Spend a few days working alongside me in my workshop in Habo, near Jönköping in Sweden. The time is yours to focus on what you want to learn, whether that's joinery, furniture making, design, or a particular challenge in your own work.
Whether you've never held a chisel or you're a professional woodworker, we'll plan the days around your interests and work together at the bench. You can use the tools and machines in my workshop, try things for yourself, and ask questions along the way. I teach in Swedish and English.
You can also come as a group or a company, or work with me through online mentoring if you can't make it to Sweden.
If you’re interested, tell me a little about yourself and what you’d like to explore.
For enquiries, contact me at info@odform.com
Three Ways To Work With Me
Private Workshop Visits
Come to my workshop in Habo and spend a few days at the bench with me. Most visits last between two and seven days. Longer stays are possible too, especially if you're bringing your own project. On longer visits, you'll sometimes work independently while I get on with my own pieces nearby, which is a good way to build confidence.
We plan the days around what you want to learn. All tools and machines are included, as is wood and other materials within reason. If you'd like to build something particularly large or use very expensive materials, we'll talk that through beforehand.
Online Mentoring
If you can't come to Sweden, I offer one-to-one mentoring over video call. It usually runs as a series of calls, each around an hour. Between calls, you can send me quick questions by message.
We can work on woodworking techniques, joinery, design feedback, material choices, planning a project, or a specific problem you're stuck on in your own workshop.
Group Workshops & Company Events
You can also come as a small group, whether that's friends, family or colleagues. I welcome companies for team-building days, kickoffs and shorter workshops, such as an afternoon spent learning woodworking together.
The workshop has eight woodworking benches, each with its own set of tools. Larger groups are possible depending on the arrangement.
A Real, Working Workshop
This isn't a classroom. It's the workshop where I design and build bespoke furniture and objects for clients around the world, so you'll see what everyday life as a professional furniture maker actually looks like.
The workshop combines traditional woodworking machinery, hand tools and modern CNC tools, with plenty of equipment in between. I enjoy combining traditional craftsmanship with modern techniques, and that mix gives us a lot to explore together.
Who It's For And What You Can Learn
The workshops are for everyone from complete beginners to professional woodworkers who want to develop a particular skill. I adapt each visit to your experience and interests, so you don't need to arrive already knowing how to do the things you've come to learn.
There's no fixed programme. We start with what you want to learn and what you can already do. Some of the things students have worked on:
- Making dovetail joints
- Marking out accurately, and knowing which side of a line to cut
- Laying wood to create decorative patterns
- Using hand tools and machines, and how I use them in my own work
- Working with modern CNC tools alongside traditional methods
- Design, construction and planning a piece from idea to finished object
You can come with the aim of making a finished piece, or mainly to build knowledge and practise. What's realistic depends on the project, your starting point and the time we have.
Bring Your Own Project
A project you're already working on, or an idea you'd like to develop, is one of the best starting points. We can go through the design, talk about construction methods and solve problems together at the bench.
Tim from Switzerland brought a radio and a homemade speaker, with electronics he'd built himself. That was the part he understood well. He wanted help making the wooden enclosure, and the project gave his visit a clear direction.
You don't need to finish your project during the visit. Sometimes the most valuable part is learning one particular technique, or leaving with the knowledge and confidence to carry on at home. Photos, a drawing or a description of where you're stuck are enough to get us started.
How I Teach
What I enjoy most is seeing someone understand something that's been confusing them, and watching their skills grow.
Take something as small as knowing which side of a marked line to saw. It can be the difference between a joint that fits and one that doesn't. With John, I first drew the joints on paper and showed how the cuts would work. Then I drew them directly onto the wood, and that's when it clicked.
That's the advantage of standing beside someone at the bench. I can see how they hold a tool and how they approach a cut. If one explanation doesn't work, I try another, with a drawing, the material itself, or a demonstration.
Mistakes are part of it. A mistake gives us something specific to look at together: where the cut went, what happened before it, and what might work better next time. There's usually more than one way to solve a woodworking problem, and I want you to understand the decision behind each cut, so you can make it yourself next time.
Previous Participants
John, Arizona: five days in the workshop
John first found my work through a short video. We started with video calls, where he'd send me photos of furniture he wanted to make and we'd talk through designs, cuts and problems in his own workshop.
Eventually he told me he needed to work with the wood in front of him, so he came to Sweden for five days.
We worked on dovetail joints, laying wood to create patterns, marking out and using tools. He was often hard on himself, but from my side of the bench I could see him learning quickly. On the last day, we made a small wooden case for a watch he'd recently bought, so he went home with something he'd made himself.
"He makes you better and makes you believe you can be."
Tim, Switzerland: building a radio enclosure
"During my visit at Olof's workshop, we built the housing for a radio together, and I could not be happier with the results! Olof's attention to detail and strive for perfectionism is reflected in both his way of teaching and his works.
Being a novice in woodworking, I found having an in-person on-hand experience extremely valuable, something no amount of reading and video tutorials can replace!"
Getting Started
You don't need to have everything worked out before you get in touch. Just send me a short email with:
- A little about yourself and your woodworking experience
- What you'd like to learn or work on
- Whether you're interested in a workshop visit, a group workshop or online mentoring
- Roughly how many days you're considering, if you're coming to the workshop
- Your project, if you have one in mind
We'll work out a plan and a price that suit what you're looking for.
If you're travelling to Habo, I'm happy to help with accommodation options and how to get here.
Email me at info@odform.com
Giving it as a gift?
A workshop visit, a group session or a series of online lessons makes a lovely gift for someone who’s interested in woodworking.
Get in touch and we’ll arrange something that suits them.