Drew Langsner’s classic text, The Chairmaker’s Workshop was published in 1997 by Lark Books. Written to serve as both an introduction and working reference for anyone interested in making both post-and-rung and Windsor chairs. Partial contents:
Part I. Materials, tools and setting up a workshop (includes directions for making several specialty tools, such as a splitting froe and a travisher.)
Part II. Step-by-step tutorials for making 3 chair types: a 2-slat ladderback, a rustic stick Windsor, and a bow-back Windsor side chair.
Part III. Scaled plans and notes for making 8 other post-and-rung chairs and Windsors, including a post-and-rung rocking chair, 4 classic American Windsors, and a double hoop English Windsor.
Part IV. Making a shaving horse, a chairmaker’s workbench, a spring pole lathe, and several options for constructing a small drying kiln. Plus a chapter on designing a chair, with 4 pages of tables for calculating sighting and resultant angles for boring legs and spindles on Windsor chairs.
The book also includes a chairmaker’s glossary and an annotated bibliography. Over 300 drawings, and more than 200 photographs, including 4 sections in color. With an Introduction by Welsh chairmaker, John Brown. Hardbound, 305 pages.

Chairmaker's Pattern Sets
When The Chairmaker's Workshop originally came out, the publisher issued a companion set of plans printed on dress-makers pattern stock. The set consists of enlarged plans of all of the computer generated drawings in Drew's book. Included are: full-size plans for all of the Windsor chair seats (elevations) and all of the turning patterns, 1:4 scale drawings of front, side and top views of all of the chairs -- Windsors and post-and-rung styles. All together there are 11 sheets. As a bonus we are including a newly revised drawing of the bending jig for a continuous arm Windsor. This set originally sold for $17.00 plus s&h. (Note: The Pattern Sets are printed on both sides and are folded into a mailing envelope. You can still order the individual plans, which are printed on one side only, and on bond paper. These are rolled and shipped in a mailing tube. Refer to DL-06, DL-07, DL-08 below under Full-Size Plans.

Full-Size Plans
DL-06 and DL-07 are large bond print plans for the Rustic Windsor and Hearth Chair. These consist of a full size plan view with seat details, arm/comb patterns, leg/spindle boring angles, and a profile view from the seat up. (Leg and stretcher design details are left to the individual maker.) DL-06 is the rustic Windsor that Drew currently teaches during tutorials and summer workshops. (This is not the Stick Windsor in The Chairmaker's Workshop.) This rustic Windsor can be a high-back or low-back version. The Hearth Chair plan (DL-07) includes two large bond print sheets plus an 18 page photocopy of an article on constructing a slightly different version of this chair, which originally appeared in "Woodwork" magazine, issues 58 and 59.
DL-06 and DL-07 are large bond print plans for the Rustic Windsor taught during CW courses and a recent version of Drew's Hearth Chair. The new DL-12 Rustic Windsor Settee plan was created for a tutorial in the winter of 2007. These consist of a full size plan view with seat details, arm/comb patterns, leg/spindle boring angles, and a profile view from the seat up. (Leg and stretcher design details are left to the individual maker.) Plans are rolled and sent by regular mail in a shipping tube. Prices for all of these plans include postage for U.S.

Note: DL-06 and DL-07 plans are design copyrighted © by Drew Langsner. Purchase constitutes a license to make one reproduction for personal use or as a gift. For all other purposes, purchaser agrees to contact Drew Langsner (at Country Workshops) for details regarding royalty arrangements.

Country Workshops' Select Book List
Drew Langsner's Green Woodworking, is currently out of print. The original edition was published in 1987 by Rodale Press. A revised edition was published by Lark Books in 1995. We still have a few copies available of both the Rodale and Lark editions. E-mail or phone us (828 656 2280) for a current price. An author’s autograph is included.
Contents include chapters on: Materials, Knife-Work, Hewing, Riving, Shaving, Boring, Bending, and Joinery. There is also a chapter on making an alpine style dumb head shaving horse. Soft cover, 176 pages.

Jogge Sundqvist’s book, Slöjda I Trä, is entirely in Swedish, but it’s still something of a thriller for anyone interested in sloyd crafts from Scandinavia. Contents include making sandwich spreaders and bentwood spatulas, making a knife, clothes hooks and cupboard knobs, spoon carving, making a shrink box and rustic stools. There’s lots of illustrations, and the close-up color photos show off Jogge’s work very nicely. 89 pages, with hard cover.

Mike Abbott’s revised edition of Living Wood, is also out-of-print. It includes a detailed account of Mike’s adventures in woodworking, operating a woodland school and coppice, plus lots of good information on pole lathe turning, making a bodgers shaving horse, and more. Soft cover, 240 pages, with many photos and excellent drawings by Tamsin Abbott.

Videos of Special Interest

Carved Swedish Bowls with Bengt Lidström
Bengt Lidström is probably the most famous bowl carver in Sweden. This video depicts how Lidström carves a bowl from a split, half round log. The process involves axe and adze work, followed by extensive carving with gouges, including a decorative motif chip carved into the exterior surface. The final step is a multi-colored paint job.
In the video Lidström works on several different bowls, utilizing two different log blank orientations: conventional bark down (with the bowl carved into the split surface,) and bark up (the split surface forms the base of the bowl.) The latter is an innovation of Bengt's that allows him to develop unique shapes that are often influenced by the hull form of a Viking ship.
The video, which was recorded at Lidström's lakeside home in northern Sweden in 1998, has been edited into a 75 minute program by Rick Mastelli. A co-production of Country Workshops, Inc. and Image & Word, LLC.
Notice: This is not an instructional video. Some techniques that are depicted are not approved by safety authorities and could result in a serious injury.

SWISS COOPERAGE: TWO DAYS IN THE WORKSHOP OF RUEDI KOHLER. This is a beautifully edited version of the Ruedi Kohler video originally recorded in Switzerland by Rick Mastelli and Drew Langsner in 1988. You will almost feel that you are in Ruedi's shop observing this virtuoso woodworker as he handcrafts a complex and very beautiful Swiss alpine milking bucket. A copy of Drew's "Fine Woodworking" article on Swiss cooperage is included. A Country Workshops Production. Click here to view a Quicktime clip from the video.
 

MAKE A CHAIR FROM A TREE. John Alexander has produced this 2 hour video which shows how he makes a post-and-rung chair. Every step is carefully shown and explained, from splitting an oak log to weaving a Shaker tape seat.

 
CARVING SWEDISH WOODENWARE. We are pleased to offer Jogge Sundqvist's classic instructional video on carving bowls and spoons. This Taunton Press video, which was produced by Rick Mastelli, was originally recorded at Country Workshops in 1988.

How To Order
Tools can be purchased three ways: Order by phone (Office hours: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Eastern Time) using your Visa/MasterCard for payment; order by mail, by clicking on Order Form (you can print the Order Form on your computer's printer, but we do not yet offer on-line ordering); direct purchase at our store and showroom.

Order Form

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E-mail:
Drew Langsner
Phone:
828-656-2280 (M-F, 9-6 Eastern time)