The other week myself and hubby did a basic carpentry course put on by the Bower (re-use/recycling centre) in Sydney. It was excellent and I really recommend it if anyone missed out on being taught the basics. We learnt how to measure, nail, screw and handsaw properly and also how to use various powertools including a circular saw, drill, impact driver, drop saw & angle grinder. They also have a table saw.
I think they have just put the prices up as I'm sure we paid $35 each and it's now $60+. That's fair enough though, they are pretty popular courses and we were hands on building a basic crate each (all materials supplied) and learning stuff for about 6 hours. Other courses include furniture painting and restoration. Here's the link:
http://bower.org.au/workshops/The Bower also has rent a bench arrangements where you can rent their space and tools for your own project. The workshop is in Redfern.
