by Elia Bizzarri | Jun 30, 2020 | Chairmaking Tools and Supplies | 7 Comments
The last few months have been a time of innovation for me. I've been working on a new tool to produce - a handled scraper for cleaning up chair seats. Right now I'm trying to bend the handles out of walnut, which isn't real easy. I've also been...
by Seth Elliott | Jun 11, 2020 | Chairmaking Tools and Supplies | 3 Comments
Elia recently invited me to contribute to his blog. By way of introduction, I’ve been working with Elia since 2017—primarily as resident toolmaker. Prior to that I had a career as a baker and pastry chef, but my shift to woodworking had earlier inklings. After college...
by Elia Bizzarri | May 3, 2020 | Chairmaking Tools and Supplies | 0 Comments
For your entertainment and edification, here are some more British Pathe woodworking videos. If you watch one, watch the tennis rackets - it's a pretty neat look at a mechanized shop that was still using a froe and drawknife. Turners making chess pieces in Hungry in...
by Elia Bizzarri | Apr 15, 2020 | Chairmaking Tools and Supplies, Spoon Bits | 7 Comments
How do you get a spoon bit to keep from wandering? What's the best way to prevent tear-out with a spoon bit? We are all victims of a post-industrial mindset and we all ask these questions. But these questions miss the point. Lets look at some photos...
by Elia Bizzarri | Mar 21, 2020 | Steam Box | 2 Comments
Do you really need a steam box? Boiling parts in water serves the same purpose as steaming and requires a simpler set-up with fewer heat-loss issues. ‘Chairmaking in High Wycombe’ references boiling of chair bows and I have bent table legs, shaker boxes and hay forks...
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 | Jul 2, 2018 | Chairmaking Tools and Supplies, Classes, How-To | 4 Comments
I recently posted about drill bit varieties for chairmaking and got a number of comments about Wood Owl bits. I had never used them, but someone kindly sent me a couple to try. Here's what I found: There is no such thing as a perfect bit. Designing a drill bit is a...
by Elia Bizzarri | May 9, 2018 | Chairmaking Tools and Supplies, How-To | 6 Comments
The following are my thoughts on drill bits for Windsor chairmaking. Bear in mind that I have used some of these bits (augers, bradpoints, etc.) daily for 15 years and other bits I have used infrequently. In these reviews, I am comparing well tuned examples of...
by Elia Bizzarri | Mar 28, 2018 | Chair Stories, Chairmaking Tools and Supplies | 1 Comment
Teresa bought a Comb Back Rocker, a chair I built with my friend Don a couple years ago. Here’s a story about her chair: I put the finishing touches on the Comb Back Rocker, and set down my brush. “Brush; Comb...” my mind set off, as my father’s does, on a caper of...
by Elia Bizzarri | Jan 10, 2018 | Chairmaking Tools and Supplies, How-To | 5 Comments
Nearly any wood will work for a Windsor chair seat. It depends on how much work you are willing to do and how heavy a chair you want to move every time you finish dinner. I refuse to use anything but the highest quality and most easily worked materials available. In...
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