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Each Piece That I Make Is Unique Everything changed for me when one day my friend, Tom Lee handed me an adze to use to hollow out a seat bottom. Using the adze instead of a grinder, my previous tool of choice for this type of work, was fascinating. The adze is quiet to work with and when correctly placed, each hit is extremely efficient. Most of all, the work is rewarding at the end of the day. When I was searching for literature about building chairs by hand I came across Welsh Stick Chairs by John Brown. This book made such a strong impression on me. Examples of these chairs have survived for over 250 years. I became driven to find out how my work develops without being dictated by power tools such as fences, stops, jigs, etc. (Although I do use a band saw because I think of it as a very free power tool.) To me the chair provides an ideal playground for all kinds of hand tools. This method also enables me to be environmentally friendly: I avoid the production of any wasteful by-products and use of and disposal of hazardous materials in my work process. |
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like simple forms. The ability to change the seats and chair backs is very important to my work. I do not want to become a manufacturer of "a style"-- although I will make a series of chairs in the same style. A set of chairs that have, perhaps, the same seats but each with a different back can look quite spectacular. For a new chair I will make sketches of shapes, ideas and work with angles out of the air. Through my chairs don't resemble the traditional design and style of the Welsh stick chairs or Windsors, I have adapted the hundreds-years-old production techniques of these chairs to my modern design. I maintain the original design: the legs tenon join through the seat hole, from were the wedge is tightly hammered in. The combination of higher moisture content in the seat than in the legs will cause the seat to dry and shrink tightly around the legs creating a powerful bond. |
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The detail and care taken with any aspect of the production of these chairs, from selecting the correct wood and grain direction for each part is very important both structurally and aesthetically. For example, the wood used for the legs has to be from straight grown lumber for superior strength. Alternatively, some of the most vibrant pieces of wood with grain growing in many different directions can create a more visually arresting back rest. I do not have a credit card payment order form on this site but I hope to hear from you anyway and I thank you for your interest. |
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Peter
Hook
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