This delightful 1935 film documents several aspects of the chairmaking trade in Great Britain with a knowledgeable narrator and some great shots of people at work in the forest and the workshop. Titled “Chair Bodging and Chair Making in the Chiltern Hills,” the film begins in the woods as bodgers break down tree trunks into…
Read moreThere are many ways to mark centerlines on workpieces that are square, round or octagonal. But we wanted a simple, compact, dedicated and beautiful tool for this everyday job. The Crucible Center Square is based on a vintage tool owned by a bodger friend. His tool was compact but had a weight and shape that…
Read moreFor the last five weeks we have been shooting and editing a long-form video on how to build a stick chair using simple tools (plus a few – mostly inexpensive – specialty tools that make the job easier, which are covered in the video) with wood from the lumberyard. The video clocks in at more…
Read moreThis six-stick comb-back chair is based on two Welsh examples I have studied in person and admired. But it definitely has four feet planted in the Americas as it is made with quartersawn and plainsawn red oak (and was built by a Southern boy). I built the chair during the filming of our soon-to-be released…
Read moreIn the 15 years John and I have run this company, we’ve never had a big “sale” for our books and tools. Sure, we’ve had to occasionally drop the price on a product we are closing out (remember “The Book of Plates?”). But we’ve tried hard to keep our prices fair and consistent, so that…
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