Well this is a bit frightening, I’ve finally gone and pushed the button on my own chairmaking website and community discussion forum! Well, when I say “my own” chairmaking website I’m hoping that this will be more of a community that looks out for ourselves and treats each other as we would wish to be treated.
Writing the very first article is quite daunting. It feels like I’m writing the manifesto and with that comes great responsibility. I don’t have a particular vision for how the site should develop, rather I’d like it to evolve into whatever we make it.
The website will centre around articles written by myself and I’m hoping that we’ll be able to invite inspirational craftspeople from around the world to post guest articles too. I’m not a prolific writer, I’m not a prolific chair maker but I am passionate about both and hope to produce content that favours quality over quantity.
If you have any ideas for articles or suggestions on how I/we can improve the site please do let me know – admin@chairmaking.org . The site is run as a not-for-profit organization and I have no intention of monetizing it. That said, there are costs involved with running a community site and if these escalate I welcome donations.
So what’s my story? Well I’ve been a woodworker since I was 4 years old. I got a junior tool kit (not a Fisher-Price etc but rather a kit of real woodworking tools that was scaled down for small hands) for my birthday and that was it, I was hooked. By the age of 6 I was in the Grandpa’s shed wielding a power drill or a jigsaw and producing the most hideous creations but my family were supportive and encouraged me onwards.
In school I looked forward to woodworking class each week and the opportunity to get my hands on the school’s selection of dull chisels and planes. Again, I didn’t produce any masterpieces but I was loving the process and I developed a real affinity with working wood.
I was a avid photographer and on leaving school that’s where I looked for a career. It fizzled out though and while I’m still a keen photographer I think I’ve always known that it’s not how I’d want to earn a living. I worked in IT for a few years but I got bored of that. I studied electronic engineering but soon lost the drive to pursue that too. I needed something more soulful and creative in my life so I started a carpentry company specialising in garden projects – decking, pergolas, gazebos, seating etc – and finally felt like I was heading in the right direction. The work was challenging but the results were amazing and my clients were delighted.
Just as the business was taking off my wife and I got the opportunity to emmigrate to Australia (from the UK) and we jumped at the chance. It was amazing, I loved the weather, the people, the country and it’s culture. We lived out there for almost 5 years and truly enjoyed ourselves. I qualified as a commercial helicopter pilot, a lifelong ambition, and everything was good.
We moved back to the UK to be near family after the birth of our first son. Back on home soil again I looked for a new challenge and wound up renovating a 400 year old farmhouse. It was a colossal challenge, one that I thought would break me, but my wife and I tackled it head-on (despite now having two young sons to look after) and we made a tremendous job of it. In just 18 months we transformed the place We lived there for a few years, then moved on to our present home. We now run a holiday (vacation) rental business in the most idylic location near the English/Welsh border.
I have the most spacious workshop that I’ve ever owned, too large perhaps. I get in there whenever time allows, I put on some great music and I’m in my happy place.
Hi there I am trying my hand at building a chair for the first time
Wondered if you have a recommendation for any slips for my vice? For the stretchers atm they are tapered in both directions and octagonal. I am about to make some tapered slips that I can re use. Wondering if you have an image or recommendation of something that works well.
Thank you!
Hi Luke,
Thanks for your question and for checking out my (somewhat neglected!) website. I didn’t use any sort of slips or jigs when making my tapered stretchers. I held them on my bench between my Veritas inset vice and a dog. It worked really well. I think the problem with making any sort of holding device that supports the sectional shape of the component is that the shape will change in profile as you plane it down. For example if you have octagonal stretchers and make a support or clamping aid shaped for that section the only part of the stretcher that remains that size and shape is usually the very centre. When you’ve planed and rotated each face the section becomes quite different.
If I were holding the workpiece in a face vice I would probably add some leather to the vice jaws and rest the end being planed on a support across the vice. On octagonal stock I think it should work quite well because faces are perpendicular but if you then switch to hexagonal you’ll have trouble.
I hope that helps and please do feel free to fire any more questions at me, I’ll gladly help out if I can.
All the best,
Patch