by Elia Bizzarri | Mar 1, 2020 | Chairmaking Tools and Supplies | 4 Comments
I visited with Curtis Buchanan last week, building Velda's chairs and going over his new plans for the Velda's chair. On the way to his TN home, I dropped off Tomi's Birdcage Side Chair. Here's a story about her chair: Last week, I was at the lathe turning...
by Elia Bizzarri | Dec 31, 2019 | Chair Stories | 0 Comments
On my way home from a holiday visit to my future in-laws in KY, I delivered Michelle her new arm chair. Here's a story about her chair: As I whittled spindles for a Birdcage Arm Chair, I thought back on the day I first made spindles for the man who taught my...
by Elia Bizzarri | Dec 27, 2019 | Classes | 0 Comments
I have finally got my 2020 schedule finalized. I'll be co-teaching a class with Roy Underhill at his school in September, teaching for three weeks in Bogota, Columbia in July and teaching these classes in my shop: Continuous Arm Settee January 27th to February...
by Elia Bizzarri | Dec 10, 2019 | Chair Stories | 4 Comments
Painting a Comb Back Rocker for Sandra and Joseph, my mind wandered over the distant past, and I started daydreaming about Dave Sawyer. Dave Sawyer is my chairmaking grandfather. I learned from Curtis Buchanan, and Curtis learned from Dave. When I first visited Dave,...
by Elia Bizzarri | Oct 24, 2019 | Antique Chairs, How-To | 0 Comments
This post continues my adventures as I figure out how to attach the arm to my copy of a 1800's writing arm chair for Williamsburg's Working Wood in the 18th Century conference. My first post is here if you missed it. The old chair had the post notched to receive the...
by Elia Bizzarri | Oct 22, 2019 | Antique Chairs, How-To | 2 Comments
I am copying this 1810-1820's KY writing arm chair for the Colonial Williamsburg symposium in January. Seth and I spent two days measuring and photographing it at Williamsburg's furniture conservation lab, and now two months later I'm trying to piece it all back...
by Elia Bizzarri | Sep 25, 2019 | Classes, Craft Films | 3 Comments
My greenwood week students are making small bowls this week and I promised them I would post this video of a German dude making a small bowl. I just watched it again for fun: The tools in the windowsill are very similar to what a chairmaker would use for carving seats...
by Elia Bizzarri | Sep 5, 2019 | Classes | 0 Comments
I am feeling indecisive and I need your help. Are you interested in taking a Comb Back Rocker class? Or building a wheelbarrow with me and Peter Ross? Or taking my new Greenwood week class? Then take a minute and help me pick the dates. Thanks!
by Elia Bizzarri | Sep 1, 2019 | Classes | 0 Comments
I am finally getting around to posting my first class of next year - a Continuous Arm Settee class from January 27th to February 1st, 2020. I taught this a couple years ago and the waitlist was a mile long, so here it is again. Plus I need a settee...
by Elia Bizzarri | Aug 22, 2019 | Classes, Craft Films | 4 Comments
Sangjie Zhaxi is a documentary studies student at Duke University who spent a semester in my shop, taking photos and talking about his life in Tibet. His grandparents in the countryside of Tibet were woodworkers and lived a simple life making many things by hand....
Donate below to help keep the blog going. Thanks!