Designing And Building Chairs
Learn To Build Comfortable and Long-Lasting Chairs

Chairs are ubiquitous, found in every home, office, and building. Almost all are commercially made since many woodworkers shy away from making chairs, or even stools. Granted, there are not too many square parts to most chairs, and compound angles are somewhat intimidating.

But the articles in this book, reprinted from Fine Woodworking magazine, should help dispel any questions or fears you may have about chair building. Not only can you build them, you can make them better than the average commercially made models

Introduction:

One of my favorite chair designs is the Shaker rocker. Now here's a chair that was built for longevity, has simple, beautiful lines and will keep you comfortable as long as you wish.

Chairs pose unique challenges. For one, a chair engages more intimately with your body. You will feel poor design in the small of your back. A chair has to be strong to put up with occasional racking forces. And a chair (well, most chairs) has to be light enough to move around easily. To build a good chair, one must understand their engineering and ergonomics.

Despite these issues, chairmaking can be simplified and accomplished with the most basic of tools. You can make a crude but functional chair using nothing more than a froe to split a log, then shape the parts with a drawknife and spokeshave. If you add a lathe and some basic steam bending tools, your chair making ability soars, allowing you build very elegant and comfortable seating. And if you have a fully equipped workshop with the basic machines, your chairmaking possibilities are limitless.

Many woodworkers shy away from making chairs, or even stools. Granted, there are not too many square parts to most chairs, and compound angles are somewhat intimidating. But the articles in this book, reprinted from Fine Woodworking magazine, should help dispel any questions or fears you may have about chair building. Not only can you build them, you can make them better than the average commercially made models.
--Anatole Burkin, Editor-in-Chief, Fine Woodworking
 

Table of Contents:

Chair Making Basics

Sculpting Chair Seats with a Shop Built Duplicator (Angle Grinder)
Dan Trimble

Chair Making Simplified
Garrett Hack

Compound Angle Joinery
Will Neptune

Working Green Wood
Harriet Hodges

Shaping the arm of a chair
Sam Maloof

Building a Basic Stool
Harriet Hodges

Jigs for joints on curving parts
Brian Boggs

Built for Comfort: The Three-Slat Chair
Christian H. Becksvoort

Building a Chair, Arts and Crafts Style
Rex Alexander

Making Chair Seats

Sculpting Chair Seats with a Shop-Built Duplicator
Dan Trimble

A Slim, Comfortable Slip Seat
Michael Fortune

Carve a softwood seat
Curtis Buchanan

Weaving a Cane Seat
Judy Warner

Coopering a Chair Seat
Charles Argo

Weaving Shaker Tape Seats
Glenn A. Carlson

Projects

A Light Settee in Cherry
Matthew Teague

Post-and-Rung Stool
Brian Boogs

Shaker Rocker
Ernie Conover

Oval Chippendale Stool
Randall ODonnell

Bowback Windsor Step-by-Step
Harriet Hodges

The Shaker Revolver
Mario Rodriguez
 

Soft-cover, 8-1/2 x 10-7/8 in., 160 pages, with color photos and drawings
Published 2006

ISBN: 978-1-56158-857-2