Set of six Sugan chairs

Set of six sugan chairs, comprising four side chairs and two carvers.

The idea of economy of scale also applies to chair-making. When I make a set of four chairs, I start by making eight back legs and eight front legs.

Each side chair has ten spindles and two flat pieces that form the back.

It takes quite a lot of wood to make a chair – it’s not the wood you use, but the wood you don’t use.

Ash is the most widely used timber, followed by Beech, then all the others; Oak, Linden (Limewood), and sometimes Sycamore. It rather depends on what’s available.

It could come from anywhere; local trees that have fallen in recent storms are oftem available.

On the right is a set of six ready for the cord seats to be woven.

We mostly use Seagrass which we get from an importer in Germany or from Somerset Willow Growers

Another attractive cord is made from Bullrush, twisted together to form a continuous cord about 5mm in diameter. It is a pale green colour when fresh but with age, turns to a golden colour.

A  set of six Sugan chairs can be made up in a couple of weeks. It takes a while to make up and finish the frames and then the cord is woven onto the frame. The cord weaving is best done by two people to get it really tight.

Traditionally this sort of chair was painted, which we can do if requested, or apply boiled linseed followed by beeswax.