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Making your chair->
I make your chair, from splitting the log to scraping and smoothing the completed chair. My wife, because of her meticulous eye for colors, paints and finishes your chair, depending on the finish chosen, with up to nine layers of milk paint and finish. This entire process entails 32 steps of painting, hand rubbing with steel wool, and polishing and takes over 10 days to complete. The finish is three coats of a blend of varnish, linseed oil, and mineral spirits which is hand-rubbed and polished. The final step is to apply a hand rubbed paste wax which produces a soft luster.
It begins with a log ->
For spindles and bent parts, veneer grade red oak logs are sawn to rough lengths and then split into quarters with wedges and a sledge. The quarters are then split into bolts with a club and froe. This splitting, called riving, separates the wood into workable sections carefully following the grain. This riving will follow the grain for the entire length of the log. Because of riving this straight-grain wood, each piece, regardless of size, is amazingly strong and flexible. These bolts are further separated and sized appropriate for the piece being made.
Shaping the Riven Parts ->
The split (riven) pieces are rough shaped on a bench and shaving horse using traditional 18th century tools and techniques. The split wood is roughed out with a drawknife and completed with spokeshaves to its approximate finished size, allowing for shrinkage as the wood is still wet.
Turning the legs ->
The legs are turned from green hickory or maple logs. The wood is split and turned to its rough shape on the lathe while the wood is still “green”. After the legs and stretchers are turned to the rough shape, the wood is slowed dried in a “controlled environment” kiln to a moisture content of 6-9%. This drying stabilizes the wood so, when the chair is completed, shrinkage, cracking, and checking will not occur when your chair is finished. After the wood is dryed, the legs, stretchers, and stiles are turned and sanded to a “glass-like” finish.
