Chair-making Courses

I started running green wood courses in 1985, initially near Bristol, then in Devon, and since 1995, in Herefordshire: for 10 years at Clissett Wood and for 11 years at Brookhouse Wood. In 2015 (at the age of 64) I moved these chair-making courses from the woodland, back to the workshop in our cottage garden in order to embark upon semi-retirement.

With each move, I have taken the opportunity to refine the content and format of the courses and to improve the facilities based to a large extent on feedback from students https://goingwiththegrain.org/course-feedback/. Over the years, I have found that of all the green woodworking projects on offer, it is the making of a chair that has proved most popular and rewarding for course participants.

This is not cabinet-making!

Making a chair on one of my courses is an engineering project and has little to do with the skills of cabinet-making. There are no flat surfaces, no right-angled joints and no glue. We start with the age-old technique of cleaving, where each component is prized out of an unseasoned log using the ‘sensitive force’ imparted by a froe together with a wooden wedge.

These are then gripped in a shaving horse, where they are shaped with a drawknife and other hand tools. Some of these components are then softened in steam before being bent to their particular shape. The shrinkage and warping of the wood as it dries is harnessed to create incredibly tight friction joints, doing away with the need for glue or any other fixings apart from a couple of tiny ‘square pegs in round holes’. The courses in 2026 are all 5-days and are limited to four students. All necessary tools, equipment and green wood will be provided but you are welcome to bring your own.

What are the different options?

5-day Courses

In previous years there has been a choice of the simple spindle-back or the more complex lath-back. The simplicity of a spindle-back chair makes it ideal for anyone without experience of working with wood, while the lath-back added a challenge to give the chair a shaped lumbar support.

In 2022 the lath-back chair was subtly morphed into the rib-back as shown to the left. This retains the comfort of the lumbar support, while retaining some of the simplicity of the spindle-backs. Most people should be able to make a rib-back but the option of a spindle-back is also available. You can decide at the start of a 5-day course which of these options to go for.

For more details, see my blogs over the past few years.

Wee-wor chairs

The chair we have known as a wee-wor has been an option on courses for many years, derived from a small nursing chair with short rockers, made in the town of Clun on the Shropshire border with Wales. We recently discovered that the term ‘wee-wor’ wasn’t the specific name of this design of chairs but it is Shropshire dialect for ‘wobbly’ – however the name has stuck.

The design has evolved over the last few years making it a perfect chair for sitting around a camp-fire, playing a guitar, eating off your lap or generally relaxing outdoors or in. In 2025 I ran a couple of 6-day courses to make this chair but for 2026 we will be using rockers that have been prepared beforehand, which will enable us to return to the 5-day format. This will reduce the cost of the wee-wor course from the 2025 price of £750 to £690. You can find out more about this in my October blog.

Course dates for 2026

availablity as at 21st Nov 2025

• May 18th to 22nd – £640 – full
• June 8th to 12th – £640 – full
• July 6th to 10th – Make a wee-wor, £690 – full
• July 27th to 31st – Make a wee-wor, £690 – full
• August 17th to 21st – £640 – full
• September 7th to 11th – £640 – full

I am sure I shall receive some cancellations so if you would like to go onto the waiting list, then please e-mail me at abbottslivingwood@gmail.com  to find out the latest news.

The course schedule

The schedule is split into three blocks:

• making the components for the chairs, using the processes of cleaving, shaving, tenoning and steam-bending then drying them in a small kiln.

• cleaning up these dry components then assembling the chair frame and applying an oil finish

• weaving the seat, usually with Danish cord in a wide variety of patterns that have evolved on my courses over the years.

Courses run from 9am to around 6pm each day with about an hour’s break at lunchtime during which I can take my 20-minute ‘siesta’. The course fee (£640 for a spindle-back/rib-back course and £690 for a wee-wor course) includes all tuition, as well as the cost of the chair-making ash logs and seating materials as well as hot drinks and a light lunch.

What will you take away from a green wood Chair-making course?

• Your own unique wooden chair, created entirely from the log entirely through your own efforts;
• The skills needed to continue on your own as a hobby or to develop further as a fulfilling occupation;
• An awareness of just how much you can achieve without the need for sophisticated machinery.

Travel

Greenwood Cottage is located in Halmonds Frome, a rural hamlet in East Herefordshire, midway between the cities of Hereford and Worcester.

Materials

Green wood and basic seating materials will be included in the price of the course but there may be a charge for any other materials that have to be bought in, such as unusual seating material for chairs.

Food

A light lunch plus hot or cold drinks will be provided each day and included in the price.

Accommodation

There will be no on-site accommodation available at Greenwood Cottage but there are many alternatives in the area. We can notify you of some recommended options when you book a course place.

Course times

Each day will run from 9am to around 6pm with an hour break for lunch.

For latest information on course availability:

e-mail abbottslivingwood@gmail.com or tel or text. 07870 293401 (8am to 8pm)

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