Chestnut spindles & steam bent legs, Chile Pine turned seat, and re-cycled Mahogany hinge.
This design came about as a result of a desire to have a folding stool that can be used at a bench and then hung on a wall out of the way. During a Green chair making session, the Chestnut legs (from trees grown on site by Eric & Annette) were tuned on a Pole lathe, steam bent and clamped to spindles without adhesive. Curved scrapers (also known as Chair Devils) were used to finish them.
A large tree in Lower Hutt known locally as the Monkey Puzzle Tree, blew down on 27 Jun 2013. Timber for the turned seat comes from that tree. Also known as Chile Pine, it is a close cousin to Kauri, a little softer and with larger growth rings, it has similar working properties. In contrast to the pale timber, the sap and branch remnants have a wonderful purple colour, which does fade to brown. See article in Cambium Aug 2013.
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