How to Build Your Own Bentwood Chair

Chapter 5 Making a Bentwood Chair General Guidelines A chair makes an ideal first project A fan chair may seem like an overly ambitious project for a first-time beginner. Why not something small and simple like a basket or plant stand? 1. Several construction techniques are learned in one project. By tackling a chair you learn all the basic willow building methods at once and can move on to other projects with ease. Hands-on immersion training with a complex project is actually faster and easier than taking timid steps, like the difference between learning French one year living in Paris as opposed to studying it forever in school. 2. Completion of a large project creates instant morale. Taking the plunge into building a big, showy piece on your first try boosts self-confidence. I built a chair as my first project and next thing I knew I owned a willow manufacturing business. Build for quality Once I noticed attractive twig chairs for sale in a garden center. They looked spectacular among the potted plants, but on closer inspection I was disappointed to discover back-supporting limbs that were split and could probably be snapped between two fingers. Nails were popping out. Frames shifted at joints. The seats were full of plants so I didn’t bother to test-sit, but I doubt if I would have risked it anyway. Twig concoctions like these pose as furniture but in reality are useful only as decorations. Avoid flimsy handiwork and create a reputation for rock-solid, neatly-nailed, professional products that can take the punishment of everyday living. If customers wish to display their purchases as folk art, that’s fine too. Build for comfort At the other end of the spectrum are strong, carefully crafted willow chairs and settees that are nevertheless a pain in the rear--literally--to sit in! Some feature gnarled back limbs which dig into your shoulder blades like doorknobs. Other chairs are cursed with improperly-angled seats---you either sit stiffly like a Puritan or slide off onto the floor. The beginner-basic design in this manual is less artistically intriguing but is solid and comfortable. Innovate when you’ve built a few pieces and understand required proportions. When adding decorative pieces like forked limbs attach by nailing in part way, then test for comfort before you commit. Understand willow furniture terms Don’t be confused by several different terms used for basically the same furniture-building method: “willow”, “twig”, “rustic”, “bentwood”, “bent twig”, “bent willow”. You’ll also notice that builders have their own favorite ways of describing the wood pieces used in construction: “benders”, “switches”, “shoots”, “stems”, “limbs” and “branches”. 10 Helpful Hints “Schmidt’s Law: If you mess with a thing long enough, it’ll break.” --from Murphy’s Law by Arthur Bloch 1. Avoid splitting branches by using the “pilot” system: Before inserting any nail or screw, drill a pilot hole. Use a drill bit slightly smaller in diameter than the nail or screw to be inserted, and drill the hole shorter than the screw or nail length, so it will hold securely. Air nail guns work well for the arm and back smaller diameter pieces (eg – 18 and 16 gauge). They also speed up the process. If any sharp nail ends stick out, cut them off with a wire cutter. 2. Reduce breakage by pre-bending branches: Before constructing furniture featuring curved pieces, increase the wood’s flexibility by “working” it. Bend it carefully around your knee, or stand on the limb and flex it a little at a time, making sure no pets or people are in the way. Pre shaping makes limbs more pliable and less likely to snap when curved. However, nothing is foolproof and a few pieces will split anyway. Recycle broken pieces in smaller projects. You’ll find there is very little “waste” in this business. 3. Skip hassle of looking for “perfect” limbs: You may have to try several pieces before you find the right one, but don’t be too rigid in your specifications. Irregularities and imperfections can be used to your advantage to create one-of-a-kind designer pieces. 4. Avoid injuries with safety tips: Be aware of your own safety needs as well as those of family or friends watching your project. In particular be on the alert for children. Sharp tools dropped in the grass and tangled cords on the patio are land mines. Varnishes, paints, and oil-turpentine finishes must be shelved safely in cool, dry locations. 5. Tackle knotty issues with confidence: Two areas of willow limbs need preparation before building: the knotty stubs on the sides of limbs where twigs were snipped off, and the cut ends of limbs. There are 3 ways to deal with the knot protrusions: leave them as they are for an ultra-rustic look, clip them off closely with pruning shears, or rasp them down flat 6. Smooth limb ends the professional way: Limb ends, as contrasted to the knots discussed in section #5 above, leave you no options. Rasping limb ends is mandatory to create quality furniture. Holding the rasp at a 45-degree angle to the end of the branch, stroke with a one-way motion (away from you) to wear back the bark slightly and round the edges. Be careful not to scratch the bark as you do this, scarring the appearance. Rasping highlights the color contrast--white core, dark bark--but more importantly prevents bark from peeling back from the ends as it dries spoiling the attractiveness and weakening the durability. {{01 4x6.jpg – ½ page}} 7. Prevent nail removal hassles: When attaching frame pieces don’t drive the nail all the way in until you have made all necessary adjustments and are satisfied. Hammering nails in completely is the final step, otherwise you may mar or split furniture sections in an attempt to remove nails. 8. What if the stupid branch tip splits? “The man who makes no mistakes usually does not make anything.”-- Edward John Phelps The secret to avoiding unsightly splits when nailing the narrow tips of limbs (this is particularly a risk on the back where it meets the headrest) is to drill a pilot hole and locate the nail as far back from the narrow end as possible. The rule of thumb here is: the thicker the branch section and the farther from the cut end the less likely it is to split--- but, don’t get mad. Sometimes it does anyway. Resist the temptation to punish it with your hammer. Quietly remove the offending part and replace it with a new one. Don’t worry, nobody will know the difference. 9. Recipe for success = preparation: Reduce frustration and discouragement by using the “cookbook” construction method. Assemble all tools and materials ahead of time to avoid annoying halts in order to locate missing nails or twigs. Organization saves time in the long run and makes the project more enjoyable. The following fan chair instructions are laid out recipe style in 1-2-3 sequence. 10. Relax---bentwood building is klutz-proof: If you become stymied at one point, take a break and come back to it later. Keep your sense of humor and don’t take your efforts too seriously. Remember, there is no such thing as “failure” in twig building. If a branch snaps, get another one free. If you don’t like your result for some reason---wood too rustic and knobby, color too dark or light--- chances are someone else will not only love it but offer you money for it. And if worse comes to worse and your table wobbles and your chair is lopsided---fill them with flower pots and vines and display them in the garden. You’ll probably get so many compliments you’ll forget what it was you did “wrong”. So....enjoy willow making! It’s klutz-proof! “There is no greater bore than the man for whom everything is going right.” --Irvin S. Cobb