Over the years Brian has refined the process of building chairs and I will explain the elegant and simple methods he has developed as well as talk about the principles that underly those methods. Together the methods to build this chair and the principles behind them form an excellent introduction to the craft of ladderback chairmaking.

I will start at the beginning with log and lumber selection and move through the process in a stepwise fashion. Along the way I will explain in detail every aspect of building this chair including steam bending, shaping parts with draw knife and spokeshave, turning, drilling angled mortises into curved parts, understanding grain orientation and wood movement, assembly with hide glue, seat weaving, finishing, and more. I will also venture into related topics such as tool sharpening and even making some custom chairmaking tools.

Over the past couple of years I have been teaching students how to build this chair in six day classes in my shop in Strasburg, Virginia. There are some concepts, such as drilling angled rung mortises, where the process is simple to execute but the underlying principle is difficult to explain. For me, the classes have been an ongoing opportunity to refine and perfect how to communicate in ways my students (and you) can understand.
In working with students I have found it is very helpful to break down each process into small discrete steps. The student can focus on doing that small step well before moving onto the next, each step building on the last. And there have been times where I’ve expanded or modified the steps after watching a student struggle. These refinements in process become part of the way I teach. For this series I will describe processes in much the same way as I do in class — in a step-by-step methodical fashion, explaining how-to, pointing out pitfalls, showing you what to look for and how to evaluate what you’ve done.

My hope is that this series will become a comprehensive reference on how to build a ladderback chair using the methods that Brian has developed over a 30 year career in chairmaking. I plan on posting once a week and encourage you to comment and ask questions as we go. Building a chair like this is a very satisfying experience — and you have a comfortable, hand made chair to sit in once you’re done!

Jeff Lefkowitz | June 11, 2013

July 15 – July 20, 2013 | Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, NC

I took my first class with Brian Boggs in 2006. I was attracted to the class, as many people are, by Brian’s beautiful chair designs. It was my first experience making a ladderback chair — up until then I had only made Windsors. In that class I learned about steam bending, hand shaping using a draw knife and spoke shave, using grain direction and moisture content for strong, long-lasting joints, weaving a hickory bark seat, chair design, and the myriad details that make a Boggs’ chair beautiful, comfortable, and virtually indestructible. The attention Brian paid to the smallest details was inspiring. And simple solutions, developed over a 30 year career, for things such as drilling angled mortises into round, curved parts, were worth the price of admission all by themselves. For me the class was a transformative experience, and has given me an understanding of the living qualities of wood and how to harness those qualities in a piece of furniture.

Brian, right, helping a student assemble a greenwood chair

Brian knows more about woodworking than anyone I have ever met, developed from his passion to understand and control the process from beginning to end. Not only does he know wood and chairmaking intimately, but he also develops and fine tunes his tools to meet his demanding standards. Most people are familiar with the wonderful spoke shaves he designed which are produced by Lie-Neilsen, but not many know that he also understands and tunes tools that most woodworkers never pay much attention to — if you ever have a spare hour or two, just ask Brian a question about drill bits. He is gracious and thoughtful when answering any question, always giving a reasoned response. And seeing Brian demonstrate how to use a draw knife and spoke shave to shape a leg is an amazing thing to watch — his movements and economy of motion are nothing short of athletic, and his artistic sensibilities inform every cut.

If you have ever wanted to learn how to build a Boggs’ designed ladderback chair from the master himself, the 6 day Greenwood Chair class at Warren Wilson College this July will be your only opportunity this year. One of the interesting aspects of this chair is that is assembled without glue, instead using a unique combination of woods, grain orientation, and moisture content to make a long-lasting joint. You will also learn how to select lumber and mill parts for chairmaking; steam bend rear legs and slats; hand shape curved and straight parts using a draw knife, spokeshave, and scraper; drill angled mortises into round, curved parts; and sharpen chair making tools. You will go home with a beautiful, comfortable chair, ready for finishing with milk paint (as shown) or a clear finish. And maybe a transformed idea of what is possible with a piece of wood.

Included with the class is a 66 page, fully illustrated manual that explains the process from beginning to end. Although you can add your own notes, the manual substantially reduces or even eliminates in-class note taking, allowing you to focus on the demonstrations, spend valuable class time learning new techniques, and work on your chair. And it includes drawings and dimensions of every jig and form used in class so that you can reproduce this chair in your home shop.

Here is a more detailed description of the class.

And here is the page at the Warren Wilson College web site where you can sign up the class. The total cost is $995 which includes six days of instruction, materials, and the manual. Optional on-campus lodging and meals are also available at an additional cost.

For me there in no better way to spend a week than learning how to build a chair from a master chairmaker like Brian Boggs.

Jeff Lefkowitz | April 13, 2013

Thanks to Melissa Reardon for a beautifully written article!

You can see it here at the WNC Mag website. 

(Partial text – full article not available online. See link at Popular Woodworking to buy a copy of this issue). 

John Zicker traveled from the west coast to take the rocking chair class with me this past October. He had taken a side chair class with Brian about ten years ago and since then has dreamed of building one of his rockers but was never able to make it to one of Brian’s classes. John had this to say in a note to Brian after the class:

On your recommendation I took a class to build a rocking chair from Jeff last week. You couldn’t have selected a better person to teach people how to build a rocking chair of your design. Jeff not only instructed me in the construction of your chair but in the finer points of woodworking that resulted in the best woodworking project I have ever done.

Read more about John’s experience, along with comments from other students, on The Class Experience page.

Jeff Lefkowitz | January 14, 2013

It has been an interesting journey. When I started chairmaking about 10 years ago I was looking for a creative outlet that satisfied a need to work with physical objects — something my job as a graphic designer, although interesting and challenging, did not do. I found that I loved the processes and tactile nature of putting a chair together, especially as taught by Brian, and loved sharing that with others. In class I found I took really good notes and more than once fellow class mates asked for copies. So, combining my skills as a graphic designer with my passion for and understanding of chairmaking seemed like the natural next step. Now graphic design, in the form of the class manual, has a meaning and purpose for me that it never did when it was just a job.

Along the way I have had to learn some new skills — as a graphic designer I was given text and images and my task was to lay them out on the page in an effective manner. For the manuals I start with a blank page, having to write and illustrate, in addition to page layout. There have been many surprises. For instance, I remember thinking about how to explain the process of creating and installing the distinctive pyramid pins that hold the slats in place, expecting it to take a page and a few illustrations. Three pages, ten illustrations, and many hours later it was done, as shown here.

Another challenge is how to explain each process as clearly as possible. Here are a couple of pages from the Post & Rung Side Chair manual that explain in detail how to shape a rear leg from the point that the leg is still rectangular in cross section all the way through the decorative shaping of the ears.

The manuals continue to improve as I find better ways to explain and illustrate each process. Much of this comes from my experience teaching, seeing what makes sense to students. Here are two pages that explain how to trim the rear leg after it is bent. The page on the left is the original, and the page on the right is an improved version with much clearer illustrations.

The manuals also include illustrations and dimensions for every jig and form used for that chair. Most of the jig and form illustrations are included within the body of the manual alongside the description of the process for using them as shown in the page on the left about steam bending the slats. There is also a small section at the end of each manual for additional jigs not shown within the body of the manual. The center page is the story stick for the chair, and the page on the right is the first of two pages showing dimensions for the platform mortising jig.

The manuals capture the design and techniques that Brian has developed over 30 years as a chairmaker, and allow the student to make an authentic Boggs chair using the same techniques that Brian does. They have made it easier for Brian and me to teach, easier and less frantic for the student to learn, and easier for students to apply the skills learned in class at home. They average about 60 – 75 pages each and there is one for each class — Greenwood Chair, Post & Rung Side Chair, Classic Side Chair, Arm Chair, and Rocking Chair. A manual is included in the cost of each class.

The manuals are also available to students who have taken classes with Brian in the past. They cost $50 each + shipping and come in a 3-ring binder for easy reference in the shop. Although they contain lots of very good information, the manuals are not a substitute for taking the class, which is why we only sell them to former students. They have been written specifically as a companion to each class, not as a stand-alone comprehensive book. And, like very good class notes, they are step-by-step reminder of the processes and techniques taught and experienced in class, along with jig and form dimensions. Please email me if you are interested in purchasing one.

Jeff Lefkowitz

December 6, 2012

Brian Boggs Breaking Down the Log

Checking out the Figuring

Thinking Through How to Cut for the Most Yield

Brian with His All-Time Favorite Machine: His 1930s Bandsaw!

Two-Person Job (with Charlie Marlow)

And Then There Were Two

Seats and Backs in the Rough

And Finally: A Seat Starts Taking Form

One More Peak at the Seat

What a beautiful figure on that ambrosia maple! Thanks for checking it out, and stay tuned! To learn more about the Sonus Musician’s Chair, click here.