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Chairs
Other than perhaps tables or stools, chairs have to be one of the oldest forms of furniture. Man has needed a place to sit for a very long time. Chairs do not lead an easy life however. Their slender, angular form needs to withstand the rigor of daily use, and abuse. Your mother was right. Don't lean back in the chair!
I enjoy making chairs, as do most fine furniture makers. Compound angled joinery, mirror image parts and often complex carving and ornamentation make chairs a technically demanding yet rewarding accomplishment. I hope that you find inspiration in the examples below.
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Asian-Inspired Kitchen Stools
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Primary wood: American Black Walnut (seat), White Oak
Finish: shellac
I made these stools for a small breakfast bar in my own home. I thought the contrast between the white oak legs and walnut seat would be striking. The gentle curves of the seat, the legs and the stretchers lend a lightness and grace to very utilitarian objects.
The dark staining on a couple of the legs is from nails that were driven in the live trees. The tree eventually grows around the nails, but the iron in the nails discolors the wood as nutrients and water move up and down the tree. The staining is an interesting feature, but will not be to everyone's taste.
28H x 16W x 10D
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Primary wood: American Black Walnut
Secondary wood: eastern white pine (glue blocks)
Finish: shellac
Upholstery: jute webbing, horsehair and cotton padding, muslin outer fabric on seat frame (not taken to finished fabric)
This is one of a set of six of charming Queen Anne side chairs made for a New England client. They have very classic New England style elements but the lack of stretchers makes the chairs lighter both physically and visually. These chairs are destined for a dining room, but could equally be used as occasional chairs.
Can you see the two opposing birds in the back of the chair? (Hint: Look at the negative space.)
41H x 20 ˝W x 16D (at seat level)
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Primary wood: mahogany
Secondary wood: ash (seat frame), eastern white pine (glue blocks)
Finish: shellac
This pair of chairs includes numerous early Philadelphia Chippendale style elements. The classic claw-and-ball foot, an interlaced splat, lack of stretchers, through tenons in the back posts and shells on the knees are all frequently found on originals. Used as dining or occasional chairs, these two would add a timeless touch to any room.
39H x 20 ˝W x 17D (at seat level)
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Federal Shield-Back Chair
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Primary wood: mahogany
Secondary wood: yellow birch
Finish: shellac (ebonized feet)
Upholstery: haircloth
I always admired the original of this chair, which can be seen at the Peabody Essex Museum, in Salem, Massachusetts. The chair was made by an unknown maker, but was carved, and likely designed, by noted Salem architect and carver, Samuel McIntire. I built two of these chairs to coincide with the Samuel McIntire exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum, in the Fall of 2007.
This chair must have been a popular design in the 1800’s as there are several surviving examples based on the same “urn and drapery” basic design, but with varying ornamentation. Some versions have ebony or ebonized feet. The most refined examples, including those thought to have been made for the Derby family of Salem, have grape clusters carved on the front legs as well as in the splat. The upholstery is haircloth, a historically correct fabric made with a horsehair weave and cotton weft.
38H x 21W x 18D
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Federal Scroll-Back Chair
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Primary wood: mahogany
Secondary wood: yellow birch (seat frame)
Inlay materials: satinwood, ebony
Finish: shellac
This chair was built to complement a desk with gallery previously made for the same customer. Because of the size of the desk, I needed a relatively small chair, something that is rather unusual historically. I settled on a John and Thomas Seymour design, the original which can be seen at Winterthur in Wilmington, Delaware.
Although small in size, this chair presents many challenges to the chair maker. The crest rail is unusual in that it is turned on the lathe using three different centers, resulting in a curved shape that mirrors the curve of the rest of the back. The curved straps that form the diamond of the splat are also interesting in that they are curved in two dimensions, both from top to bottom and from side to side. The chair has many other unusual features including the tapered front legs that cant outward, reeded ebony feet, extensive use of satinwood inlaid panels, carved ebony in the splat and turned ebony buttons at the top of the back legs.
35H x 18W x 16D
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