Furniture Design and Construction for Beginners
Learn to design and build solid, good-looking furniture from raw timber — no workshop experience required. You'll work through joinery fundamentals, wood selection, and finishing techniques while building two real pieces you'll actually use: a side table and a wall shelf. Taught around hand tools and simple power tools you can realistically access at home, not an industrial workshop.
What you'll learn
- Read a cut list and choose the right timber for a project
- Cut and glue strong joints (mortise-and-tenon, dowel, pocket-hole)
- Sand, stain and finish furniture to a professional standard
- Build a side table and a wall shelf from scratch
Curriculum
Suggested pace: 6 weeks- 1
Reading a cut list and choosing timber
Week 1How to read a cut list and pick the right species and grade for a project and budget.
- 2
Joinery fundamentals
Week 1Mortise-and-tenon, dowel and pocket-hole joints — when to use each, and how to cut them cleanly.
- 3
Building the side table frame
Week 2Cut and assemble the side table's frame using the joinery from the previous module.
- 4
Building the wall shelf
Week 3Design and build a simple wall shelf, reinforcing the same joinery skills at a smaller scale.
- 5
Sanding and surface prep
Week 4Get a glass-smooth surface before finishing, and learn to recognize when a piece is actually ready.
- 6
Staining and finishing
Week 5Apply stain and a protective finish to a professional standard, avoiding blotching and lap marks.
- 7
Final assembly and review
Week 6Assemble both finished pieces, check for wobble or gaps, and make final adjustments.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need any experience for this?
No prior experience needed — this course starts from the basics.
Is this live, or can I go at my own pace?
Self-paced. There's no fixed class time — the weekly pace above is only a suggestion to help you plan.
What happens right after I enroll?
The course appears immediately in My courses, and the first module unlocks straight away.
Do I lose access if I don't finish right away?
No — once you're enrolled, the course stays in My courses and you can pick it back up any time.
