Anselm Fraser, principal, The Chippendale International School of Furniture, writing in The Woodworker magazine. Inspiration can be defined as finding a new or better way of answering a question, solving a problem or, for us woodworkers, coming up with a better design for a piece of furniture. But finding inspiration can be a hard task. …
We’re proud that the Chippendale school has such an excellent international reputation. That, of course, is mainly down to the quality of our teaching. But we also offer something else at the school: a holistic approach to learning that doesn’t end when you graduate. During the course, for example, students learn about business planning and …
Lynn Bickle from Newbiggin-by-the-Sea in Northumberland is our second intermediate course student. She joins Kelvin Palmer, a retired hospital consultant from East Lothian, who also started last week. Despite being here for only a few days, Lynn is well into making an art deco table in lacewood and fumed oak. It’s an ambitious and complex …
Last week, two intermediate course students started on their one-month stay with us. One, Kelvin Palmer from East Lothian, is a retired hospital consultant. He comes to us with little woodworking experience. His interest in furniture making was sparked by coming to our end-of-term exhibition. The idea of woodworking as a serious hobby in retirement …
We’re always delighted when a graduating student decides to set up in business from incubation space at the school. But it usually takes a little while before commissions start to roll in. However, Eion Gibbs from the Scottish Highlands won his first piece of business before graduating. Through his business, Belladrum Woodworking, he’s currently building …
Our professional course Student of the Year is Christian Burt, from Portland, Oregon. He initially studied photography, then worked on an organic farm growing a variety of soft fruits, before deciding to train for a more hands-on career. Christian came to the school with no experience in working with wood, but quickly showed innate design …
