Summer 2025
June 9-14

This six-day class is an introduction to the art of post and rung chair making. Students will explore the thoughtful design of the iconic Jennie Alexander “Make a Chair from a Tree’’ chair, through the building process. To learn more about Jennie please click here. This class is designed as a fun exploration into the aspects of green woodworking that allow us to shave, shape, and bend material with ease, and to use varying levels of moisture to create interlocking, time-tested, joinery.

You will leave this six-day workshop with one completed chair and the ever-accessible foundational knowledge and practice of building it. Techniques rooted in Alexander's “Make a Chair from a Tree” book will be explored and practiced with an emphasis on working with wood through an informed understanding of its structure as a material. You will learn about riving parts from lumber with the use of a mallet and froe, shaving and shaping wood with drawknives and spokeshaves, steam bending rear posts and slats, and creating mortise and tenon joinery with chisels, spokeshaves, and drill bits. In this class, we will be using kiln-dried ash (often more accessible than a green log) that is soaked in water to yield results that are comparable to those of a green log.  

You will be provided with a demonstration of seat weaving and the materials needed to weave the seat on your chair.

Tools

Required Tools

• Personal protective equipment

• Notebook

• Pen/pencil

Recommended Tools

• Drawknife

• Spokeshave

Prerequisites

This class is open to all skill levels. You do not need to have woodworking experience.

Class Information and Registration

Class runs from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Saturday in Building 315 at Fort Worden. Map
Please read our What to Expect page for general information about the school.
Please also read our Registration Policy.

Class size: 10
Cost: $1,130
Materials Charge: $300