Chairs are ubiquitous, found in every home, office, and building.
Almost all are commercially made since many woodworkers shy away
from making chairs, or even stools. Granted, there are not too many
square parts to most chairs, and compound angles are somewhat
intimidating.
But the articles in this book, reprinted from Fine Woodworking
magazine, should help dispel any questions or fears you may have
about chair building. Not only can you build them, you can make them
better than the average commercially made models
Introduction:
Those of us in developed cultures take chairs for granted. No matter
where you go, to work, to the doctors office or to a bus stop, there
is usually plenty of seating available so that we may take a load
off our feet. And even the most basic of mass produced chairs are a
welcome sight for the weary. Sure beats sitting down on a log, or
squatting. Despite the incredible evolution in chair design over the
past several hundred years, too many examples exist that are not
comfortable and not well built nor well-designed. Some, like the
chairs designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright succeed exceedingly
well on one front by fail on two others. His high-backed chairs are
striking to look at, but don't look too closely at the joinery (put
together by carpenters) nor even try to sit down for more than a few
back-breaking minutes. My theory is that he didn't like people
overstaying their welcome at his home.One of my favorite chair
designs is the Shaker rocker. Now here's a chair that was built for
longevity, has simple, beautiful lines and will keep you comfortable
as long as you wish.
Chairs pose unique challenges. For one, a chair engages more
intimately with your body. You will feel poor design in the small of
your back. A chair has to be strong to put up with occasional
racking forces. And a chair (well, most chairs) has to be light
enough to move around easily. To build a good chair, one must
understand their engineering and ergonomics.
Despite these issues, chairmaking can be simplified and
accomplished with the most basic of tools. You can make a crude but
functional chair using nothing more than a froe to split a log, then
shape the parts with a drawknife and spokeshave. If you add a lathe
and some basic steam bending tools, your chair making ability soars,
allowing you build very elegant and comfortable seating. And if you
have a fully equipped workshop with the basic machines, your
chairmaking possibilities are limitless.
Many woodworkers shy away from making chairs, or even stools.
Granted, there are not too many square parts to most chairs, and
compound angles are somewhat intimidating. But the articles in this
book, reprinted from Fine Woodworking magazine, should help
dispel any questions or fears you may have about chair building. Not
only can you build them, you can make them better than the average
commercially made models.
--Anatole Burkin, Editor-in-Chief, Fine Woodworking
Table of Contents:
Chair Making Basics
Sculpting Chair Seats with a Shop Built Duplicator (Angle Grinder)
Dan Trimble
Chair Making Simplified
Garrett Hack
Compound Angle Joinery
Will Neptune
Working Green Wood
Harriet Hodges
Shaping the arm of a chair
Sam Maloof
Building a Basic Stool
Harriet Hodges
Jigs for joints on curving parts
Brian Boggs
Built for Comfort: The Three-Slat Chair
Christian H. Becksvoort
Building a Chair, Arts and Crafts Style
Rex Alexander
Making Chair Seats
Sculpting Chair Seats with a Shop-Built Duplicator
Dan Trimble
A Slim, Comfortable Slip Seat
Michael Fortune
Carve a softwood seat
Curtis Buchanan
Weaving a Cane Seat
Judy Warner
Coopering a Chair Seat
Charles Argo
Weaving Shaker Tape Seats
Glenn A. Carlson
Projects
A Light Settee in Cherry
Matthew Teague
Post-and-Rung Stool
Brian Boogs
Shaker Rocker
Ernie Conover
Oval Chippendale Stool
Randall ODonnell
Bowback Windsor Step-by-Step
Harriet Hodges
The Shaker Revolver
Mario Rodriguez
Soft-cover, 8-1/2 x 10-7/8 in., 160 pages,
with color photos and drawings
Published 2006
ISBN: 978-1-56158-857-2
Designing and
Building Chairs
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