Really pleased to have released a film about me making a Welsh lobster pot chair for and available through @lostartpress . It was filmed over the period of a year, where I split logs into parts, find, saw and joint up the arm bow, which is the crux of the build. @furniturebykale did a great job editing several hours of me ramblingā¦
Iāve been doing a few 1:1 classes here in west Wales. Iāve purposely limited the numbers, as Iām allowing students to use 100% naturally grown arm bow stock from my personal inventory, which Iāve been harvesting and drying for several years. The crooks from the hedgerows are rare and precious things, by having no short grain. My forebears made the best chairs, which have lasted centuries from this very same material. Mike from the USA spent a week crafting this beautifully made chair. We shared stories about our different lives, over copious amounts of tea, just like I did with John Brown. Chris Schwarz of @lostartpress kindly put up a Substack post on his The American Peasant page, if you care to read more about the classes.
Really pleased that my book Good Work was mentioned by @paynterjacket recently and then a nice blog post was written about it by @lostartpress , who itās available from. āMy book ā doesnāt seem fair as itās a book written by the people who really knew him the best, his family. Iām proud of the book and of @anniepantryfields@pantryfields@mattysearsworks@mollybrown.prints for their candid and honest chapters that they wrote and also the beautiful illustrations by JBās daughter Molly. Not forgetting Chris Schwarz whose patience and help was greatly appreciated. @lostartpress as an aside Iām definitely not a fashion icon as Iām happy in a pair of shorts and T-shirt and wellingtons oddlyā¦
Hopefully these arm bows will behave whilst drying over the next years or so. The end grains are all sealed and ready to cope with the dryer months ahead.
A fruitful winter so far, foraging arm bow stock and with signs of life stirring in the hedgerows, I better get out and cut a few more before spring erupts. Big thanks to my No 1 sawyer Luke for his service! All hail to the hedgerowā¦
Two piece scarf jointed, naturally grown ash arm bow, not steam bent or short grained Tom foolery stuff that litters the galleries in West Wales. Iām not being smug, or justifying why someone should buy a chair from me. I couldnāt give a fig about that! Iām just deeply saddened with what is going with Welsh chairs. This wonderful vernacular form is slowly being packaged and diluted and dare I say normalised by ill informed makers, backed up followers comments kissing their arse. If you donāt like my comment, please feel free to unfollow me!
Came across this photo recently of a chair I made a few decades ago - itās not my design! I made it during my time with my late mentor and friend John Brown. Itās what JB called a Cardigan chair after the market town near to where he lived. To be with John Brown on a steam bending session was unforgettable or a forgettable experienceā¦I havenāt steamed an arm bow since and doubt I ever will again. Itās one of his iconic designs and a beauty. His patterns are safe with me, his scribbled notes still legible on then.
A wonderful morning spent with Chris (@welshchairmaker ) in Carmarthenshire for @toast earlier this year.
I grew up in an old woollen mill with a dad who taught me just how beautiful these pieces of furniture are. Iād tag along with him to auction houses across Wales, chasing rumours of a Welsh chair tucked among the lots.
To me, these chairs have always been a kind of magic.
Chrisās work carries that same magic- the silhouettes, the craftsmanship, the detail in every curve and joint.
Pitching his work for TOASTās Curious Mind chapter felt instinctive. Once you understand the intricate, complicated art of making these chairs, you realise it demands exactly that: a curious mind, discipline, and a deep dedication to the craft.
Thank you Chris for welcoming me in to your home.
Thank you Georgia for the commission and thank you Hattie for assisting me as always š¤
Flattening boards isnāt my favourite job, but needās mustā¦28āwide seat 2ā inch air dried Welsh ash. Some excellent movement in the grain which makes for a strong seat.
I havenāt done a stained chair for a commission for probably 16 years or more. My customers were great so I decided to do it for them. Pre finishing the parts before glue up is fiddly but Iād never get into the nooks and crannies others. I need to wire wool the shellac on the seat before waxing. Before anyone asks the full description of this finish, which I learned off John Brown is available in Good Work the chairmaking life of John Brown. Available in the US through @lostartpress and @classic_hand_tools in the UK.
