9 day July 2010 and steambending a continuous back

Some photos from the first 9 day chairmaking course of 2010. I wasn't around on the last day to see the finished projects, but all week they were working hard.

Molly taking a break from whittling her legs whilst Sheila Winters sat for hours whittling her tenons on the hazel fork for the back of her chair.










STEAM BENDING A CONTINUOUS HOOP

In the next few photos is the sequence of steam bending a continuous hoop for the back of Gordons fabulous windsor.

Here you can see the ash being pulled around the top of the former... with a bit of muscle.
Gudrun then knocks in pegs and wedges to hold this in place around the former.



The ash is then bent downwards over the front of the former, pegged in place again, then clamped to the former.

This is Gordon, with (in my opinion) the most beautiful chair I've seen in the making yet.

Look at the way the tenons go right through the stretchers. Gordon says for commissions he asks his clients  how long they want these, sometimes they end up just as buttons.

And finally a poor quality photo of Gordons unfinished design. (If you have the final photos course members - please send them over, I'd love to see them!) I called this 'The chatting up chair', because it's invitingly wide for two people, but you end up rather close.

So finally, a picture of Gordon's finished chair...