Layout and Selection of Parts
Each part of a Weeks Rocker® has technical and artistic specifications.
We pull enough wood for the number of chairs we wish to make.
We spread the wood in the shop so we can walk around and find what we are looking for:
- Technical: Grain direction, the orientation of the growth rings, and the nature of any irregularities determine strength, longevity, and stability in each part.
- Artistic: The composition of figure, color, and character in the part and in the chair deliver beauty and individual distinction.
We study the wood and mark each part with patterns or by rough dimension according to the technical and artistic considerations. We can see the top and bottom surface of the wood defined by the part, but what is inside to be revealed by sawing and sculpting must be imagined — illuminated by experience and intuition. Many parts are marked in pairs or sets to be tracked and assembled in the same chair.
Note the CR, for the crest rails, and note how they lay in the lumber among the constellation of parts. Very little lumber will make crests; they are hard to find and must be marked first. You sure can't just cut off some random length and think it's going to be alright. Crests are the most prominent parts of the chairs and must be selected for symmetry in the grain so that, when the body-supporting-radius is cut into them, they will reveal hyperbolas.
Having marked out a batch of wood, we cut the parts oversize to facilitate the subsequent production of accurate planes and dimensions.
Note how a pair of legs and arms are marked as a set. They will end up in a chair, consistent in color and figure.
Navigation
