about the management and sustainability of the industry that supports your hobby or business then we urge you to attend a Forestry for Woodworkers Day at Sylva Wood Centre.

Sylva Wood Centre is a first-class education facility dedicated to improving forest management and woodworking skills where you will learn and take inspiration from experienced tutors about how woodland management in the UK affects our woodworking – from tree to table.’

Forestry for woodworkers has been developed to share our joint passions for woodland management and home-grown timber. You will learn from our team of experienced foresters and woodworkers whilst walking through woodland close to the Sylva Wood Centre.

It’s not just appropriate for woodworkers! – If you are a teacher, architect, structural engineer or just interested in the connection between growing and using timber then this course would be perfect for you too.

Tea/coffee for breaks and a sandwich lunch will be provided.

Cost: £120 – 15 places available

Age: 18+ (or 14+ with a participating adult)

Venue: Sylva Wood Centre, Oxfordshire, OX14 4QT

When: Thursday 29th October 2026 9:30 AM through 4:30 PM

Sign up via the Wood School website.

19/09/2026

Summer School is our favourite week of the year!

Now in its fifth iteration we brought together a fantastic group of female trans and non-binary designers and makers who demonstrate care and community in their work. The challenge they faced was to re-present the woodworking text book from a gender diverse perspective. Thinking beyond school woodwork to consider who and where craft experiences happen in both formal and informal settings. Not only did we ask them to produce a prototype object in the very short space of time, we asked them to consider the plans, how could the project information be communicated succinctly.

Added to this our project supporters Grown in Britain supplied a palette of certified home-grown timber. They got the chance to experiment with some underutilised and more obvious hard and softwoods, alder, ash, Douglas fir, larch and sycamore. Whilst educating and promoting the benefits of a home-grown supply chain the participants considered access to materials and this was evident in their outcomes.

The course is designed to create community between the participants and teachers, working and eating together, sharing and discussing ideas and reflecting on their experiences in a very male populated sector.

Takako summed up their feelings about the week - what is coming through most strongly is a sense of belonging that comes from curiosity, care and openness instead of comparison, competition and judgement. This is exactly what we hoped for!

It would not be possible to deliver Summer School without our fantastic team. We were led by our project lead Cat Lyreskog - supported by Phil and Joe and guest teachers Phoebe Oldfield Lynn Jones Beatrix Baker Gabriel Hemery (photo credit)

The Woodworking and Gender project is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Conran Foundation, The Mila Charitable Trust, Benchmark Furniture Ltd, Vastern Timber Ltd. Thanks to these funding organisations and National Lottery players, we will ensure future generations of skilled and resilient women, trans and non-binary woodworkers are able to support the woodworking heritage of this country for years to come.

23/08/2026

Stool making in three days!

Last week’s course participants made our celebrated curved stool using a variety of machines and power tools. Using existing jigs they shaped, profiled and tapered components using spindle moulder, router table and table saw.

It was great to see how pleased they were with the final result of their hard work!

15/08/2026

We’ve just enjoyed two weeks of wood machine training and advanced woodworking. All of the students left us smiling with some new skills and a pair of Scandinavian trestles. Working from sawn boards of GiB certified ash they processed and jointed the components building confidence on a range of woodworking machinery.

Looking forward to see the work they produce using their new skills in their home workshops, in community spaces and hopefully in new jobs! We wish them all good luck and hope to see them soon.

29/07/2026

Our Introduction to Furniture Making course has become very popular.

Over two weeks we sharpen tools, hand plane a board (from rough sawn to a finish), cut dovetail and mortice & tenon joints and use a range of power tools. It’s a lot in a short space of time but we think it’s a great experience that provides enjoyment of our craft! We know many are inspired to do more!

This group were fantastic producing lovely ash tables and boxes.

Dates for 2027 are already on the website

24/07/2026

Last week we were very proud to host an international competition in cabinetmaking for WorldSkills UK. We welcomed participants from Chinese Taipei, France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Our Wood School workshops are equipped with industry-standard machinery making them the perfect choice for a pressure test of this kind.

The WorldSkills Competition is the world’s biggest international skills competition, bringing together young people, industry, education and government leaders from around the world to advance Technical and Vocational Education and Training.

Christian Notley, International Chief Expert for cabinetmaking, reached out and asked if we would host a week-long competition for Stanley Mackintosh Furniture the UK competitor, to test himself against some of the best countries in the world. We were delighted to help out and curious to witness the event first-hand. We were particularly keen to support Stan, an apprentice Bill Cleyndert & Company . He has been studying with Wood School partner Rycotewood for the past four years.

In just 22 hours they worked efficiently and safely to produce a cabinet on a stand. Two competitors finished completely and two were very close! They tapered, shaped, profiled components, jointed using hand and power tools, veneered, hinged and fitted drawers. It was remarkable to see them in action! Careful planning was essential and, although competing against one another, it was fantastic to see the camaraderie between the competitors and their supporting experts.
Finally, we were given an insight into the marking process, working to very fine tolerances and fundamentally ‘would it be acceptable professionally’. Each piece was assessed by a team that did not include their own expert.

We did not find out the winner as the marks were privately shared with each individual, but we enjoyed being part of the celebrations. To mark the moment we presented each cabinetmaker with a New Sylva book to commemorate their time here at the Wood Centre.

We wish them all the best for the real thing in Shanghai this September and are keeping our fingers crossed that Stan returns with the gold medal!

21/07/2026

Skilled Seen

This exhibition uniquely brought together 53 exhibits representing 59 women, trans and non-binary makers. Surely the first time this community of woodworkers has come together to show their work!

Wood-carving, furniture-making, sculpture, green-woodworking, wood-turning, marquetry, chair-making were all present displaying incredible diversity of creativity and skill.

Makers came from all over the UK (and beyond) to showcase their talents. Some exhibiting for the very first time, some after a long career. Designer-makers, teachers and apprentices all together in one space with no hierarchy.

Completely exceeding our expectations this exhibition feels like a special moment in our project. We hope everyone enjoyed taking part, building community, connecting, sharing and supporting each other. We hope you enjoyed visiting and that if you didn’t make it you have checked out the online catalogue! We can’t wait to do it all again next year!

The Woodworking and Gender project is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Conran Foundation, The Mila Charitable Trust, Benchmark Furniture Ltd, Vastern Timber Ltd. Thanks to their generous support and National Lottery players, together we will ensure future generations of skilled and resilient women and non-binary woodworkers are able to support the woodworking heritage of this country for years to come.

Sylva Foundation
Sylva Foundation
The National Lottery Heritage Fund

16/07/2026

Last night we hosted Woodworking demonstrations at Skilled Seen - Four fantastic makers shared their craft to an engaged audience.

shared her love for Japanese tools, demonstrating some beautiful hand planes.

Sarah an apprentice Ercol Furniture assembled a classic Ercol windsor chair

Daisy Lula delivered a fabulous dovetail demonstration

And our very own Cathrin Lyreskog split an ash log and carved a spoon using green woodworking techniques.

Thanks to everyone who participated and particularly to Caterina, Sarah, Daisy and Cat for sharing their skills and experience.

Address

Little Wittenham Road
Abingdon
OX144QT

Telephone

+441865408018

Website

https://woodschool.sylva.org.uk/

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