In this 6 part series, Elia is coached by Curtis Buchanan on building the Democratic Chair–a chair of Buchanan’s design that blends modern design and simplistic technology. These are each full 2-hour recordings of the live-streamed online classes.
DEMOCRATIC CHAIR PT. 1: STRETCHERS, POSTS AND LEGS (2 hrs)
Curtis Buchanan discusses his Democratic Chair plans and we show you how to create the stretchers and spindles. We talk about wood selection and how to split the parts out, then whittle as many parts as we have time for. Q&A.
DEMOCRATIC CHAIR Pt. 2: WHITTLING SPINDLES AND BENDING THE CREST (2 hrs)
After whittling the spindles and crest, we bend the crest and talk about drying the parts. Q&A.
DEMOCRATIC CHAIR Pt. 3: PLANING THE SEAT, BORING AND REAMING MORTICES (2 hrs)
While our green parts dry, we plane the seat and then bore holes for the legs and posts and start reaming the holes to fit. Q&A.
DEMOCRATIC CHAIR Pt. 4: CARVING THE SEAT (2 hrs)
We saw out the the seat with a bowsaw, then carve and bevel the seat using the inshave and drawknife. Q&A.
DEMOCRATIC CHAIR Pt. 5: ASSEMBLING THE UNDERCARRIAGE (2hr)
We bore stretcher mortises, measure stretcher lengths, cut tenons and assemble the undercarriage. Leveling the legs is also be covered. Q&A.
DEMOCRATIC CHAIR Pt. 6: BACK ASSEMBLY (2 hrs) We bore crest mortises in the posts, tenon the crest, bore spindle mortises, then tenon and clean up the spindles. We have the chair fully assembled by the end of this class. Plus Q&A session and a bonus video of Elia repairing his undercarriage from Pt. 5.
Meet your Instructor
"Chairs are my passion and my livelihood. Since 2002, I have built Windsor chairs and taught chairmaking full-time. I have never had a ‘real job.’ For this I am thankful.”
Elia Bizzari is a master chair maker. Using traditional tools and techniques, Elia Bizzarri builds elegant chairs in his workshop out of maple, poplar, hickory, and oak. He is well-known for the quality and elegance of his turning and chairmaking techniques.
Elia was featured building a Continuous Arm Rocking Chair on two episodes of Roy Underhill’s “The Woodwright’s Shop” on PBS. He regularly teaches at Roy Underhill’s school and other schools around the country.
“When I was 17, I started an apprenticeship with master chairmaker Curtis Buchanan. I slept on a cot in the loft of his shop, cooked on a portable burner, and walked my dirty dishes through the garden to the basement sink. Ours was a relationship built on trust, not on words or papers. For five years Jonesborough, TN, and more specifically Curtis’s shop, was my part-time home as I learned the chairmaking trade.“
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