Simply book your place online and come along to the workshop with a project of your own, or something you’d like to make.

Open Bench is a self guided woodworking session, not a taught class. You’ll have access to our tools and machinery, with support from our friendly, experienced and knowledgeable team of volunteers. Whether you need advice on your project, a bit of guidance or an induction on a machine, we’re here to help.

You can work at your own pace, build your skills and enjoy making alongside others in a welcoming, supportive space.

Please book in advance, as we can’t accommodate drop ins.

No, you will need some previous experience before you can attend an Open Bench event.

Please book our Beginners Open Bench Club  if you are new to woodworking, here you will have supervision and guidance at all times from our staff & volunteers as well as skill-building projects to help you get up to speed.

Open Bench Club will be (almost) every Tuesday evening 6:30PM - 8:30PM.

Dates are available at checkout.

The workshop will close at 9pm, allowing time for cleaning up and packing away your projects

• Large shared workbench with space for up to 6 people - for your projects

• Small project storage – if there is space! Please discuss this with supervisors

• Consumables (screws, nails, sandpaper) – larger projects may incur an extra charge

• Wood - scrap wood, small sections for jigs, prototypes. We have a limited supply of reclaimed timber, but most large sections you will need to buy yourself

• Guided beginner projects if you are new to woodworking

• Support and guidance from supervisors

• Access to electrical hand and bench tools if you need them (after induction), or feel free to bring your own.

• Table Saw

• Band saw

• Pillar drill

• Morticer

• Planer/Thicknesser (max width 250mm)

• Chop/Mitre Saw

• Disc Sander

• Biscuit Jointer

• Hand router

• Jigsaw

• Circular Saw

• Electric drills

• Electric sanders

• Hand tools

You can purchase a block of 4 or 8 Open Bench session passes from our Ticket Tailor store. You’ll find our store at the top left of our Ticket Tailor page.

Once you’ve purchased your passes, we’ll send you a unique code that can be used to book the corresponding number of sessions.

Save 10% when you buy a block of session passes. Passes are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase.

Booking is still essential. To secure your place, select your chosen Open Bench date as usual and enter your unique code at checkout. Your total will then be reduced to £0.00.

Please note: We’re unable to accommodate drop ins, so make sure you book in advance.

What if I can no longer attend?

If you can no longer make your booked session, please let us know as soon as possible.

Cancellations made at least 48 hours before your session are eligible for a refund or rescheduling. If you’d like to reschedule, please note that a place on your preferred session isn’t guaranteed, as it may already be fully booked.

Cancellations made less than 48 hours before your session aren’t eligible for a refund if we’re unable to reallocate your place to someone else. As our sessions are often in demand, we’ll do our best to offer your place to someone on the waiting list where possible.

We may be able to store small projects in the workshop, depending on the space we have available at the time. Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee storage, and we’re unable to accommodate larger items.

Please check with us before leaving your project at the workshop so we can confirm whether we have space available.

Absolutely! There’ll always be at least one experienced team member on hand during Open Bench, usually two, who can help if you get stuck.

Whether you need advice on how to approach something or aren’t sure which tools to use, our friendly team is happy to help. They can also show you how to use tools you’re unfamiliar with and arrange machine inductions where needed.

Open Bench is self guided, so you’ll work on your own project at your own pace, with support available whenever you need it.

Yes! We can provide inductions on specific machines to help you use them safely and confidently.

As Open Bench is a shared, self guided session, we can’t offer full inductions on every machine during the session. If there are particular machines you’d like to use for your project, let us know and we can arrange an induction.

Please note: You’ll need to complete an induction before using any machinery you’re unfamiliar with.

Yes, you'll usually need to bring your own timber for your project, especially if you're making something from scratch.

We have a selection of reclaimed wood scraps and offcuts that you're welcome to use for practising or making smaller items. If you're planning a larger project, you'll need to source your own wood, but we can help you work out which type of timber would be most suitable if you're not sure what to look for.

Yes! Open Bench is a great place to bring along broken items you'd like to repair. Our team can help you work out the best approach and guide you through the repair process, so you can have a go at fixing things yourself.