Space to Wander

We’re on the backside of summer here in Maine. And with that, it means about half the classes are wrapped up for the year. We finished a stick chair class last week. I’ll need to put together 2026 soon (likely out in October). But there are still a handful of classes this year. Some are full; some have space. Thanks to everyone who joined me in Kentucky and Maine thus far this year.

• Fan Back Windsor Chair. North Bennet Street School. Boston, MA. August 4-8

• #207 Chair. Peter Galbert’s Chair Shop. Berwick, ME. September 1-6

• Lounge Chair. Waldoboro, ME. September 15-20 (waitlist)

• Stick Chair. (co-taught with Charles Thompson). Waldoboro, ME. Nov. 10-15.

• Wooden Carrier. Lost Art Press. Covington, KY. November 21-23 (waitlist)

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Whenever I’m granted the opportunity, I like to visit other woodworkers in their shop spaces. Writing the Appalachian chairmaking book put me into some pretty wonderful spots. This next book will do the same. It’ll provide a reason to travel and visit and learn from other woodworkers. In doing so, I will be exposed to approaches and ways of working that books/videos/talks simply do not fully capture.

I find that I’m interested in a woodworker’s approach to their work. Yes, I want to know the how as well, especially when the results are impressive. The two go hand-in-hand as well (approach and how). Some of the most complicated and impressive work requires an approach that considers all aspects before a single piece of material is cut. I can’t imagine building a Newport-style blockfront desk and bookcase without first drawing and planning every piece of material.

My background utilized this approach. During my training at NBSS in Boston, we made a full-scale drawing of each piece of furniture before visiting the lumber yard to purchase materials. The design was fully realized and fixed at that point. What was left was the execution.

I still work in that way for custom work and case pieces.

But chairs provide other opportunities. I’ve found that the process of design then execution can be put aside with stick chairs, or at the very least, it is not required. Stick chairs can meld design and execution during the chairmaking process. It’s a new approach for me, to ask my training to sit on the sidelines while I gather materials and start down a stick chair path without fully knowing the final destination.