NCR woodworking workshops draw first-time makers

Raaghav Dhingra, a music composer based in Faridabad, arrived at a woodworking workshop with no experience of working with wood and a modest brief: make a key holder for his home.

He found the session on Instagram while looking for a creative break from the screen-based work of composing music. The draw, he said, was being in a physical space, making something with his hands alongside other people.

From design professionals to first-time makers

Poonam Rathore, an architect and furniture designer, runs workshops with architect Kapil Grover through Upskill Furniture. She said their early participants were largely from architecture and interior-design backgrounds. Hobbyists and people curious about the craft now make up a growing share of attendees, she said.

The sessions introduce furniture-making through 1:5 scale models, including miniature chairs. Participants begin by squaring wood, marking measurements and drawing lines before making cuts. Rathore said the workshops use joinery rather than nails and introduce materials including teak and real upholstery.

Rabani, an educator who attended without prior hands-on experience, said making a model chair offered a view into the decisions designers make, alongside practical skills.

Technique over muscle

Tools can look forbidding to a first-timer, but Rathore said woodworking depends more on technique than physical strength. “The process will challenge one’s patience, but it is a calming experience,” she said.

Yukta Chawla, who runs the NCR woodworking studio Woodling, said demand has grown among young people, working professionals and people over 50 looking for a new hobby. Her studio offers weekend, birthday-party and corporate workshops across NCR.

Woodworking is among the five most popular experiences offered by community-experiences platform Alive in Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, founder Vivek Kumar said. Participants can learn basic making skills, build an object and take it home within a few hours, he said.