Windsor chairmaking NEW AND UPDATED!

ken werner

Member
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3,377
Location
Central NY State
Well, now that 2 weeks have flown by since I quit my job, I've been out to California and visited with Vaughn, danced til my feet hurt at the Dance Flurry in Saratoga, NY, and now I'm looking forward to going to Pittsboro, NC to spend a week with Elia Bizzarri, learning from him how to build a Windsor chair.
http://www.handtoolwoodworking.com/

I decided to bring some of my own tools along, even though Elia has all the tools I'll need. These are the ones I wanted with me:

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But how to get them there? I didn't feel comfortable sending a set it's taken me years to accumulate via the USPS. And as for the baggage handlers at the airlines, well, you know....And now that there's the TSA checking everything, I decided to go on line and see what can be checked in baggage. Turns out, you can check an axe, a sword, or a sabre. So I figured my little old drawknives and inshave would be tame in comparison. So today, I pulled Toshio Odate's classic book off the shelf, and made a tool box based on his traditional Japanese design. I used cut nails, in keeping with tradition. No finish. The wood is pine and some white oak. The top slides to the side to open. No hinges or slots. It is really a cool design, and is esthetically pleasing, strong and simple. Just how I like things. I think it should hold up well to what the baggage handlers dish out, packing it within my duffel bag.

I leave on Saturday, and will be working with Elia for 5 days. More on that later.
 

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One little thing you may have overlooked.

You can no longer lock baggage or screw together a box. The airlines on both ends of the trip retain the right to check your baggage. They even tag it to alert potential thieves.

OK, my bias, but years ago I traveled to shows and demonstrated. Needed to take my own tools. Had them take vacations of their own, some never to return. Tools are very pawnable (if that's a word.

What I did was ship via FedEx. No hassle with the airlines and I could track the shipment. Now with surcharges for baggage on the plane along with enhanced thievery opportunities, I definitely would ship via FedEx. I found UPS to be more expensive and far more callous.

Today I wouldn't take more than a backpack aboard a plane. I would definitely ship it both ways.

Just sayin'

FWIW.
 
Good bunch of tools and nice box Ken I wish you enjoy your stay with Elia.

You say that this box is from an Toshio Odate book? I have two of them Making Shoji and Japanese Tools and I don't recall seeing a description of it.
 
Have Fun !

Um Ken, what do you mean you quit your job ? You're WAY too young to retire !:eek::D

Nice box and beautiful set of tools. I would also ship instead of flying them, and insure them.

See you in Saratoga ?:thumb:
 
Yikes, I'm getting alot of feedback suggesting that my plan may not be so smart...thanks for offering your opinions folks.

Toni, yes the toolbox makes an appearance early in Odate's book about Japanese tools. I adapted his plan to fit my needs - his box was 40" long, mine is 17".

Don, no I didn't retire, I just quit. I'll get back to work...in a few months I think. As for Saratoga, I am planning on going, and look forward to seeing you. I can go into lots more detail about my career change over a cold one [or two].
 
Add another vote for shipping. I have my work related tool bag and I always ship it ahead when possible. Sometimes, even next day early AM. The folks at FedEx entertain themselves by seeing how far they can throw the box, not by searching it. :rolleyes::rofl::rofl::rofl: And they have a much better package management system than any of the major airlines.
 
I used to bring my demonstration tools on the airplane. Over the years I've had 2 sets gone missing in baggage :(

Now I always ship them to the hotel I'm staying at or my customer. I haven't lost any since then.

Also, check out the Windsor Chair Institute in Portsmouth, NH. I've been wanting to go there for quite some time.

www.thewindsorinstitute.com
 
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Hey Ken, has anyone suggested shipping them instead of checking them as luggage? :D Carol's observations and suggestions are spot on. :thumb:

The toolbox looks great nonetheless, and will still be very handy for shipping the tools to your class.
 
+1 on the shipping. I was going to say take a picture of the box before shipping and after and you will cry when you see it again. They abuse things no end.

I would ship via UPS or Fedex and i would use a Pelican case with foam.
http://www.pelican.ca/cases_detail.php?Case=1520

These are the only things i have found stand up to what the do to things. Either being shipped or in checked baggage.

Sorry for the bad news but its just we all value your good tools far to much.:D:thumb:

Enjoy the trip Ken. Have a good time and keep us posted.:):wave:
 
UPDATE, I've been to No. Carolina!

Well, my chairmaking trip is over, but my journey is just beginning....I had a really wonderful time working with Elia Bizzarri, and I would recommend spending a week with him to anybody interested in this sort of experience.

Without going into a "how to build a Windsor chair" kind of theme, I'd like to cover some of the high points of my time there. For anyone interested, Elia's website is in my first post in this thread.

After an uneventful flight, my tools arrived in baggage safe and sound. I told the TSA agent at my local airport about the tools, and he thanked me and passed them along without any trouble.

Arriving at 8:30 at Elia's shop, he immediately put me to work, using a brake, froe and club, riving wet red and white oak from the log. I then learned how to shave a square spindle blank, which later will be drawknifed to a shaped spindle. Most of the work is done with a very sharp drawknife, bevel down. In Elia's hands, a drawknife is an accurate and subtle tool.

I have to add, that when I met him, I thought Elia looked like a kid. He is tall, thin, lanky and energetic, while maintaining a relaxed and friendly demeanor. We got along just great. He was able to tolerate my nervousness before risky procedures, and even seemed to enjoy some of my dumb humor. Elia's shop is small and tidy. He believes in having simple and very sharp tools. It was terrific to see what fine work he does without all the bells and whistles so many of us, myself included, seem to desire.

Images below show the first rivings, with the brake, froe and club, the horse I sat on quite a lot, and the white oak blank I rived and shaved, destined to be the continuous arm of the chair. Notice the comfy seat Elia let me use.

By the end of the first day, I had rived all the spindles, did some preliminary shaping, rived and shaped the continuous arm, steamed it, bent it and left it in the form to dry. We worked from 8:30 to about 8 pm. More on the next post...
 

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more...

Turning is not my forte, I am a really poor turner. I did manage to turn some simple legs, but it took me forever, and Elia had to bail me out from some messy work.

The seat blank was a humungous piece of beautiful clear white pine, air dried. It was about 20 x 21 inches, and 2 1/4" thick. We began by Elia telling me to flatten one side, then mark off the other side to be 1 7/8" thick. So I had to remove 3/8" from a nearly 2' x 2' surface. With a scrub plane. It was alot of fun, but tiring for my old pudgy body.

After thicknessing the board, I marked it with the seat template, and sawed the front part clear with a bandsaw. Then it was time to use my inshave to carve the 7/8" deep hollow for the, well you know.... Elia showed me repeatedly to skew and slice with drawknife, inshave and spokeshave. This and reading the grain are the most critical issues in getting a good cut.
 

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guest appearance

Elia's shop is about 10 minutes outside of Pittsboro, NC. This is where Roy Underhill has his woodworking school, and Elia was co-teaching a session with Mr. Underhill one evening during my stay. So I got to attend, and meet Roy [again - met him once before at a big show]. It was way too much fun. His school is a lovely storefront with tall ceilings, nice people, and great spirit.

The next day was our last, and we had alot of work to do. Elia reassured me we'd git er done. We began in the morning drilling out the seat, reaming the mortises, drilling the legs, all with complex and varied angles. The legs were glued and wedged.

The rest of the day into evening, we assembled the back, spindles and arms, but didn't glue them. We took them apart, to go into a crate Elia built using handsaws, to UPS the chair and my tools back home to my shop for completion. This is what the chair looked like before we dissembled it. I saved a picture of Elia for last. Although still in his twenties, he has been building Windsors for about ten years, was trained by Curtis Buchanan, and his skills are just inspiring. I would certainly recommend a one-on-one experience like this.

So that's about it. I had a great time, came home from the shop weary every day, but what fun, and what a joy to do. Once my chair gets here, I have more work to do, and will post the rest of the story as we go along.
 

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Wow way to go Ken. I got a lot of respect for Elia.:thumb: and more for you Ken to be taking lessons from him.

I can only imagine how enjoyable this time was. Love the seat you got great lines there.

I guess you will be building your own horse now. This kind of work has always appealed to me. I have a few pics of these horses if you start looking. Let me know and i will send you what i have for you to review.

What strikes me is that wood selection must be key all round.

Green with envy. Glad you had a trouble free journey. Looking forward to seeing you post another being done at home now that you had the experience.

Ya need to pass it on.:D:):thumb:;)
 
Looks great so far, Ken. Getting to sit in on a class at Roy Underhill's place was a nice bonus, too. :thumb: Looking forward to seeing the chair as it progresses through finishing.
 
I guess you will be building your own horse now.

Hi Rob,

Several years ago, I found a walnut log by the side of the road and built this, according to Roy Underhill's plans in one of his books. I'm going to adapt the dumbhead on it, but it still works just fine. Thanks for your kind offer though.
 

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Outstanding !

Great trip report Ken. Sure looks like you had a great time. Nice looking chair too.:thumb: Also nice to see younger folks learning and doing things the old way and passing it along.

And a bonus visit to the church of St. Roy-what a lucky guy !:D
 
Oh oh Ken thats a nice horse you have there but I aint seen you post something you made on it.:rolleyes: But i do see tons of shavings around it. So hows about a little more on the story and use of this here horse. ;):):D:thumb:
 
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