John came to my workshop from Arizona with some woodworking experience, an eye for furniture he admired, and a tendency to be very hard on himself.
We had already worked together over video calls. He would send me photographs and examples of things he wanted to make, and we would talk through designs, cuts and problems he was having in his own workshop. Eventually, he told me that he needed to work with the wood in front of him. Explaining things on a screen was only taking us so far.
He came to Sweden for five days of private woodworking tuition. We worked on dovetail joints, laying pieces of wood to create patterns, and using tools. I also showed him something of how I work in my everyday practice as a furniture maker.
On the last day, we made a small watch case for a watch he had recently bought. He went home with something he had made, as well as a better understanding of how to make it.
“A novice with a decent eye and not much skill, meeting the master in person, hoping not to look foolish.”
John, Arizona
Finding an explanation that makes sense
One of the things we worked on was noticing which side of a marked line to saw.
It sounds like a small detail. In practice, it can make the difference between a joint that fits and one that does not. Knowing where the line is does not necessarily mean you understand which part of the wood needs to remain and which part needs to go.
With John, I drew the joints on paper and showed how the cuts would work. Then I drew them directly onto the piece of wood. That was when the explanation clicked for him.
“Olof doesn't just show you what to do, he explains why, and that's what finally made things click for me.”
John, Arizona
This is something I value about teaching someone in person. I can see how they interpret what I am showing them. If an explanation does not make sense, I can try another way, using a drawing, the actual material, or a demonstration with the tool.
The aim is for the person to understand the decision behind the cut, so that they can make that decision themselves next time.
Learning without being so hard on yourself
During the first days, we worked long days, and I could see John learning quickly. He did not always give himself the same credit.
He could be very critical of his own mistakes. From my side of the bench, I could also see the progress: he was beginning to notice things, understand the cuts and approach the work differently.
A mistake gives us something specific to look at together. Where did the cut go? What happened before it? Would a different approach make the next attempt easier?
There are often several ways to solve a woodworking problem. Part of my job is to help someone see those possibilities and understand which one might suit the piece, the tools and the way they work.
I do not expect someone to arrive already knowing how to do the things they have come to learn.
What can you learn during private woodworking lessons?
There is no single programme that suits everyone.
John had some experience before he came. I also teach complete beginners, and people who want to deepen their understanding of a particular technique or develop a project they have already started.
We begin with what the person wants to learn and what they can already do. That helps us choose a useful starting point.
For John, the visit included:
- Making dovetail joints
- Laying wood to create decorative patterns
- Going through tools and seeing how I use them in my own work
- Understanding marking and which side of a line to cut
- Making a small wooden case for his new watch
Someone else might want to spend more time on a particular joint, improve their use of a tool, or work through the construction of an object they have designed.
You can come with the aim of making a finished piece. You can also come primarily to build knowledge and practise. What is realistic depends on the project, your starting point and the time we have. In John's case, he left with both a piece and new skills.
Can you bring your own woodworking project?
Yes. A project or a problem from your own workshop can be a very good starting point.
Another student, Tim, brought a radio and a homemade speaker with electronics he had worked on himself. That was an area he understood well. He wanted help making the wooden enclosure.
The main focus of his visit was turning that work into a finished object. We also had time to explore other things, but the project gave the teaching a clear direction.
You do not need to arrive with the same kind of project. Photographs, a drawing, or an explanation of where you are getting stuck can help us decide what to work on.
I enjoy that exchange. Someone brings their own interests and knowledge, and I help with the woodworking needed to move the idea forward.
What changes when you learn in a workshop?
Videos can be useful. John's interest in my work began with a short video, and our first lessons took place online.
In the workshop, I can stand beside someone and see how they hold a tool, where they are looking and how they approach a cut. I can explain something at the moment it becomes relevant, and the person can try it immediately.
That direct feedback is difficult to reproduce through a screen. For John, working together in person helped things make sense in a way that our earlier calls had not.
It also gives us room to follow an idea. The small watch case we made at the end of his visit became a way to use what he had been learning on something personal that he could take home.
A few days cannot cover all of woodworking. They can give us time to look closely at the things that matter most to you.
Coming to Sweden for private woodworking tuition
My workshop is in Habo, near Jönköping, Sweden. I welcome visitors from Sweden and abroad.
The first conversation can be simple: tell me what you would like to learn, how much experience you have, and roughly how many days you are considering. If you have a project in mind, tell me about it.
I can help you work out accommodation options and how to get here. We also discuss the tools and materials needed for your visit, including any particular requirements for your project.
You do not need to know exactly how the course should be organised before contacting me. We can work out a suitable plan together.
Looking back at John's visit, I remember the work we did and the progress I could see. A joint that had been confusing began to make sense. A marked line became something he could read more confidently. At the end, there was a small case for a watch he cared about.
Those are good things to take home from a workshop.
“He makes you better and makes you believe you can be.”
John, Arizona
If you would like to discuss private woodworking lessons, email info@odform.com with a little about yourself and what you would like to work on.
John's full experience
After his visit, John sent me the following account of his experience, in his own words:
I found Olof the way you'd expect a complete novice to. I saw this video (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ynGnXf8ehUU), my eyes popped open in envy, and I bought a Shaper Origin. I had no idea who the person in the video was, but I wanted to find out, so I emailed Shaper. Their rep told me it was Olof Davidsson at od form and pointed me to his YouTube page.
I'm from Arizona. I have dyslexia and ADHD, and I was a terrible student because of it, but I've been fortunate to turn those weaknesses around in business and real estate. Woodworking is another story. I have two left thumbs. I cut on the wrong side of every line, I struggle to read a tape measure, I look at things backward and end up doing the opposite of what I meant to. But I love beautifully crafted woodwork, and it's the only hobby that calms my nerves and makes me feel at peace. On the rare occasion I get something right, it feels productive too.
I wrote to Olof and told him all of that plainly, and that I badly wanted to build the kind of things he builds even though it felt like a distant fantasy. He wrote back the next day. He was humble, appreciative that I liked his work, and asked what he could do to help. His generosity took me by surprise.
We started with Zoom. I'd send him websites and photos of furniture I wanted to make, or was making badly, and he'd walk me through it. We worked out a more than fair financial arrangement, and he was endlessly patient about designs, specific cuts, using my router in ways I hadn't considered, and taking what I was working on to another level. We went over offsets, inside cuts, and why my tenons kept snapping off. When I admitted that Zoom wasn't working for my brain and I needed to be in the shop with my hands on the wood, he invited me to Sweden for five days of one-on-one training.
It's a long trip from Arizona, and as excited as I was, I was nervous. A novice with a decent eye and not much skill, meeting the master in person, hoping not to look foolish. I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences I've had in woodworking.
Olof doesn't just show you what to do, he explains why, and that's what finally made things click for me. He let me make my mistakes, then said "let me show you what you did," and gave me several different ways to approach it, none of which I'd have thought of on my own. For a brain like mine, learning that there are multiple ways through a problem was the whole game. By the end of the first day, it was making a lot of sense.
Midday on day four, knowing I was leaving the next morning, I asked to build something we'd never discussed. He said, "Why not? Let's do it." And I did. Did you read that? I did it. When I was about to go wrong, he asked me why I was doing it that way, then showed me what I could do instead. The lights were coming on. It was invigorating and, to be perfectly honest, empowering.
He also helped me sort out flights and timing, and he gave up Midsommar to do it. I knew nothing about Midsommar at the time. It turns out it's Sweden's biggest holiday after Christmas, and the only week I could make it was that week. He never made it feel like a sacrifice.
He even offered to drive me to and from the airport, since I'd never been to Sweden and he wanted to make it easy. I declined, not really knowing him yet and being in a foreign country. I regret it. After the five days we had, that's two more hours we could have spent talking woodworking and real estate, since he's planning to open a woodworking school on top of everything he designs, builds, and sells.
At one point I told him I wanted to surgically replace my brain with his. He said he wasn't sure his was worth the risk. When I asked him to make me a Japanese-style marking gauge in inches, he said, "Let's make you dangerous." That sums him up. He makes you better and makes you believe you can be.
Whether you're a beginner or have some experience, time in Olof's workshop is worth every mile. He's a brilliant woodworker, a great teacher, and a good man to spend five days with.
John, Arizona