In 2018, I shared this trick that David Savage used to improve dovetail joints. He called it “Juicy Lucy,” and it involves flooding the exterior of a joint with extra hide glue to swell the fibers and improve the joint cosmetically. We continue to use his trick with dovetails with great success. And at some…
Read moreOne of the biggest hurdles chairmaking students face when making their stretchers and sticks is drilling the tenon on the end of the stick. I use the Veritas Power Tenon cutters for this. And we do it freehand with the cutter in a drill. So some skill and practice is required. (Yes, I know I…
Read moreI buy and process at least 900 board feet of red oak each year for chairmaking and chair classes. When chosen and cut with care, red oak can look much better than the ugly 1980s kitchen cabinets it is associated with. But before you embrace this inexpensive and plentiful wood, here’s a quick lesson on…
Read moreWe are awaiting a revised edition of “The Stick Chair Book,” which should arrive in early September. So we are closing out the remaining copies of the first edition of this book for $24 each (it was $51). The forthcoming revised edition is about 10 percent smaller. It has the exact same content as the…
Read moreI am almost out of bog oak. If I’m lucky, I’ll get two more chairs after this one from the stock I purchased with my friend Andy Brownell. This seven-stick-comb-back is set up as an armchair – perfect for relaxing by the fire. Here are some statistics: The seat tilts back 4°, and the back…
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