August 25, 20169 yr This post came across my Facebook feed yesterday. I don't know if you need to be a Facebook user to see it or not. I made a "Make a Chair from a Tree" chair a long time ago and used this technique to weave its seat. Susan is Ernie Conover's wife and an artisan in her own right. Ernie teaches, writes, and does consulting work in woodworking. Susan is a "fiber artist." Coincidentally, their shop & school is right across the road from the Boy Scout Camp I went to as a kid. No longer a camp.
August 25, 20169 yr Selfishly this is very fitting for me. I am getting ready to build some shaker ladder backs and incorporate the weaved seat, thanks so much Kmealy.
August 25, 20169 yr Your chair is absolutely gorgeous Keith! From stick to chair! What a wonderful experience that must of been. Did you build it from a single log, or were you able to acquire chair billets in the rough then split them yourself? I am envious of your experience you had with this. Most excellent.
August 25, 20169 yr Nice video Keith and your chair is beautiful. On a side note. I go to our local Habitat Restore at least once a week and have seen clear quart sized containers full of carpet tacks, which have been there quite some time, and wondered who would still be using them. Two dollars would buy enough carpet tacks to do thousands of chairs. Dan
August 25, 20169 yr I love watching videos like this to see how the different types and methods are applied. I believe I have seen this before, but I still enjoy watching this being done. Out of curiosity is there anyone on the forum that has expertise in the different types of chair seats? I have a small rocker that was given to me by a 95 year old woman. The rocker was the woman's grandmother's. No telling how old it really is. The seat consisted of two deteriorated pieces of canvas cloth stretched 90° to each other and laced underneath. I suspect it was a poor attempt to replace the original seat. I know it wasn't a cane seat, but it may have been a woven rush one. If someone here has any expertise I would post a photo of the seat and maybe they could give me their opinion as to what should be there. Bill
August 25, 20169 yr Image away Bill. I've been studying up on my chairs via various reading materials and collaborating with other chair makers, perhaps we can come up with an answer on the original seat for ya. Let's see it!
August 25, 20169 yr I'll get a photo of it today and put it up for you guys to see. Hopefully, someone can come up with what it should look like. Thanks Bill
August 25, 20169 yr OK, guys, here it is...see if you can help give me an idea as to what the original seat was for this chair. Notice that the front stretcher is lower than the back and two sides. A side view The real puzzler is the back stretcher is wide and flat Any help would be appreciated. Bill
August 25, 20169 yr Author My guess it that is was a woven tape seat like in the video. Or it could have been a rush seat. I am not much help as when I get a re-caning job, I take it to a friend of mine who does cane and rush work. His wife does most of the work and he tends to do the more complicated stuff like rush work and double back caning. Frankly, they can do it cheaper than I can, so I do what I need to do, let them do the caning, and return to customer. If the customer only needs caning, I just refer them to my friend as the only value-add is my transportation time and expense. I know when he does rush work, he does the weaving then applies many coats of shellac to seal the rushwork Regarding this chair, I took a class from Drew Langsner in NC in the early '80s. He based it on the book, "Make a Chair from a Tree" by John Alexander (now Jenny Alexander). We started Monday morning with a log on the ground and by Friday noon had a chair to take home. We used sledge and wedge, froe, drawknife, spokeshave, chisel, and brace and bit as our only tools. Every piece was oriented and dried in a way to optimize strength and joinery. It is one chair that will never come loose. Here is an example of a chair that I refinished and Jane re-caned for a customer.
August 25, 20169 yr Nice chair! As for mine...I suspect that it was a rush seat. I just want to make sure and put it back to the original. I see no evidence of the chair being refinished. The white paint appears to be the original finish. All of the joints are TIGHT. I have had the chair for over a decade but have never gotten the ambition to rework it. I guess, that, the seat has probably put me off. I have done research until my eyes crossed, but have never seen this type of stretcher configuration. Thus couldn't figure out what the seat was on the chair The stretchers don't have any evidence of nail holes, so, whatever it was for the seat material does not appear to be attached to the stretchers. Edited August 25, 20169 yr by schnewj
August 25, 20169 yr Author Forgot to mention, that when I took the class, Drew was re-doing one of these chairs that had been done in hickory bast. This is the inner bark of the hickory tree that is split in both thickness and width. Sadly, you must kill the tree to get it. But Drew heated with wood, so I'm sure the hickory wood did not go to waste. But still a lot of work to fell, skin, split and cut all that wood for one seat. He told us his wife had stood on the chair to swat a fly and broken the fibers.
August 26, 20169 yr very nice Shaker Chair. Shaker furniture is my favorite style. My wife and I recently went to Pheasant Hill Shaker Village in Kentucky and spent several days there on the property. It was an amazing experience and I examined every piece of Shaker Furniture there closely. You have a very nice chair and it was done to perfection.
August 26, 20169 yr We live in the boonies. Too far from a coffee shop. Get my conversational fix right here every day. Well, the dogs and I converse regularly. Topics are limited though. Talking shop with interested and interesting guys and gals here is enjoyable and informative. Guys around here don't know white oak from DeWalt.
August 27, 20169 yr Wow...sorry guys. I must've posted to the wrong thread. No Scotch involved. Just tired, I guess.
August 28, 20169 yr 11 hours ago, Gene Howe said: Wow...sorry guys. I must've posted to the wrong thread. No Scotch involved. Just tired, I guess. It's the aliens Gene!
August 28, 20169 yr On 8/25/2016 at 7:14 AM, schnewj said: OK, guys, here it is...see if you can help give me an idea as to what the original seat was for this chair. Notice that the front stretcher is lower than the back and two sides. A side view The real puzzler is the back stretcher is wide and flat Any help would be appreciated. Bill Bill, working on some info now, I have a question out to my chair making mentor, and I am perusing some books as I type this. Hopefully I'll have an answer soon.
August 28, 20169 yr On 8/25/2016 at 9:45 AM, schnewj said: Nice chair! As for mine...I suspect that it was a rush seat. I just want to make sure and put it back to the original. I see no evidence of the chair being refinished. The white paint appears to be the original finish. All of the joints are TIGHT. I have had the chair for over a decade but have never gotten the ambition to rework it. I guess, that, the seat has probably put me off. I have done research until my eyes crossed, but have never seen this type of stretcher configuration. Thus couldn't figure out what the seat was on the chair The stretchers don't have any evidence of nail holes, so, whatever it was for the seat material does not appear to be attached to the stretchers. Might have been a rawhide seat. Not sure but I do not think they used tacks for those. My grandmother had several chairs with rawhide or hair hide.
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