Thursday

Chair challenge

The yew wood is not shaving into spindles very well. Either I need better quality wood, more experience or some tips on using yew. I've ordered John Brown's book on building Welsh stick chairs and should have it Monday. The Welsh stick chair predates the Windsor chair and is a little more my style, less fussy, cleaner lines. They look a little more contemporary. The techniques are probably also a little more along the lines of how I work, no lathe, more hand carved. I'm not opposed to the use of power tools, I just like the tool marks of the handtools to be there. I'm also not opposed to sandpaper, but not to the point where the handmade look disapears. So, power tools and sandpaper will be used, but not to excess.
I would also like to find a couple of different size travishers, (only other chairmakers, and perhaps my uncle Rex, will know what that is,) for working on the seat, or make some myself. The guy, Curtis Buchanan, that taught me had a few old shoe makers tools that worked quite nicely. I'm going to need to spend some time haunting antique stores.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I do agree, if it´s handmade there should be a mark of the working hand.

Lars said...

This brings up the question though; Where is the line between handmade as well as well-crafted and just plain rustic?

Anonymous said...

There is a fine line and I do beleave it´s in the details. And those who don´t see that aren´t the people you are making it for. At least that´s how I think about it :-)

Lars said...

Well said. I'll need a bit more experience before I know where i myself will draw that line.