Wed-Sun 9am-5pm, 7/24 to 7/28

Open to all skill levels, this six day class is an introduction to the art of post and rung chair making under the guidance of chair maker and educator Kelly Harris. We will reference the thoughtful design of the iconic Jennie Alexander ‘’Build a Chair from a Tree’’ chair, through the process of building it. This class is designed as a fun exploration into the aspects of green woodworking that allow us to work with the material’s  inherent strength, to shave, shape and bend material with ease, and to use varying levels of moisture to create interlocking, time tested, joinery.

Students will leave this six day workshop with one completed chair and the ever accessible foundational knowledge and practice of building it. Techniques rooted in Alexander's “How to Build a Chair from a Tree” book will be explored and practiced with an emphasis on working with wood through an informed understanding of its structure as a material. Students will learn about riving parts from lumber with the use of a wedges, froe and rough mallet, shaving and shaping wood with drawknives and spokeshaves, steam bending rear posts and slats, and creating mortise and tenon joinery with chisels, spokeshaves and drill bits. In this class we will be using kiln dried ash (often more accessible than a green log) that is rehydrated to yield results that are comparable to those of a green log.  In addition, students will weave the seat to their chair with a three ply paper cord. 

Jennie Alexander wrote her book so that anyone who wanted to, could approach chair making. She studied the post and rung chair with an unrelenting depth of focus and related all of that information in a very accessible form.  It is with the spirit and hope of accessibility that this class will inspire students to expand their craft with ease and intrigue.

Level: beginner and up, no prerequisite
Class size: limited to 6
Price: $1750+ $200 materials/equipment fees - Payment plans available! Contact robyn@makeville.com

Instructors: Kelly Harris and Jenna Goodman

Cancellation / Refund Policy - please read before registering