David Laird, Captains chair no.4 (TABLES, CHAIRS, DESKS 2022)

Photos:

Richard Lord

This Chair was inspired by a broken chair saved from the rubbish. I have always wanted to learn to make chairs, so I studied all the points of failure on the broken chair & set out to make my first chair. This chair is my fourth version, as the more I learn about chair making, I have discovered there are endless possibilities. I am inspired by the American Studio Craft movement & look to produce handmade, quality chairs to ensure a long service life to the end user, show the beauty of the timber & sequest Carbon at the same time. This chair is made from locally grown, 140 year old wind thrown, settler planted elm. The seat leather is New Zealand made saddlery leather, that is a byproduct of the local meat industry. The arm bow of the chair is formed from a steam bent backrest, & finger jointed components laminated together & the shaped. The chair has been constructed using traditional tapered mortice & tenon, wedged joints glued with hyde glue to allow the chair to be repaired if required. The legs, stretchers & spindles have been turned on the lathe. The seat is formed using finger joints pined using the leg tenon, wedged in place. the seat structure along with the leather strap seat was inspired by Wharton Esherick. The chair has been finished in Osmo PolyX-Oil.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.