Chair Stories

This afternoon Edward picked up a set of four custom walnut and oak swivel bar stools that his wife Phyllis had helped design. Here’s a story about their chairs: Note: Nobody was hurt in this story. Other than a plastic compost bin. “I recommend this tree crew to all...

The phone rings.  I put down my red chair-order book, lean forward in my chair, lift the receiver.   “John Dee died last night.” What do you say when a 92 year old man dies?  I mumble that I am sorry. But what am I sorry about?  We hang up and I go...

I spent two days with Curtis Buchanan, Marilyn and Summer last week, visiting and hanging out in the shop.  This was my first trip playing with my new fancy-pants camera - here's some photos I took.    ...

Troy and his wife picked up a set of four loop backs and one continuous arm last week. Troy took a class from me a couple years ago - my chairs will join his chair to form a complete set of six. His a story of his chairs: Drawknives are the tool I’d collect if I ever...

Last week I shipped a Continuous Arm Rocker to a customer in AZ. This is a story about his chair: Seth and I stood in the yard and stared. Sheds and and lean-tos filled to overflowing with machines surrounded us; rusty mammoths from a bygone age. Machines that didn’t...

Last Friday I delivered a Velda's Rocking Chair to Patricia.  It's the first time I'd left the house in two weeks and it seemed like quite the adventure, even though it was no more than twenty minutes away.  I started building the chair at Curtis Buchanan's...

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...

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,...

Cara had been looking for a rocker her size for ten years. I made her a Comb Back Rocker one thickness of Nancy Evans' 'American Windsor Chairs' shorter than it's usual height, put simpler hand-holds on it and made the seat of walnut. Walnut seats on traditional...