greenwoodworking
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Splitting out a slat |
John
shaving a billet |
Riving using a splitting break |
My
name is John Alexander. I have practiced
greenwoodworking for 30
years. I wrote one of the first books on the subject, Make a Chair
from a Tree: An Introduction to Working Green Wood. The book has
been a part of and, hopefully, contributed to the growing interest
in
the practice of traditional crafts. The book title itself ultimately
led to coining the word "greenwoodworking".
The book, first published
in 1978 by Taunton Press, is now out of print. If you are looking for a
copy, the Enlarged Edition, published by Astragal Press is suggested.
My 1999 video of the same name replaces the book. A number of my
articles on greenwoodworking subjects are available on this web site.
I taught classes for 25 years. I thank all my students and
teaching assistants for their friendship, challenge, spirit and ideas.
I no
longer teach; I am redirecting my efforts to research and
writing. I will continue to
be available for speaking and demonstrations. I welcome letters, e-mail
and phone calls about greenwoodworking.
I am
presently writing a book entitled Make a Stool from a Tree, An
Illustrated Introduction to Seventeenth Century-New England Joinery. Its
availability will be announced on this site.
I am continuing my study of traditional chair making and 17th- century
joinery. I plan to study the differences and similarities in the
construction of traditional post and rung chairs and Windsor chairs.
I recently made a request for busted chair parts. The information that
can be obtained from them is of incalculable benefit. I want to extend
my request to post and rung chairs, Windsor chairs and 17th-century
joinery. Please review the detailed Research Request on this site.
Greenwoodworking includes a number of traditional hand tool
crafts in
which wood is rived not sawn from the log. Rived, straight-grained
hardwoods that still contain substantial moisture are much easier to
work than kiln dried wood. There is no need to rely upon power tools.
Maul, wedge, froe, hatchet, drawknife, spokeshave, plane, chisel and
gouge are the tools of choice.
It is my contention that traditional chair making, both post and rung
and Windsor, as well as seventeenth-century joinery were what I have
come to call greenwoodworking crafts. Wood for the most part was
extracted by riving when the wood was still saturated with water.
Chairs were assembled using wet/dry joints in which mortised wood
contained moisture slightly elevated above and the tenons below
equilibrium moisture content. Many successful chairs were made without
the use of glue or fasteners. In 17th-century
New England joinery oak was the wood of choice. Wood was rived from
green wood and fabricated into parts while still saturated with water.
Drawbored rectilinear mortises and tenons held joint furniture together
even though the rails and stiles still contained some moisture at the
time of assembly. The joint was designed to avoid adverse consequences
due to the subsequent shrinking of the rails and stiles.

Post and Rung
Chair
Drawbored
Stool
greenwoodworking's shop in
winter
If you need
further information, feel free to write, phone or e-mail us:
greenwoodworking
1406
Light Street
Baltimore,
MD 21230
410-685-4375
alexander@greenwoodworking.com
| End Vice Pole
Lathe Article |
Saw Steel Tapered
Reamer
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| Universal Bit For Chair Making | Peter
Follansbee, Joiner Researching Historical Furniture |
Peter
Follansbee, Joiner Sleuthing the Past |
updated 5/16/07