Chris Williams’ book “Good Work: The Chairmaking Life of John Brown” has attracted attention outside of chairmaking and woodworking circles. What other craft would be interested in Welsh chairs? Try the workwear industry. Recently TOAST sent a crew to Williams’ shop in Wales to interview him about his chairmaking and Welsh chairs in general. They…
Read moreGet two classic chairmaking books – “Welsh Stick Chairs” and “Good Work” – for one special price. Together, they’re just $ 49 – but only through August 7. The regular price for both is $87 – you save 44 percent. If you’re wondering where stick chairs came from, these two books will tell you the…
Read moreThe following is excerpted from “Good Work: The Chairmaking Life of John Brown,” by Christopher Williams. It’s the first biography of one of the most influential chairmakers and writers of the 20th century: Welshman John Brown. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ John Brown by his own admission wasn’t a fan of finishing. (See Good Woodworking issue 63.) “American chairs are…
Read moreEarlier this month a John Brown chair surfaced at auction that was a highly unusual form: a comb-back rocking chair. Commissioned in 1988, the chair was made for a family with a newborn and served as a nursing chair. From the seat up to the comb, the chair resembles JB’s cardigan chair, the chair he…
Read moreChris Williams – who worked with John Brown for years and wrote a biography about him – is teaching a Welsh stick chair class in our shop this week. Yesterday, the students saddled their seats. Chris convinced at least a few of them to try his preferred method for rough stock removal: the adze. We…
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