Taught by Craig Smith
NOT CURRENTLY SCHEDULED
A $100 deposit is required to confirm your reservation.
During this course, we will build a Windsor style stool typical of one that might have been made during the late 1700s. The well-used stool that is featured in the photograph is one that I (Craig) made about 10 years ago and is a shorter version of the stool that we will make. Our stool will be approximately 19” tall and handy for a variety of uses.
I particularly like this stool for two reasons… First, the resultant product is just the right size and height to provide something of an assembly aid for building Windsor chairs… that is, it places you at just the right height to face the chair under construction, entangle your feet in the undercarriage, and then conveniently work on the chair you are making. Second, the stool serves as an introduction to some of the techniques that are crucial to successful Windsor chair construction. Concepts that are introduced will include laying out sight lines, drilling and reaming to accurate angles, and joinery using wedged tapered tenons. While it is conceivable to turn the seat of the stool on a lathe, we will be hand carving the seat as an introduction to some of the specialized tools used to shape Windsor chair seats including drawknives, spokeshaves, two-handed scorps, and travishers.
Materials fee for this course will be $125 and include turned legs and stretchers, a seat blank of either poplar or pine, wedge material, and any consumables like glue and sandpaper. There will not be time to paint the stools during the class, but they should be otherwise completed.