For a significant birthday I was given a chair making course with James Mursell at the Windsor Workshop. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and ended up with a very comfortable chair as well. Encouraged by the process I started to set up to try and make my own chairs. First up was the purchase of a lathe and teaching myself to turn between spindles so that I could make the chair legs and my first project was a small wooden stool (effectively the lower half of a chair).
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Next I decided to refresh my memory with another course and I made a rocking chair and learnt a few different techniques for chair manufacturing.
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For my first complete home workshop made chair I am making a simple side chair with spindle back and a bent crest, so far the chair has turned and carved parts so the crest will be the first part that I have steam bent at home.
First up the construction of a steam box, a very simple double exterior grade plywood box with 50mm celotex insulation and an outer box for stiffening and protection. The inner box has dowels across the width to support the wood being steamed in the centre of the box. The steam generator is an old wallpaper steamer from a car boot sale. This is good for approx 60min of steaming.
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One end of the box has an insulated hinged door, the other has an insulated tightly fitted plug door. Both doors can be opened or removed once steaming has finished to allow the interior of the box to dry/air ready for the next time it is to be used.
Sitting on top of the steam box in the last picture is the piece of ash to be bent, it is approx 22" by 4" by 1" thick. This was placed into the box once the steam generator had come to a boil and left for about 40min.
Next to come, the bending jig.