Make a Chair from a Tree

Make a Chair from a Tree

In 2014, Jennie Alexander somewhat reluctantly agreed to create a third edition of her seminal 1978 book on green woodworking, “Make a Chair From a Tree.” This book has launched the careers of thousands of woodworkers and helped ignite a green woodworking movement in the United States.

Her reluctance did not stem from a lack of passion for the book’s subject; the simple yet beautiful object known as the Jennie Chair had been her obsession for decades. Rather, she was uncertain about her physical and mental capacity to undertake the challenge of essentially starting from scratch for a new edition. She had gained so much knowledge since the publication of the first two editions that this would almost be an entirely new book.

Thus, "Make a Chair From a Tree: Third Edition" represents the culmination of her lifetime of work on post-and-rung chairs. It meticulously details every step of the green-wood chairmaking process, from splitting and riving parts to making elegant cuts with a drawknife and spokeshave, to brace-and-bit boring for solid joinery, and weaving hickory-bark seats.

With the assistance of Larry Barrett, one of her devoted students, Jennie worked on this new version of the book until just weeks before her death in 2018. Larry polished Jennie’s final manuscript and built a chair in her shop using her techniques and tools while we took many photographs for the book. Nathaniel Krause, another of Jennie's dedicated students, wove the hickory seat featured in this edition. Longtime friend and collaborator Peter Follansbee helped edit the text, ensuring it was both intensely technical (yet easy to understand) and personal (without being sentimental) in the final version.

Contents

Publisher's Note vii
Contributor's Notes ix
Introduction xv
Chapter 1: Hardwoods for Post-&-Rung Chairs 1
Chapter 2: Wood, Moisture & Movement 10
Chapter 3: Tools 10
Chapter 4: Work Surfaces, Holding Devices & Jigs 32
Chapter 5: Splitting, Riving & Hewing 46
Chapter 6: Drawknifing Posts & Rungs 62
Chapter 7: Steambending, Slat Mortising & Finishing the Posts 76
Chapter 8: Finishing the Rungs & Forming the Tenons 84
Chapter 9: Introduction to Post Mortising & Chair Assembly 92
Chapter 10: Mortising & Assembling the Side Frames 102
Chapter 11: Mortising Side Frames for Front & Back Rungs, Assembling the Chair 112
Chapter 12: Slats 120
Chapter 13: Finishing Up & Finishing 130
Chapter 14: Seating 136
Afterword 150
Bibliography 152