Benches, Stools, and Chairs: A Guide to Ergonomic Woven Seating

by Walter Turpening, Deborah Held

Overview

Walter Turpening has been designing and perfecting custom seating for crafters and artistic creators (particularly weavers, knitters, handspinners, and musicians) for 20-plus years. His signature cotton-cord, curved, woven seats on fine woodworked frames are fervently desired by those who have sampled his seating, and he operates on an average two-year waiting list. In recent years, he has expanded his repertoire to include ergonomic office chairs and barstools. In this book, he shares what he has learned in his journey as a chair maker to help you make the bench or chair of your dreams.

At the heart of Walter's methods is making each seat specifically to fit the individual while working at their favorite craft or intended use. He teaches how to take the measurements needed for perfect ergonomic comfort, and how to apply them to create your perfect seat. With his step-by-step instructions, photos, and diagrams, you will see how Walter creates his custom seating, and be able to replicate his techniques in your own benches, stools, and chairs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780811770507
Publisher:	Globe Pequot Publishing
Publication date:	11/15/2022
Pages:	136
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Walter Turpening has been designing and creating furniture for the specific needs of crafters for more than 20 years.

Deborah Held is a freelance writer and international fiber arts educator. She’s a recurring contributor to Spin Off magazine and its blog PLY, tinyStudio Creative Life Magazine, the SweetGeorgia blog, and more, and she’s the writer behind the Interweave column, “Her Handspun Habit.”

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments iv

Foreword Brandy Clements vi

Introduction viii

Chapter 1 Are You Sitting Comfortably? 1

At Your Weaving Loom 2

At Your Spinning Wheel 4

At Your Kitchen Counter 5

Chapter 2 Benches 7

Weaving Benches 7

Chapter 3 Stools 13

Saddle Stool 14

Chapter 4 Chairs 15

Spinner's Chair 15

Knitter's Rocker 16

Chapter 5 Frames 19

Weaver's Bench Frame 19

Spinner's Chair Frame 30

Chapter 6 Weaving 41

Weaver's Bench 42

Spinner's Chair 55

Chapter 7 Furniture 67

Rocking Chairs 67

Side Chair 70

Settle 72

Desk Chair 72

Chapter 8 Gallery 75

Appendix A Cord Braiding 99

Appendix B Braiding Gradients 103

Appendix C Weaving Patterns 110

Glossary 122

Contributors 123

About the Authors 124

Editorial Reviews

This thoughtful, multi-skill, how-to book for creating custom-fit wooden furniture with handwoven seating appeals to both woodworkers and weavers. The authors ask users to consider body and equipment measurements when designing weaving benches, spinning chairs, and barstools for an ergonomic fit. This resource is for skilled woodworkers with access to a well-stocked woodshop, as well as power and hand tools. It is also for intermediate to experienced fiber artists interested in weaving their own comfortable benches or chairs.

Readers can find over 240 color photos along with eight black-and-white diagrams. The finished projects, shown throughout the book, are inspiring. The how-to photos are taken in workshop settings, as if you were standing at the side of each contributor. Chapters of note include Chapter 5: Frames, with 20 pages of photos illustrating the planning, templates, and tools Turpening uses to build his frames. Chapter 6: Weaving contains 24 pages of how-to photos for weaving seats, wth information on calculating materials and showing a variety of weaving patterns. Additional patterns can be found in Appendix C.

The Gallery has examples of color and style variations. Appendices include: Cord Braiding, Braiding Gradients, and Weaving Patterns—Linda Ihle contributed Diamond Twill Patterns. A Glossary explains basic terms.

With almost thirty years of experience, Walter Turpening designs custom seating for weavers, knitters, handspinners, and musicians. He teaches furniture design and weaving workshops nationally, and this book is a compilation of his design journal and instructions. From the introduction, Turpening wrote, "This book is, at best, some dirt about the wooden benches, stools, and chairs I've developed..." At the heart of Turpening's methods is designing each seat to fit the user while working at their favorite craft.

Co-author Deborah Held, a self-described freelance journalist and "wool junkie," is an international fiber arts educator. Held is a recurring contributor to Spin Off magazine among other fiber art publications. She teaches at the School of SweetGeorgia.

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