Build a Stick Chair with Andy Glenn
Workshop Fee: $950.00
Over five days, students will construct their own stick chair. We’ll start with a solid plank to shape and sculpt the seat, then shave the legs and undercarriage. We’ll fashion the sticks, arms and combs before assembling our chairs. We’ll use a dry hardwood for this course, most likely ash or red oak, and will be building from our workbench and at the shave horse. Whether you are making your first chair or your 100th, you will be challenged and find success in this class.
The main photo is representative of the chair style students will build. Three gallery photos suggest options for students wanting variation in the main chair style. Students will be able to adapt their combs (the top of the chair) if desired.
Skills and Techniques:
- Carving and shaping the chair seat
- Planing the legs into octagons or into rounds
- Spokeshave work to shape the arms and comb
- Understanding rake and splay, then drilling the leg angles
- We’ll shape every part, then assemble our chairs
- Students will gain a thorough understanding of chair construction, of common chairmaking practices, and employ a series of hand tools to make their chairs.
Materials Fee: $225 paid directly to the instructor.
Special Tools or Equipment to bring: Please bring the following tools (if you own them). We’ll have tools to share in the class, so please don’t let a missing tool or two from your toolkit dissuade you from taking the class.
Drawknife, Spokeshave, Bevel Gauges, Block Plane, Hand Plane #4 or equivalent, Card Scraper, Inshave, Travisher, Hand Saw/Crosscut Saw, and Claw hammer.
If you have a tool-related question, please reach out to Andy at (andy.d.glenn@gmail.com).
Workshop and Cancellation Policies: Please be sure to read our 2026 policies before you register for a workshop. https://www.sanbornmills.org/workshop-policies/
Housing for this workshop is limited. Please email karen@sanbornmills.org for more information
