Green Woodworking and Chair Making

Lesson 1 • Workshop Setup and Safety

Covers ergonomic layout, tool storage, and hazard management for a green woodworking shop. Safe habits established here apply to every hands-on session.

Lesson 2 • Understanding Green Wood Properties

Covers moisture content, grain structure, and how green wood moves as it dries. Provides the material science foundation needed for every subsequent technique.

Lesson 3 • Sharpening and Tool Maintenance

Teaches grinding, honing, and stropping techniques for edge tools. Sharp tools are prerequisite to safe, efficient green woodworking practice.

Lesson 4 • Core Hand Tools Overview

Introduces axes, froes, drawknives, and spokeshaves as the primary toolkit. Students identify each tool's function before progressing to sharpening and use.

Lesson 1 • Froe and Mallet Technique

Covers grip, stance, and lever mechanics for controlled froe work. Proper technique prevents waste and produces consistent blank thickness.

Lesson 2 • Producing Chair-Ready Blanks

Applies riving and hewing to yield leg, rung, and back-post blanks of correct dimensions. Students assess and sort blanks for drying or immediate use.

Lesson 3 • Axe Work for Rough Shaping

Teaches hewing with a side axe to remove bulk material efficiently. Axe skills here feed directly into drawknife refinement in the next chapter.

Lesson 1 • Spokeshave Technique for Curved Parts

Introduces flat and round-sole spokeshaves for refining curved surfaces. Skills apply directly to shaping chair legs, rungs, and back spindles.

Lesson 2 • Dimensioning Parts to Specification

Covers using calipers, story sticks, and templates to hit target dimensions. Consistent sizing ensures parts fit joinery without excessive adjustment.

Lesson 3 • Drawknife Cuts and Grain Reading

Teaches bevel-up and bevel-down cuts and how grain direction dictates cut angle. Mastery here determines surface quality on all subsequent parts.

Lesson 1 • Turning Back Spindles and Stretchers

Applies turning skills to slender, delicate spindles requiring fine tool control. Spindle consistency directly affects the visual rhythm of the finished chair.

Lesson 2 • Turning Tapered Legs and Rungs

Covers skew chisel and spindle gouge use to cut tapers and tenon shoulders. Accurate tenon diameters are critical for tight mortise-and-tenon joints.

Lesson 3 • Drying Turned Parts Strategically

Explains controlled drying of turned parts to achieve the correct moisture differential for joint tightening. Proper drying prevents cracking and loose joints.

Lesson 4 • Roughing Cylinders from Blanks

Teaches the roughing gouge to bring square blanks to round efficiently. This foundational cut precedes all profile and detail work on the lathe.

Lesson 1 • Joint Design Principles for Chairs

Covers joint geometry, angle considerations, and how green-to-dry differential creates a self-tightening fit. Design decisions here affect every joint in the chair.

Lesson 2 • Boring Angled Mortises by Hand

Teaches brace-and-bit and spoon bit use to bore accurate angled holes in seat and posts. Angle accuracy determines whether the chair sits level and stable.

Lesson 3 • Glue Selection and Assembly Sequence

Explains hide glue properties, open time, and the correct assembly order to avoid racking. Proper sequencing prevents misalignment during glue-up.

Lesson 1 • Shaping the Seat Perimeter

Covers spokeshave and drawknife work to chamfer and shape the seat edge. Edge shaping reduces visual weight and improves comfort under the thighs.

Lesson 2 • Seat Blank Selection and Layout

Covers choosing seat stock, marking the outline, and planning the carving sequence. Good layout prevents waste and guides efficient material removal.

Lesson 3 • Boring Leg and Back Holes in the Seat

Applies compound-angle boring skills to locate and drill all leg and back-post holes in the finished seat. Accurate hole placement is critical to chair geometry.

Lesson 4 • Adze Work for Hollow Carving

Introduces the gutter adze for rapid hollowing of the seat dish. Adze control established here is refined with travisher and inshave in subsequent sections.

Lesson 1 • Back Assembly and Alignment

Covers the full back glue-up sequence, checking for twist, and correcting alignment before glue sets. A square, twist-free back ensures the chair sits and looks correct.

Lesson 2 • Spindle Layout and Installation

Teaches spacing, angle calculation, and boring for back spindles between seat and crest rail. Even spindle spacing creates the visual rhythm of the finished back.

Lesson 3 • Back Post Layout and Shaping

Covers marking, shaping, and tapering back posts to match the chair's splay geometry. Post dimensions must align with seat mortises bored in the previous chapter.

Lesson 1 • Traditional Oil and Wax Finishes

Covers linseed oil, tung oil, and paste wax application for durable, repairable finishes. Traditional finishes complement the handmade character of green woodwork.

Lesson 2 • Surface Preparation and Scraping

Teaches card scraper and hand plane use to remove tool marks and achieve a smooth surface. Good surface prep is essential before any finish is applied.

Lesson 3 • Final Fitting and Dry Assembly

Covers test-assembling all components, checking geometry, and marking any adjustments needed. Thorough dry assembly prevents costly errors during glue-up.

Lesson 4 • Full Chair Glue-Up and Clamping

Executes the final assembly with hide glue, following the planned sequence to keep the frame square. This session integrates all joinery and shaping skills from the course.