I am particularly pleased to tell you that Chris Williams will travel from Wales to the Lost Art Press storefront in Covington, Ky., on May 20-24, 2019, to teach his class on building Welsh stick chairs.
Chris worked with John Brown in Wales for many years, refining the design of this chair while cranking out hundreds of them to sell. I know of no one else alive who knows more about building these chairs than Chris.
After assisting in his class last year, I can say that his approach to making these chairs is remarkable. Chris seeks to teach students how to make these chairs with a minimum of jigs and just a small set of tools. You don’t need a shavehorse, and most of the work is with handplanes.
And because of Chris’s long friendship with John Brown (who passed away 10 years ago) you can almost hear John Brown’s voice in the lessons – “think round,” “think flat” and “I don’t give a monkey’s….” In addition to the lessons in woodworking, Chris is keen on explaining John Brown’s world – how JB approached the craft, embraced handwork and broached no compromise.
Most of all, however, students walk away with one beautiful chair. These chairs are incredibly comfortable, roomy and stout. And this chair is what launched me on my chairmaking journey more than 15 years ago and remains my obsession.
Because of the intense nature of this class, we request that students in the class have built at least one chair before attending. The class can be demanding at times. Your tools need to be sharp and ready to go. This is not a beginner’s course.
For full details on the class, go to our registration page. Registration opens at 10 a.m. Eastern on Oct. 12. There will be only six students, and I’ll be assisting Chris again, so there will be lots of personal attention throughout the week.
— Christopher Schwarz
Would be nice of Lost Art Press that the people/persons who missed out this year on this class and got a rain check and put on the wait list be offered a chance to take this class before you make another list. This class filled in like fifteen seconds, which means those of us who are luddites will have a slim to no chance to ever take this class.
Any chance that this class will be turned into a Lost Art Press video, so that many more than six people could benefit from the deep chair-making experience of you and Chris?
I mentioned to my ever supportive wife that the class I’d love to attend is on the same day as our daughters college graduation….. Wow! If you’re familiar with the phrase “Stank Eye” then picture a vicious stank eye hurled in my direction.. Sheesh! Nobodies got a sense of humor anymore.