Mike’s first solo post

On By Mike AbbottIn BooksLeave a comment

Treading very gingerly, here is the first thing I have put on this blog all by myself. Firstly thanks to Rob for getting the newsletter onto the blog – including the first paragraph which somehow got missed out. Secondly, thanks to Clive for the comments on here – it was great to have you around again after all that time.

We started back in with courses this Saturday after the 6 week horsefly break – still quite a few around but they should disappear again soon. We have a new deputy assistant called Sherene, who is steadily finding her feet out there and working very hard at keeping the place functioning as smoothly as it was with Jack and Leo. Of course Tom is still on fine form but realised today that he is now 2/3rds of the way through his time with me. Blackberries are now ripening, apples are ripening at home, so our first blackberry and apple crumble should happen any day now.

My next project is to work out how to add photos and then film to this blog.

For the 300+ of you who are wanting to keep abreast of developments in 21st Century green-wood chair-making having bought a copy of the new book!! ……

The first change is in bending back legs. We have now gone back to using the lever as described in Living Wood pages 162 & 182, rather than the rocker system described on p127 of GWG (Going with the Grain). Unless you have really big jaws on the sash-clamp, the jig tends to force its way out of the clamp, requiring extra clamps to prevent this – just a bit of a pain compared to the lever. I do like the new leg forming jig with the stronger bend and this works well with the lever – we grip the jig very tightly in the vice, so that we can remove the legs still gripped to the bending former and put the whole lot into the warm box to set – a bit of inspiration from Guy Mallinson on that one.

I have to say that I really like pages iv & v of GWG which locates every double page of the ‘how to’ section, so it’s dead quick to find whatever subject you want.
I’m going to see if I can upload this before we all fall asleep.

More to follow over the next few days,
Mike

Going with the Grain – Making Chairs in the 21st Century

On By Mike AbbottIn Books, Going With The Grain1 Comment

Going with the Grain – Making Chairs in the 21st Century
Ever since the surge of interest following the Mastercrafts programme broadcast in February 2010, things have been pretty hectic in the world of green wood chair-making. After a great run of courses last year, I settled down for the winter to complete the new book, which had been bubbling away for a few years. Despite having helped in making more than a couple of thousand chairs over the years, I found that while working quietly on my own, several innovations cropped up as the process evolved. This resulted in May with the publication of the 3rd book in the ‘Green wood trilogy’ entitled ‘Going with the Grain – Making Chairs in the 21st Century’. Due to a complication, which meant that it needed a new ISBN (the unique number for every book published) the book only became available in the mainstream book-sellers in July. We are delighted to say that it will also be distributed in the USA and Canada by Chelsea Green Publishing.

 This ground-breaking book takes a radical approach to working with unseasoned wood. Although it starts with the centuries old techniques of cleaving and shaving, it then incorporates modern technology such as tenon-cutters and cordless drills to enable anybody with basic hand skills and a few simple tools to transform a fresh log into a superb stool or chair. Because of its innovative approach, new tools and techniques are cropping up all the time, so to run alongside the new book is the new blog ‘goingwiththegrain.org’ in which we hope to keep abreast of any developments in green wood chair-making. For those who would like to see it all in action, the blog will contain short clips of film to bring it all to life.

 While all this has been going on, courses have been going very well at Brookhouse Wood, and this year’s main assistant Tom has fitted in very well making a great team with his fellow assistants Jack and Leo. All this activity has held up the announcement of the 2012 course programme, but at last it is available, and we suggest that if you are interested in a place on one of the courses, you book it as soon as possible, as there have been many enquiries over the last few months. You will find full details of the courses in the website www.living-wood.co.uk, which has been recently updated to reflect all this activity.

 If you haven’t yet discovered the delights of making green wood chairs, then I hope you will either purchase a book or come on a course sometime soon.

Mike Abbott