Carpentry: Building Furniture with Hand Tools
A course by Israel MartínDesigner and Carpenter
A course by Israel Martín, Designer and Carpenter
Learn how to create furniture out of wood with your own hands, from selecting material to the final touches
Designer and carpenter Israel Martín believes that building a handmade piece of solid wood furniture requires not only an excellent design and finish, but a huge amount of attention to detail, and he achieves it with the use of hand tools.
In this course, build a small cabinet with timelessly simple lines that will stand the test of time. Design your piece, choose your materials, and build and varnish your piece.
What will you learn in this online course?
14 lessons & 23 downloads
Tools
4 minutes, 11 seconds
Workspace: Sharpening and Safety
6 minutes, 50 seconds
Furniture design and wood selection
5 minutes, 48 seconds
Preparation of wood and pieces
11 minutes, 41 seconds
Structure: dovetail assembly 1
17 minutes, 27 seconds
Structure: dovetail assembly 2
7 minutes, 4 seconds
What's included in this course?
Start by getting to know Israel Martín a little better. He tells you about his professional career and the artists who have influenced his designs and techniques.
Revisit some basic concepts like safety, efficiency, and organization. Learn to hold the pieces of wood you are working with in place properly and what tools you need as well as how to use them.
Now it's time to get stuck in! After finalizing your design, build the basic structure before getting to work on the shelves and draw. All this without laying a finger on a power tool!
Now finish up with the final details: a backboard and a handle for the draw. Brush your piece off to remove any rough areas before applying a special oil to protect the wood.
What is this course's project?
Make a solid wood piece of furniture using just hand tools.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Beginners and professionals who want to broaden their knowledge of furniture making with manual woodworking tools.
Requirements and materials
No previous knowledge is necessary for this course.
In terms of materials, you need wood, manual woodworking tools such as a right-angle ruler, brushes, chisels, and a selection of saws and hammers.
Reviews
- 1 month ago
Muy buen curso pero no es para principiantes ya se deben contar con herramientas, el curso es para alguien que ya tenga o trabaje en un taller de carpintería para aumentar su catalogo de productos para los clientes.
- 6 months ago
Excelente curso. Me encantó.
- 8 months ago
de facil execurçao..parabéns
- 9 months ago
Amazing !
- 9 months ago
Un curso inicial pero muy completo. Me encantaron las referencias y la explicación. Muchas gracias.
Israel is a largely self-taught carpenter who has completed brief training sessions with industry names such as furniture maker Garrett Hack. He has also participated in organizing events in Madrid dedicated to wood like "Lignorium", with the aim of familiarizing people with the trade and his own work. His work has been featured in top English-language carpentry magazines such as Fine Woodworking, Australian Wood Review, and Furniture and Cabinet Making Magazine.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- U2
Preparation and design
- Tools
- Workspace: Sharpening and Safety
- Furniture design and wood selection
- Preparation of wood and pieces
- U3
Let's do it
- Structure: dovetail assembly 1
- Structure: dovetail assembly 2
- Structure: blind slot assembly 1
- Structure: blind slot assembly 2
- Elaboration of drawer 1
- Elaboration of drawer 2
- U4
Finishing and maintenance
- Furniture completion
- Finishing, conservation and maintenance
- FP
Final project
- Carpentry: Building Furniture with Hand Tools
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FAQs
You’ll learn traditional woodworking techniques—from selecting and preparing wood to assembling, fitting drawers, applying natural finishes, and preserving solid wood furniture using hand tools.
This course is designed for those with basic carpentry knowledge who want to refine manual skills and achieve professional-quality finishes on wooden furniture.
You’ll need planes, chisels, hand saws, marking gauges, squares, marking knives, rulers, a hand drill, sharpening stones, plus basic materials like solid wood and adhesives.
You’ll be able to design and build small solid wood furniture pieces like drawers, shelves, Japanese boxes, and items using traditional techniques like dovetail joints and precise joinery.
Yes, you’ll learn how to sharpen and maintain chisels, plane blades, and other tools using various stones and traditional methods.
It’s recommended to work with hardwoods like oak, walnut, or jeben, selecting stable, defect-free pieces suited to your project to ensure durability and a quality finish.
The course teaches precise fitting, proper glue application, dry assembly techniques, squaring, clamping pressure, and curing times to create strong joints.