Mr. Gencarelle offers small class sizes for his workshops with an emphasis on hands-on teaching and a focus on safety. Students can expect individual attention while working side-by-side with him.
- Workshops: click for a description
- Ladderback Chair Workshop
- Foot Stool and Bench Construction
- Windsor Chair Construction
- Windsor Chair Leg and Stretcher Turning
- Shavehorse Construction and Use
- Steam Bending Construction and Use
- Wood Hand Plane Construction
- Tool Maintenance and Sharpening
- How to Register for a Workshop
Ladderback Chair Workshop
The ladderback chair has been described as a model of beauty, simplicity and strength. During this course, students will make a ladderback chair using simple hand tools. This class is one of the best introductions to the knowledge and skills needed for traditional chair making. It will allow students to develop or enhance their woodworking skills. It is also an excellent opportunity for the experienced craftsperson to explore new concepts and techniques. Students will learn low-tech approaches and green wood working, which allows the craftsperson to work almost anywhere.
Ladderback Chair Workshop: Green Woodworking
Green woodworking is the term used to describe making furniture with wood that is freshly cut, or green. Green wood is easier to split, shape, and carve than wood that has been dry or seasoned. Green woodworking from sustainable sources has been practiced for thousand of years in the making simple furniture. With this technique and a few simple cutting tools, you can easily create a wide-range of beautiful furniture. No elaborate shop or equipment is needed.
This ladderback chair is also "green" in the modern sense. The chairs are made from local, mostly recycled wood. No greenhouse gases are produced during their construction, because these chairs are made by hand. A handmade ladderback chair can reasonably last for two centuries, far longer than the tree that was used to make it takes to re-grow. The materials, tools, and techniques of the class support environmentally sustainable practices.
Ladderback Chair Workshop: Chair-Making Techniques
Logs will be split open using the same skills and tools needed to split firewood. The tools that will be used in this class are: wedges, maul, hatchet and the froe. The froe was traditialy used to split singles and clapboards from sections of a log. Round mortise and tenon joinery will be used to fasten the post and rungs together.
In this class you will learn how to shape the chair parts using only hand tools, a hatchet a drawknife and a spokeshave. These simple tools, along with a shave horse, are all that are needed to transform a tree into a beautiful piece of furniture.
Chair rungs are first made by using the hatchet, drawknife and then the spokeshave. These parts are held firmly in the shavehorse while being worked. Round tenons are formed at the ends of these chair rungs using a spokeshave. The chair rungs will then be completely dried before assembly begins. The chair posts, which are still green, will be round-hole mortise bored using a simple hand brace and bit for this operation. The slat mortises are chiseled into the upper back posts with a one quarter inch wide mortising chisel.
Before the final rung boring is done the posts are placed in a steaming box which allows them to be softened enough with moisture and heat so that they can be bent on a form. With the chair frame bored and completely assembled, the upper back splats are split from a log, spokeshaved down to a final thickness of one quarter inch thick and shaped to suit the students design. These slats are then heated in boiling water, slightly bent, and fit into the slat mortises that have been cut into the rear posts.
This chair will then be completed by weaving a seat from fiber rush. Other seat materials that can be used are natural bull rush and Shaker Tape. Theses items are at an additional cost to the basic course price. Workshop will run for 5 days and is limited to 2 students.
Top | RegisterFoot Stool and Bench Construction
Students will build a small post and rung bench or a footstool using only hand tools and the shavehorse. In this workshop students will learn how to shape the furniture parts using the same basic techniques employed in our chairmaking workshops. A demonstration of traditional seat weaving will conclude this project. Materials and hand tools will be supplied. Workshop will run for 3 days and is limited to 2 students.
Windsor Chair Construction
This workshop introduces the student to the history, building techniques, and hand finishing needed to make a classic Windsor chair. Students will build one of three styles of Windsor chairs that we offer: the Sack Back arm chair, the Bow Back side chair, and the Fan Back chair. Materials and hand tools will be supplied. Workshop will run for 5 days and is limited to 2 students.
Windsor Chair Leg and Stretcher Turning
This workshop will teach students the skills needed to free hand turn the chair parts used in a Windsor chair or footstool. This workshop will be required as a prerequisite for Windsor stool and Windsor chair making workshops unless previous wood turning experience can be shown. This is the only workshop we offer that will require the use of powered equipment: the turning lathe. All materials and tools will be supplied. Workshop will run for 2 days and is limited to 2 students.
Shavehorse Construction and Use
This workshop introduces the student to the shavehorse. The shavehorse is a very simple handmade holding device used by chair makers. Each student will construct their own shavehorse and learn tricks and techniques needed to effectively use their shavehorse. All materials will be supplied. Workshop will run for 2 days and there is no workshop size limit.
Steam Bending Construction and Use
This workshop will instruct students in the construction and use of a simple steam bending apparatus, using both a traditional wood box and a modern version of the steam bending box. The workshop will include post and rung chair leg bending form construction, chair back slat bending, and a demonstration of the bending techniques and forms needed to make the various parts of a Windsor chair. These techniques require the use of high temperatures and live steam. Safe working techniques will be stressed in this workshop. Workshop will run for 1 day and there is no workshop size limit.
Wood Hand Plane Construction
This workshop will instruct the student in the making of a traditional wood hand plane. These hand planes were used in the shaping and smoothing of a Windsor chairs. The planes made in this workshop will include the scrub plane, the smoothing plane, the forstaff or rounding plane, and the compass planes. Material and wood parts will be included. Workshop will run for 2 days and is limited to 5 students.
Tool Maintenance and Sharpening
These workshops will instruct the student in the techniques needed for the proper care and sharpening of all hand tools used by the chairmaker. The student will learn how to keep their hand tools sharp and in perfect working order. Workshop will run for 1 day and there is no workshop size limit.