One of the great things about the Chippendale school is that we have incubation space into which graduates can move and set up their own businesses.
It means that students can avoid the cost of buying machinery while negotiating the early months or years of self-employment.
It’s a route that was taken by Ewan Ogilvie when he graduated in 2013, although he’s now moved into his own workshop nearby.
This week. we’re talking to four professional course alumni who have gone on to create woodworking success and to listen to their advice for aspiring woodworkers.
Yesterday we had Ewan Ogilvie from Scotland, and today we have Sam Rouse from the United States who graduated in 2016.
Sam’s long-term plan was always to start his own business, but to gain more experience he decided to work for another furniture maker in Florida for a few years.
It may only be the start of Term Three for our professional course students, but we’d like to make sure that you put this year’s exhibition and Open Day dates in your diary. As always, our students are making some fantastic pieces of furniture that we know you’ll enjoy seeing. The week of exhibition and …
It’s a political debate that has been both electrifying and utterly tedious. Should the UK leave the EU with a deal, without a deal, or not leave at all? Stephen Barr, who first came to the school on a one-week introductory course, is turning the debate into a talking-point piece of furniture. It’s a very …
It may look like a tatty old garden seat, but it’s the template for a very special memorial. Last month, one of the Chippendale school’s longest-standing members of staff died. Isobel Edgar (pictured below), the school’s student welfare officer, had worked with the Chippendale team for 25 years, and passed away following a stroke. This …
Mike Whittall, who graduated in 2016, owns and runs Ochre & Wood in Aberdeenshire.
He was fortunate to ‘hit the ground running’ with a good commission from an ex-colleague, and advises new woodworkers not to underestimate their existing network of friends, relations or former colleagues.
That summer, he chose to stay on in the school’s incubation space to have access to workshop facilities and support. This enabled him to deliver the piece quickly, while being a valuable part of transitioning into the world of work.
