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CHAIRMAKING COURSE

Aimed at those who have a good understanding of basic skills and experience of wood turning; you’ll make an iconic “Clissett” style ladder-back chair working with hand tools, a wood turning lathe and rounding planes

Course Overview

• Why choose this course?
This intensive 5 day course, delivered by Paul Hodgson, teaches you the art of ladder-back chairmaking. Many of the techniques used are based on those handed down by the 18th and 19th Century chairmakers.

The course is held in a modern workshop with access to both traditional and modern tools and machines. The method taught is that used in a professional workshop for the batch production of post and rung chairs. Various templates and jigs are employed to ensure repeatability and to maintain quality.

During the course you will make a ladder-back chair in the style of Philip Clissett from air-dried English Oak. Philip Clissett (1841-1913) was a local chairmaker from Bosbury in the Malvern Hills. After the introduction session on workshop safety and the principles of ladder-back chairmaking, participants will be taken through the making with practical demonstrations given at each stage of the process.

Whilst making the chair, you will learn how to; select and prepare the timber for wood turning on a lathe, use rounding planes to size and to taper the back posts, use hand tools to shape slats and arm rests, steam bend, perform angled drilling, assemble, sand and apply finish and finally how to weave a seagrass seat.

• What will I achieve?
The aim of the course is for you to produce a high quality chair, learn professional methods, practice traditional techniques and gain an appreciation of when it’s necessary to be accurate, and when doing things by eye is appropriate.

You will take away your own hand-crafted chair, and will have gained the knowledge, experience and confidence to attempt more advanced furniture making projects.

• This course is suitable for …
o Intermediate
o Advanced

Course Content

• Induction and Welcome to Peter Sefton Furniture School
• Health and Safety in the Workshop
o Safe use of hand and basic machine tools
• Hand Skills and Techniques
o Timber Selection and preparation
o Use of measuring rods for marking out
o Cross cutting to length
o Turning front posts using Lathe
o Making back posts and stretchers using Rounders
o Shaping the slats, arms and seat rails with a Rasp and a Spokeshave
o Steam bending
o Hand or machine cut mortises
o Drill press and free hand angled drilling
o Gluing and assembly using cramps and straps
o Peg making
o Sanding and finishing techniques
o Seagrass seat weaving
• Machine Skills
o Narrow Band Saw
o Wood Turning Lathe
o Hollow Chisel Mortiser
o Rounding Engine
o Drill Press

• Tools Required
If you do not have any or many tools, the School can provide them for you to use. If you can bring along your own tools, the suggested tool list includes:
o Tenon Saw for cross cutting
o Mortise, marking and cutting gauges
o Mallet and Hammer
o 6mm mortise Chisel and 19mm bevel edge Chisel
o Cabinet Scraper
o Rule, Square, Marking Knife and 2H pencil
o Spokeshaves and Rasps
o Cordless Drill and Forstner bits
o Dowel plate

• Where to Stay
Please see the Find Us page of our website and then click on Where to Stay

• Booking Info
How do I apply for any of your Courses? First, please contact the School to confirm there is space on the course either by phone on 01684 591014 or email sarah@peterseftonfurnitureschool.com. Then complete the Course Booking Form and forward it with your 50% deposit to the School.

The balance will be due 6 weeks prior to the start of the course and if booking less than 6 weeks in advance, the total course fee will be due. Peter Sefton Furniture School regrets that we are unable to accept applications from anyone under the age of 18 at the start of their course.

Duration and Facilities: The course runs for 5 days, 08:30 to 17:30 with 1 hour for lunch. Students will need to provide their own lunch each day; tea and coffee are provided by the School.