Sylva Wood School

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.

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

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!

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

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.

We are proud to announce the launch of a unique collection of furniture, the most recent collaboration with iconic British furniture manufacturer ercol. Through our long standing partnership we aim to inspire and educate the next generation of designers, makers, consumers and woodland owners in the value of home-grown timber.

Designed in-house and crafted in limited batches by Professional Course students, each piece is now available to purchase from Ercol’s website. We are delighted that all of the income will be used to support Sylva Foundation’s vital and life-enhancing work.

We are passionate about sourcing timber from well-managed woodlands that provide a wide range of benefits to the environment and society. Good woodland management provides homes for nature, clean water and air, space for recreation, beautiful landscapes, helps tackle climate change, and of course provides a source of sustainably-sourced timber. The Bookcase, Bedside Cabinet, Side Table and Curved Stool are all made from Grown in Britain certified ash. All the pieces are hand-finished in a white pigment oil, which allows its natural colours, which vary from pale white to olive tones, to express themselves fully.

“This very special collaboration gives our students a real pride and sense of achievement seeing their furniture for sale through one of the most well known British furniture brands. We are very grateful to ercol for supporting our passions for sustainable woodland management and craft education using home-grown timber. Each piece of furniture is designed and made to last, locking up carbon, we hope for over a 100 years or more.”

Skilled. Seen.

OXFORD. 50+ exhibitors. Four public events. One week only.
Skilled. Seen. is nearly here and it’s shaping up to be a full and vibrant show!

This July, we’re bringing together 50+ exhibitors for a week-long, maker-centred exhibition celebrating women, trans and non-binary people who work with wood.

Across the week, Skilled. Seen. will grow as furniture, products and wood-based objects arrive in the space, creating a rich and diverse show of skill, creativity, craft and love for wood.

Alongside the exhibition, we’ve got an exciting public programme:

🍽️ Tuesday 14 July, 6–8pm
Our annual in person Makers Meet
A potluck-style dinner and conversations for all marginalised makers and allies

🪚 Wednesday 15 July, 6–8pm
Craft demo evening
Live demonstrations and a chance to see woodworking skills up close

🥂 Friday 17 July, 5–8pm
VIP private launch
For makers, industry, education and invited guests

🎬️ Saturday 18 July, 10am–5pm
Public open day
Talks, panels, meet-the-maker moments and the full exhibition open to all

Tickets are free, but booking is required for Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
Saturday is open 10am - 5pm, no ticket needed. Visit Skilled. Seen. at Fusion Arts 15 Park End Street, Oxford - just a three minute walk from the central station.

Read about the exhibition, the programme and book your ticket on gender-project.sylva.org.uk or head to the link in our bio.

We can’t wait to share this space with you!








MakersExhibition
CraftExhibition
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Фонд НАСЛЕДИЕ
Sylva Wood School


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.

On Thursday we braved the heat to check out Summer Show!

Here’s a selection of pieces we ‘loved’. Nice to see some home-grown timber celebrated and a good level of gender diversity in their cohorts.

The show is open today and Monday!

The second edition of Crafting Connections was incredibly hot! However over 50 educators joined us for a fantastic seminar.

We are very grateful to our guest speakers who gave up their time and shared fascinating insights and experiences.

Chris Hyde and Christian Notley spoke about their work with WorldSkills UK focussing on excellence and highlighted the benefits of competition based learning experiences.
Our own Gabriel Hemery spoke passionately about the importance of managing woodlands in the UK and the value of using more home-grown timber.
Drew Smith shared his wealth of experience delivering educational experiences to his students connecting CAD and CNC. Provoking great conversation about future proofing the next generation of makers.
Axminster Tools generously provided a hands on demonstration of Shaper a nice compact handheld CNC router.
shared his experiences of delivering furniture craft education in the USA and Australia.
And we ended the day with a conversation between and Nick Wright extolling the virtues of visiting other schools to inspire young people into the sector and the value of connecting with other educators.

We had a wonderful day together chatting about the subject we all love! 🪑🌳🪵🪚💗 and we’re already looking forward to Crafting Connections 3

Thanks to The Furniture Makers' Company for your support to make this event and our network possible

This

As the latest six-week course comes to and we reflect on an incredible experience - without doubt some of the most enjoyable teaching we’ve ever had!

In numbers ….

8 fantastic makers
6 memorable weeks
1 afternoon in the woods
3 masterclasses in marquetry, carving and hand-finishing
5 informative industry visits
4 days of wood machine training
Leaving just 15 days to make 3 products to a very high standard all whilst learning new skills together!
A table in local cherry, and a stool & cabinet in GiB certified ash.

They exceeded our expectations and we hope the experience exceeded theirs! We look forward to seeing how it will impact their futures working with wood!

Thank you to everyone who made it special; our team Cathrin Lyreskog Gabriel Hemery

Audrey Fasquelle MSDC Laura Anderson Katy Thompson Holly Hawkins Matthew Cox
Benchmark Vastern Timber Ercol Furniture Doig Furniture
hug_objects Lynn Jones Associates Tess Osman

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 and non-binary woodworkers are able to support the woodworking heritage of this country for years to come.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund