I first made one of Curtis Buchanan’s Velda’s Chairs about six or eight years ago when a neighbor came by my shop and ordered two bar stools and a settee in Velda’s style. They wanted the chairs unpainted, so I drove three hours to find walnut seats big enough, only to discover they had been case-hardened in a kiln. They warped like potato chips when I carved them. I tried everything I could think of and finally got them flat again. The chairs turned out quite well and I have since made a dozen or so and taught a class at Anderson Ranch on making them. That class was three weeks long – it’s a big chair.
I’m excited to be teaching this chair online with Curtis, starting in April. Here’s the details:
VELDA’S CHAIR & ROCKER CLASS with CURTIS BUCHANAN & ELIA BIZZARRI
Biweekly Saturdays from April 3rd through August 7th, 2pm Eastern
One of Curtis’ most popular chairs, Velda’s Chair has rarely been offered as a class–until now! Curtis and I team up for a 10-episode series to build both the arm chair and rocker versions of Velda’s Chair. We’ll show every aspect of building the chair, from procuring wood through the final assembly. The exact tasks that we cover in a given class may get massaged around a little as we go along, but we promise to finish in 10 episodes. Visit my website to register.
Here’s a few video clips from the Democratic Chair series with Curtis (filmed at the Woodwright School because my internet was out):
Using a Bowsaw (or turning saw):
Scorp Work:
Drawknife Cuts on the Seat:
nice