Make a Chair?

[David Ragan]

Steve Voigt's byline got my attention earlier today. Love it.

Have never really considered making a chair until now.

What would be the recommended approach for a first timer?


"For me, chairs and chairmaking are a means to an end. My real goal is to spend my days in a quiet, dustless shop doing hand work on an object that is beautiful, useful and fun to make." --Peter Galbert

[Prashun Patel]

Hi David. There are lots of ways to explore this. FWW has a great article a couple issues ago by Michael Fortune about making a 'production chair'. In it, he has plans for a relatively straightforward, contemporary dining chair. Woodcraft has plans for it, or you can find the article on the FWW archives if you have a subscription.

That chair uses a bandsaw to make the scooped part of the backrest and the seat. You can do that all by hand if you wish.

That plan will give you good starting point for chair ergonomics and parts. You'll also get a feel for the critical joints and how to deal with them.

I also really loved Charles Brock's Maloof Style Rocker plans. That's a real adventure that is quite doable (although you'll probably want to do much of this with power tools). But that has very straightforward joinery (done with a router and screws and plugs!!!). The focus is all on the sculpting and shaping. You'll also learn a great deal about aesthetic and structural grain selection in chairs. The Maloof Rocker build was by far my most enjoyable woodworking experience.

If you REALLY want a challenge, then consider Curtis Buchanan's series on youTube about making a chair from a tree. He makes a Windsor from a riven log. It's on my bucket list.

[Mike Henderson]

A lot depends on what kind of chair you want to make. But if you want to make a standard dining room type chair, I'd recommend Jeff Miller's book.

For some reason people think that chairs are difficult to make but they are no more complex than many other woodworking projects, such as a chest of drawers.

Mike

[Steve Voigt]

I stole that quote because it explains why I build traditional mortised planes (which I'm at least competent at, unlike chair making, in which I'm a dilettante and a hack).

I think your question is too broad. Ladderbacks, welsh country chairs, high style windsors, chippendales, not mention the many more contemporary designs, are all very different animals.

So, are you attracted to a particular style, or to a certain way of working? That should help you narrow it down. If you decide on a particular style, make sure you are up for acquiring the necessary tooling and skills. For example, if you are set up for hand tool cabinetmaking, chippendale or Queen Anne chairs are a decent fit. But if you want to make Windsors or ladderbacks, half the tools you own are almost useless. You either have to spend a crapload of time building tools (as I did), or a crapload of money buying (greenwood tools are expensive). If you want to build a Maloof rocker, it probably helps to have some power tools.

I'm on my phone and can't post links, but here some ideas:

Ladderbacks--Drew Langsner, Jenny Alexander
Welsh chairs--John Brown
Windsors--Curtis Buchanan (YouTube), Pete Galbert.
All other styles--I have no idea, but I'm sure other people will.

Good luck!

[David Ragan]

Thanks guys, am looking into this right now.

Have pulled all relevant articles from FWW, and have my scrap lumber source getting me some hickory cut offs.

Split will be good enough? My pro wood guy says that properly riven stock is processed green.

Have the suggested books on the way. Maybe some of these handtools could be used