The Background and the People.
It started with a friend asking me if I fancied doing a weekend course to make a stool in the woods. Three of us went down to Prinknash Abbey (Graham Saunders http://www.cotswoldwoodlandcrafts.co.uk/ ) and did a bit of cycling and noodling. Two of us made stools, while the third carried on cycling the steep hills round there. Using bodger’s benches, pole lathes and other tools we did the usual and turned logs into furniture.
Actually we only really made the legs and drilled holes in the seats for them, but it was enough to get a taste of it.
When I got home I decided to make a bodgers bench out of stuff lying around, such as a pallet and bits of old stage set, to use in working some of the wood from our long thin hillside garden. A walking stick, garden poles, hurdles and decking fences have their place in the home and garden scheme now.
When I was pollarding a maple, I thought some of my chisels could do with new handles, so made a pole lathe the same way.
The lathe originally had oak poles at each end providing the spring and with cord between. The oak poles eventually went, so I used bungy cord instead, but may go back to the poles at some point. Without following plans, it was interesting to work out the geometry of the lathe and bench. They have evolved with use and maybe aren’t the best, but they are still working.
After a while I asked the same friend if he fancied going on a chair making course, but he felt his skills weren’t up to it. He was wrong and he knows that now, but I decided to go it alone. I booked on a course with Paul Hayden at http://www.greenwoodcourses.com/ . Unfortunately using the pole lathe highlighted the fact that I needed a hip replacement. At home I had worked out a way of using the lathe sitting down, but down at Westonbirt I decided to make the whole thing using the bodgers bench / shave horse. First lesson about Windsor chairs: they don’t have to use a pole lathe. Look up Welsh Stick chairs if you haven’t come across them.
While I am at it I have to mention Peter Murray (https://www.theartfulbodger.co.uk/) who was helping Paul at the time and gave me the Welsh Stick inspiration, as well as lots of tips. Because I can and because the original friend decided he would try it at last and got hooked, I have now done several of these courses and am still not bored. Each time I have tried something slightly different and, though my skill levels are pretty good, the people there always help to inspire me.
While I was doing my first course Jason Mosseri (http://hopespringschairs.com/ ) was making a chair there. We chatted and I watched what he was doing and learned his interesting approach.
My stepdaughter lives in New Zealand so in 2019 I made a chair over there with Richard Hare (http://www.rbhchairs.com/ ). This was a completely different approach and taught me more again , not least about how privileged the UK is to have the wood species it does.
You can find all these people on Facebook and sometimes Instagram as well. They are all really skilful people and good teachers. Thanks also to Chrissie, Josh, Aghi and Ralph for their patient assistance and good humour down at Westonbirt. Finally thanks to all those around me who put up with my chair obsession, especially Ruth and Stephen, who have encouraged it and Jo, who ordered a chair for herself then set me on the child’s chair path. Stephen can be seen working away in background left in the picture below. I hope you find my notes a helpful addition to what you can learn from other sources.