CHAIRS
My chairs revive some of the oldest traditions of English Chair making, often called chair bodging.
'Green' unseasoned wood from local coppices is cleft from the log and turned on a wooden pole lathe to make legs and other spindles. After turning the wood is carefully seasoned before being used to create a chair.
Hoops, Bows and Combs are also cleft from the log, planed flat and steamed into shape.
Deep saddles are carved into the seat of each chair using an Adze and Travisher.
Each chair is assembled, oiled and waxed before being signed and numbered.
A loose ring can often be found on one of the turnings. Derived from a tradtional baby's rattle, it is an additional signature.
Courses from May to October
Six day Chair Making courses are held under cover in the woods of Westonbirt, the national Arboretum. Pole lathes and benches are set up in the Silk Wood Barn to create a traditional chairmakers' workshop.
Groups of up to eight participants learn to select timber, to cleave it from the log, to shape it with draw knives on a shaving horse and to turn it on a pole lathe. They also learn to steam bend, use a variety of hand tools to carve a chair seat, and to frame a well proportioned and strong Windsor chair.
Six day courses cost £275 per person (£250 for 2011 dates) which includes all tools and materials. For more details contact Paul on 01373 836051
Course Vouchers available. Ask Paul for more details.
New course venue for 2011
In addition to the courses run at Westonbirt Arboretum I will be running one course at The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum at Singleton in West Sussex.
COURSE DATES 2011
July 10th - 16th - Westonbirt Arboretum
August 8th - 13th -Westonbirt Arboretum
August 15th - 20th Westonbirt Arboretum
September 19th - 24th Westonbirt Arboretum
October 3rd - 8th - Westonbirt Arboretum
October 10th - 15th - Westonbirt Arboretum
COURSE DATES 2012
April 30th - May 5th - Westonbirt Arboretum
May 7th - 12th - Westonbirt Arboretum
June 4th - 9th - Westonbirt Arboretum
June 11th - 16th - Westonbirt Arboretum
July 2nd - 7th - Westonbirt Arboretum
July 9th - 14th - Westonbirt Arboretum
August 6th - 11th - Westonbirt Arboretum
August 13th - 18th - Westonbirt Arboretum
September 3rd - 8th - Westonbirt Arboretum
September 10th - 15th - Westonbirt Arboretum
October 1st - 6th - Westonbirt Arboretum
October 8th - 16th - Westonbirt Arboretum
Dates for Weald and Downland Museum TBA
ABOUT PAUL HAYDEN
Paul Hayden has been making Windsor Chairs from green wood for more than twenty years. He has been a regular contributor to Good Woodworking magazine and has designed chair making tools which are used by makers across the world.
While writing for Good Woodworking and representing them at shows and exhibitions he was often asked for help about some of the techniques specific to this sort of woodwork. These queries led him to set up a series of workshops on subjects such as steam bending, kiln drying, seat carving, making and using jigs, and making rounding planes. It was these workshops that became the Chair Making Courses he runs at Westonbirt Arboretum today.
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INFORMAL BURSARY SCHEME
I have always done my best to keep the cost of this course as low as possible. This is deliberate; I have always tried to keep the course within the reach of people who have limited means. For some people the course does represent very good value, while for others it's as much as they can afford. And of course, the cost of attending is much higher for people who come from further afield and need to book accommodation.
For a while I have been exploring the possibility of setting up a bursary scheme: allowing participants the opportunity to give a little extra when they pay the balance of the course fee so that I can invite people who really cannot afford the course to benefit from it.
After trying unsuccessfully to find an independent fund holder for this scheme - it always ends up getting very complicated and bureaucratic - I decided to do it informally. I invited participants in the first three courses this year to make a donation if they wished. Between them they have donated enough to allow me to invite four people to attend the course free of charge and to make a contribution to their travel costs.
I am continuing to look for someone to manage this fund for me.
If you know of someone who might benefit from the course either socially or professionally and who would not normally be able to afford to attend, please feel free to suggest them as beneficiaries of this scheme.
Contact and Bookings
Paul Hayden
paultfhayden_aol.com
+44 (0)1373 836051
School House
Catch Road
Nunney
BA11 4NE
Somerset
Westonbirt Arboretum
Tel: 01666 880220
www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt
Location
Tetbury, Glos.
GL8 8QS
Map
