A week spent in the woods making a chair using Green Woodworking techniques
Dear Diary
Day 1 (Tuesday)
Nice late start (2pm), settling in and getting familiar with the workshop, tools, people and domestic arrangements.
Entrance
Basic cleaving and draw knife techniques - enough said now make 4 side rails before sundown and get them in the hotbox!
Day 2 (Wednesday)
Having decided on a design, spec out the dimensions of the component parts
Legs
Rungs
Seat Rails
Cross rail
Crest
Spindles / Laths
Cleave the wood for the legs and seat rails.
Back Legs
Sized using a ring
Placed in the steam box for an hour
Into the Bending Jig
Legs held bent for going into the warm box
Day 3 (Thursday)
Same for the Crest, Cross rail and Laths, get them in the steam box and give 'em a bend!
Laths cut to size
Laths in the bending jig
Day 4 (Friday)
Put the Laths into the setting jig and into the hot box
Drill holes into legs to then assemble the sides first. There were many anxious moments over the squeezing clamp as the pieces creaked into place.
A good and simple test for the joints. "Look no glue!"
Day 5 (Saturday)
It all comes together ....
Put tenons on the Laths
Make the mortises in the Crest and Cross rail (to match the laths)
Drill holes in the sides for the side seat rails, rungs, crest and cross rail
With a bit luck it all comes together
Day 6 (Sunday)
Having achieved a sound structural frame in time to enjoy the Saturday night party, I was feeling very laid back about finishing off the chair with a seat of some description. I thought choosing an Irish weave with Danish cord would be fairly straight forward but in fact took several hours.
Finally finished at 7pm and wearily levelled the legs before biding farewell.
A very reflective drive home after such an intense and thoroughly enjoyable week, with an eclectic mix of thoughts and feelings. A sense of inspiration, accomplishment, the end of something and mixed with a little home sickness, missing my family and ideas of what to do next ....
The photos and text are wonderful - I couldn't have said better myself. You have to be a bit of a green wood nerd to sit through the film though but better than most of the alternatives on the telly.
You have made a very warm, informative and pleasing blog and a fantastic chair. Mine sadly is still not quite finished but it shouldn't be too long. It was very nice to meet you and hopefully I'll be over in Bristol soon to see you!
Thanks Nigel, I was just on brink of asking Mike if Stew had sent out everyones contact details yet as sadly the peice of paper with yours on went in the wash with my trousers. I'm looking forward to catching up and seeing your finished chair. I'm assuming you've managed to escape the gravity of the woods (unless you've set up and internet cafe in your tent)
3 comments:
The photos and text are wonderful - I couldn't have said better myself. You have to be a bit of a green wood nerd to sit through the film though but better than most of the alternatives on the telly.
You have made a very warm, informative and pleasing blog and a fantastic chair. Mine sadly is still not quite finished but it shouldn't be too long. It was very nice to meet you and hopefully I'll be over in Bristol soon to see you!
Thanks Nigel, I was just on brink of asking Mike if Stew had sent out everyones contact details yet as sadly the peice of paper with yours on went in the wash with my trousers. I'm looking forward to catching up and seeing your finished chair. I'm assuming you've managed to escape the gravity of the woods (unless you've set up and internet cafe in your tent)
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