Going with the Grain: Making chairs in the 21st century, 2nd Edition

This book is about how to make a chair - simply and with tools you can easily obtain or construct for yourself.

In 1985, when Mike Abbott started running courses using the traditional tools and techniques of the Victorian chair-bodgers, many people said it was about time he moved into the 20th Century.

Following the success of his first two books Green Woodwork and Living Wood, Mike’s third book shows that he has now moved happily and unashamedly straight into the 21st Century. With the help of over 600 colour photographs he guides you, step-by-step, through:

• The tools and techniques needed for cleaving, shaping and assembling a chair
• Constructing a few simply homemade devices to aid the process
• Making 3 stools and 3 chairs, each with its own unique character

Going with the Grain is not written for cabinet-makers (although they are welcome to read it too) - the techniques described in this book have as much in common with cabinet-making, as does a jacket potato with haute cuisine. It is written for anyone who shares Mike’s passion for trees and wood and is interested in getting to know them better through the fulfilling process of turning a tree into their very own chair.

This new second edition has been revised, based on feedback from readers and students in Mike's courses. Sections on drilling and steam-bending have been updated and all measurements are now given in inches as well as in metric units. The major changes are in the large chapter on seat-weaving, which now includes detailed instructions for three different patterns in Danish cord and fiber rush. There are also illustrations of over 20 variations in these and in other materials, many of which have never been published before.