I Build Willow Chairs for Pleasure and Profit

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[4] BACKREST WILLOWS. Fifteen 1/2" switches, three feet long. These'll be the easiest of all to find.

A WORD ABOUT TOOLS

The only tools you'll need for the construction of a first-rate willow chair (other than the saw and shears mentioned above) are a claw hammer, carving knife, and tape measure.

You'll also want a good assortment of box nails (which are slimmer than commons) on hand, in sizes ranging from eight?penny down to small shingle nails.

SEVERAL WORDS ABOUT CHAIR DESIGN

No matter how large or how small a willow chair you build, its main structural components will always be in the same proportions. That is: the rear legs (and the two large, horizontal backrest support members) will be twice the length of the front legs, while all rungs, braces, and crosspieces will be halfway between the two in length. The actual dimensions?for three chair sizes?look like this:

A king-size chair has two 18"-long front legs, four 36"?long rear legs and backrest supports, and fourteen 27"-long framing members.

A medium chair has two 14" legs, four 28" pieces, and fourteen 21" members.

A miniature chair has two 10" legs, four 20" pieces, and fourteen 15" members.

Given these dimensions, a king-size chair's headrest will come to about the chin of a tall man . . . while the miniature model will?at its apex?reach only to the middle of the same fellow's thigh. (Both are more difficult to build than the standard-sized version, due to the scarcity of the extra-long willows needed for the king-size chair, and due to the tight arcs through which the willows are bent for the miniature chair.)

The important thing, if you stick to the above proportions, is that your "objets d'art" will have a pleasant, balanced look about them. And 'that chairs of all three sizes will show an obvious family resemblance.

HOW TO BUILD A CHAIR'S FRAME

Before you begin, cut all your pieces of stock to length (Photo 2). Use the first measured-and-cut piece of each length as a pattern for all the others in that category. (This'll help reduce measuring errors.) Also, carefully trim the ends of each piece with your knife?as I've done in Photo 3?to keep the bark from splitting during the steps that follow.

All right. Start by making left and right chair halves separately, flat on the ground. Lay one front and one rear leg down so that they're almost parallel (you do want to give the back of the chair some rearward slant) . . . then lay two rungs across the legs at right angles (Photo 3), allowing 1-1/2" of overhang. (The lower of the two rungs should be about three inches from the ends of the legs, while the higher one should be about an inch and a half from the top of the shorter leg.) Nail the crosspieces to the legs.

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