Woodwright’s School Day Four

Today was boring. Compound boring that it. Sight lines, bevels, and try squares are the watch words for accurate holes for the legs and arm stumps. We then moved on to reaming the holes and tapering the leg and arm post tenons to create very strong locking joints.

Time to shape the seat with the inshave and drawknife. The inshave takes some getting used to but essentially each cut is practice for the next and by the time you reach your depth holes, you have a good grasp on how to work it with precision. Back to the drawknife to shape the front and pommel and with all the practice from the last 3 days, we were pros at this part.

A Windsor Chair is a great skill building project because it does involve so much repetition. You gain confidence with several fundamental tools and become an expert at reading the grain in many types of woods. What more could you ask for in a project?

One of the unexpected benefits of this class is witnessing Roy Underhill at work as he builds a cabinet for an upcoming Woodwright Shop recording. It is always interesting just to watch a master at work.