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What do I get for my membership?
At the very least, this:
Where do I find working drawings for the projects?
1. In the text below the videos, you'll find a direct link to download the appropriate working drawings and tool list (PDFs).
2. For a complete, up-to-date directory of every working drawing and tool list (plus a few other things):
Tell me about my monthly subscription.
You pay the subscription charge each month either by credit card or Paypal. Your subscription will be renewed monthly - taken automatically - unless or until you cancel your membership.
The monthly subscription gives you full access to everything on website:
You can cancel your subscription by logging in and going to 'Your Page' top right on the screen. There you will see a link to 'Update My Profile', which contains all your subscription details and a link for cancelling your membership.
Besides the confirmation on your screen, on cancelling you should also receive a confirmation email. Please look out for this and, if you don't get it - and do check upur Spam folder - contact us so we can check all has gone through properly.
Why isn't Woodcarving Workshops free?
If you knew how much time, effort and money it cost to build and maintain the site, not to mention the years of carving and teaching experience that has gone into it, you wouldn't ask!
We keep the price of subscription as low as we can - about the cost of a sandwich a month in London or a couple of pints down our local, and readily comparable with a magazine subscription.
Add to this Chris replies to comments on the videos, there's a monthly bulletin, a regular woodcaring blog and a huge video library with working drawings and tool lists always available 24/7.
A bargain for anyone seriously interested in learning to carve, or carve better!
What currency do I actually pay in?
We can only pay our bills in GBPounds (Sterling). Your card or bank will automatically make any currency conversion. Although your bank may (do check) charge for the service, normally with a credit card the exchange is automatic and without interest.
If you want to know the cost of your subscription in your own currency, go to the Join Us page and you'll find a currency convertor below the heading, 'Membership Type'.
What does it cost in my own currency?
Click the 'join us now' button, top right on the home page. This opens the subscription page and, beneath the membership selection, you'll find a drop-down currency convertor.
We actually only take GBPounds (Sterling) but this will tell you the equivalent in your own currency.
Can I pay in another currency?
Sorry, no. We can only ultimately accept in GBPounds - because that's what we pay our bills in.
What cards can I use?
We only accept Visa and Mastercard.
If you don't have either of those, please consider joining using PayPal - you'll find details on the Join Us page.
Can I use Paypal?
Absolutely! Find out all about it on the Join Us page
My bank/card company charges me a fee!
Sorry, we have no control over this. What we can say, however, is that we've set and intend to keep the subscription fee as low as possible to take this sort of thing into account.
Even adding a bank charge, we really believe that what you get here in the way of high quality carving instruction is a really great deal.
How secure is my credit card?
Completely.
Your security online is extremely important to us. We use one of the most secure online ordering systems on the market, and our web team are constantly monitoring our software to make sure we offer the highest possible security at all times.
Your personal information goes through the following processes to ensure its security: Authentication - this assures your browser that your data is being sent to the correct computer server, and that the server is secure. Encryption - this encodes the data, so that it cannot be read by any person or machine other than the secure server. Data Integrity - this checks the data being transferred to ensure it has not been altered.
I entered my credit card details and nothing happened - or I got a page saying there is a temporary problem and making me return to the home page...
Firstly, don't panic! There are occasional glitches on any website.
Two things to do:
We are always keen to help with any problems. Just get in touch!
How do I update my credit card?
There you can update or change your card or payment details.
Some people have reported an error message when updating their card details, even though the update has been successful. If that happens to you, check by going back into your profile; or contact us, and we'll check for you.
How do I cancel my subscription?
There is no need to go directly to your bank to cancel !
It's that easy. Re-join us any time.
You should receive an email confirming your cancellation. If you don't see one - do look in your spam box!
If you are still not sure, get in touch with us via the contact us page and we'll sort it, including any refund you might be owed.
You'll be able log in to the end of the month for which you have paid. Your subscription will then be cancelled and no further payment will be taken.
Bulletin? You'll continue to receive this after cancelling your membership. We set it up like this because some members like to keep in touch and re-subcribe when they see a particular project. If you don't want the bulletin, there's a link at the bottom of each issue for you to opt out. Please use this link rather than committing us to the spam or junk box!
How do I stop receiving the bulletin?
All subscribers automatically receive our bulletin with news, updates etc. If you don't want it, there's a link at the bottom of each issue for you to opt out.
Please use this link rather than committing us to the spam or junk box!
Cancelled your membership? We set it up so that ex-subcribers continue to receive the bulletin because some members like to keep in touch and re-subcribe when they see a particular project. Again, if you don't want it, please use the link at the bottom to opt out.
I've not received my email with my username or password.
First: Don't panic!
Our experience is that your email has invariably been sent even if for whatever reason it hasn't appeared are sent a copy simeltaneously.
So just get in touch and we'll sort things out quickly!
I've signed up, got the welcome email, but can't log in.
Try clearing your cache - details here - and then try again.
If this doesn't resolve the problem, please contact us.
How do I change my password?
How do I change my email address?
I've lost/forgotten my password and/or username.
Your username will be the email address with which you signed up - unless you've changed it, of course.
Beneath the the login form you'll see a 'forgotten password' link. Use this to be sent an email to reset your password.
Last resort, contact us and we'll manually issue you new login details.
Can I use the site on any computer, anywhere?
Yes, also your iPad and mobile phone. As long as you have your username and password to log in, you can access the site from anywhere.
Trouble playing the videos?
We're always very sorry to hear that someone is having trouble watching our videos. Every now and again we receive an email like: "I can't play (all, or some of) the videos" or, "I can't hear the videos, though other videos online are fine".
Typically (ie. rarely otherwise) these problems are not systemic, not something happening at 'our end' - they are unique to you and may well be intermittent. It's a tricky business finding the culprit when we and our webteam can't recreate your particular issue.
Here are some things to should try first before contacting us:
Browsers: Most of the time the issue is browser-related. So please change browsers and check to see if it's browser dependent. Don't forget to clear the cache / refresh the page too.
Ad blockers, browser extensions, firewalls and plugins: Any software component that has been added to an existing computer program or a browser is a possibile sourse of incompatability.Try disabling these and see if that fixes the problem.
Borrow a friend's computer: Sometimes it's just easier to login on a friend's computer and see if that works. You can then begin to drill down and see what's different between your computer and your friend's.
Screen Shots: If you've tried all these things - and please do! - and still have no luck playing the videos, a screenshot will be helpful for the webteam. Send this along with details of what type of computer you are using, the operating system and version, the browser etc. As much information as possible and we'll pass it along to the team to investigate.
We want you to have a good experience with Woodcarving Workshops and will always do our best to help.
Will there be a forum on the website?
No. Sorry. We really don't have the time to moderate.
I need a CD/DVD so I can replay many times at my own slow speed. Are they available?
We have no plans to produce DVDs of the website content at the moment and it's unlikely to happen in the future. The future is in streaming; CDs are rapidly becoming obsolete!
Can I download and keep the lessons on my computer at home?
No. Sorry. You can only view the lessons online after you login - but they are available 24/7 and you can watch them as many times as you like.
Can I share my password?
We can't stop you but please don't.
Nevermind that circulating the password so others can use the site for free is dishonorable (actually nothing short of theft), consider this:
To set up the website - the time and effort designing it, having it built, buying the 'hardware', creating the first lessons and so on - took almost all our savings. Producing the 850-odd videos that make up the library has been hugely time-comsuming. And maintaining the website takes a further huge amount of time and effort as you can well imagine.
We'd love to make everything freely available but we just can't, but we've kept the cost for you as low as we can.
We need people to subscribe just to keep us going! Please, encourage your woodcarving friends to subscribe individually. Subscribing is not simply as a commercial exchange but supports both Carrie and myself personally and invests in this website.
Why can't I download the working drawings, tool list notes etc?
You can! You just need to join us by subscribing. Click 'More' in the menu bar on the home page, go to 'Members' Downloads' and you'll find around 100 tool lists, working drawings and other useful documents
Oh, you meant, download them for free?
Please see the comments on the question above and think about supporting what we are doing.
On the other hand, if you are a member and there's a problem with the downloads, then please let us know and we'll look into it as soon as we can.
How do I download the working drawings etc?
First you need to be a subscriber to have access. Then either:
1 Click on the download link in the description below the video. The PDF should open in your browser, though depending on your internet connection this can take a few moments and the screen may go blank first. You then look to the browser tool bar and click something along the lines of 'save as' to save the pdf to your desktop or wherever.
2 Right click on the download link in the lesson description and choose ' save as'. This saves the pdf without opening it. All downloads have been thoroughly screened for viruses etc.
3. Click on the Menu link - Home page, on the right hand side of the top tool bar. Choose 'Members Downloads' and yu'll head off to a page will all available downloads.
I want more pictures than you have in the download...
We try to put the most useful views in the downloads but, yes, you may want more: a detail here, a close up there etc.
You can have them! Just pause the video, full screen, at the view you want and print off a 'screenshot'.
How do I take a screenshot? It differs with computer operating systems so the best thing is to go online and search for an answer to this very question. You'll find the keyboard strokes and how to go about it readily described.
Then find the resulting image and send it to your printer. By the way, there's no copyright infingement if you take images for your personal use and I'd encourage you to do so if it helps your carving. But you mustn't make money out of them and, if you want to use them elsewhere, just let me know first. Thanks.
Not only YES, but beginners are extremely important to us!
We have a dedicated Beginner's Course just for you!
Having the right foundation in woodcarving: tools, techniques and so on, means that you will quickly develop confidence and competence.
And that means you are going to find a lot of joy and satisfaction in woodcarving.
Our Beginner's Course asks for just three gouges.
There's a summary download for you here.
It's always best to start with a few tools and then slowly aquire more as you need them and understanding what you want them to do for you. As you take on different projects in Woodcarving Workshops, you'll find tool lists in which, quite often, the same tools are used again and again.
If you want to know about other tools, there's a 'Tools & Equipment' section with videos on all the different types that you may come across.
When you are starting up, sourcing decent carving wood can be a bit of a hurdle. You have to see it as a right of passage and may take a little effort to begin with. When you do find a source, get extra carving wood so you build up a little stock.
Here are some ideas:
Yes!
Chris is happy to arrange Zoom call with subscribers to Woodcarving Workshops. (This is a facility for members only.)
Write to Chris first: chris@chrispye-woodcarving.com to check that he can help you.
Give him a good idea of where you are on your carving path, your issues and the sort of ways you think he might help.
That will open a discussion and you'll go from there...
Our experience over the last 10 years is that the problem is highly likely to be at your end.
In other words, the website is streaming the videos happily and no one else is having a problem.
So, what to do...
First - some troubleshooting tips:
- Empty your computer's cache (reload/refresh/clear history etc); this often helps more often than not.
- Try again at a different time. We don't usee the vast number of servers that Google/orYouTube has and are a little susceptible to heavy internet traffic.
- Make sure you have the most recent edition of FlashPlayer (pc) or equivalent (mac), which is necessary to play the videos on the site: Update FlashPlayer.
- Also that you are updated to a modern internet browser.
Second: Check your browser preferences / extensions / add-ons aren't preventing the videos playing:
For example: Firefox on Windows 10. If you have “media.autoplay.enabled” in about:config to stop annoying ads playing automatically on certain sites, it will also prevent our videos (which come via Vimeo) from playing. Re-enabling it will solve the problem and you can turn it back on when you leave Woodcarving Workshops.
If none of these resolves your issue:
Please contact us with full details of the problem (including your browser and operating system) and we will have our web team take a look.
Sorry! In a coupleof our earliest workshops we had teething problems with the sound and a few of the earlier videos ended up monaural.
I get an error message (something like) "Stream not found: error 1808-lo.mp4".
Please leave a comment under the video or contact us and we will try to fix the problem as quickly as possible.
I get an error message (something like) "Error parsing XSLT file: \xslt\Related Videos.lslt".
Please leave a comment under the video or contact us and we will try to fix the problem as quickly as possible.
The image may be too big for the system.
Keep the photo size around 200 x 150 pixels - it's only a thumbnail...
Try clearing your browser's cache (reloading/refreshing the page). This is often a simple fix for many glitches.
If you’ve got a modern/smart TV with an internet browser app/option or can 'cast' from your smartphone then, yes, you should be able to watch the videos.
I do not understand how to use the frequent directions to 'print to scale'. For example, the working drawings for Holly Leaves that has a Scale at the top. What do I do with that?
We've assumed, rightly or wrongly perhaps, that most subscribers will have a printer with a scanner option - I don't think printers even come without them these days - and the scanner will have an enlarge/reduce function.
So:
Scale:
Chris puts a scale on the drawing so you can check it's final size, ie. the one he used, which goes with the tools in the download tool list and which you see on the bench in the video.
First you need to be logged into the site. Then:
Here's what to do...
Please be patient. We do our best to reply to all mail within a few days.
Which is the best way to write or contact you?
It depends on what you want to do but please make sure we have your email address so we can respond.
1. If you have something to contribute, a question to ask or a comment to make about a video: Please use the comment box underneath the video. Chris checks these regularly and responds as appropriate.
2. If you have a technical/access/subscription problem: Do check the this FAQ page carefully first. If you still can't find the answer, contact us here. Please be patient, we do our best to reply to all mail within a few days.