8 Days
Tuition: $1600.00
Ages: 16 & Up
Instructor: Felix Bouchet
Instructional Delivery Method(s): In person
Prerequisites: None
Program Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Program Description:
The Comb Back Rocking Chair class is an advanced chairmaking class. It’s a good opportunity to learn about riving and shaving greenwood along its grain, steambending, carving a chair seat with hand tools, assembling a complicated chair and generally using and sharpening specific chairmaking tools. Turned pieces (legs, stretchers and arm supports) are provided so you won’t be turning in this class. Every student will come home with their chair.
Here is a rough outline of the class:
Day 1 - 2: We start the class by riving fresh oak or ash that we use to make spindles. We then spend a day and a half on the shave-horse to get comfortable working with greenwood, along the grain, with the drawknife. Objective: finish the spindles.
Day 2 - 3: We combine what we learned on the first day and a half, riving and shaving the arm bow and the crest rail. The pieces are then steam bent on a wooden form. Objective: finish the arm bow and the crest.
Day 4 and 5: We spend two days working on drilling and carving the seat. Establishing the layout, drilling with a brace, hollowing with the adze, inshave, and travisher, and carving the outside with drawknives and spokeshaves. Objective: finish the seat.
Day 6: Under-carriage assembly: reaming the legs into the seat, reaming the arm support into the seat, drilling the legs, shaping stretcher tenons and completing the glue-up! We then trim the tenons and cut the slots in the legs for the rocker blades. Objective: finish the under-carriage assembly.
Day 7: Rocker assembly and arm rest glue up: cutting the rocker blades and finalising the legs/rocker blades assembly. We’ll also spend some time glueing up an extra piece of wood for the arm rest. Objective: complete the rocker blades assembly and glue up the arm rest.
Day 8: Upper-carriage assembly: drilling and reaming the arm bow, drilling the crest rail, making tenons on the spindles, carving the crest rail, carving the arm rests and starting finishing the spindles.
Day 9: Final assembly: finishing the spindles, dry fit and then glue-up. Lastly, we’ll glue up the rocker blades. Objective: SIT AND ROCK !!
Learning Objectives:
Learn how to rive sections of a log to make spindles
Learn how to use hand tools to shape all chair components
Learn how to hand carve a seat
Understand how to layout and drill mortises for chair legs
Learn the fundamentals of steam bending
Learn how to properly assemble and glue up a Windsor chair
Attendance Requirements: Students must attend all days
Location: Sam Beauford Woodshop, 1375 N. Main St, Building 41, Adrian, Michigan 49221
Class Size: Maximum 8
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If you have any questions, please contact the Admissions Office at admissions@sbwi.edu or (517) 759-3070
