Issue 665

Take a Load Off

Of all the many woodworking projects I have built over the years, I have to say that one that floats to the top of my list as “difficult to build and annoying to boot” are chairs. Now some versions are not that challenging. Adirondack chairs are a great example. But dining room chairs or more refined models not only present fussy joinery but also have to hold up to abuse throughout their use. As my woodworking friend the late Mike McGlynn used to say, they have to be bombproof. They need to look pretty as well as be functional.

So I’m wondering, have you built chairs and if so, how did the process strike you? Do I have a point, or am I moving into my “get off my lawn” dotage?

Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal

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