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• 1919
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• 2000
• 2007

How to Grow a Chair- The Arborsmith Way

This is just one of the many ways of growing a chair, innovative artists will develop unique variations and improvements in this re-emerging art form.

Excerpt from Arborsculpture- Solutions for A Small Planet

Materials:
10 un-branched saplings 6 ft. to 8 ft. (2 m. to 2.5 m.) long, as thin as possible.
Cold rolled metal bars 1/2 in. diameter (1.27 cm.) cut to length: two at 5 ft. (1.5 m.) and three at 4 ft. (1.2 m.).
Tie wire.

It is best to face the chair toward the north (northern hemisphere) so the back will shade the seat and protect it from sunscald.
Pound the two 5 ft. (1.5 cm.) lengths of metal bars into the ground spaced about 3 ft. (1.3 m.) apart. This will define the back of the chair.
Between the two upright bars tie one of the four-foot metal bars to set the level of the seat. Tie another four-foot metal bar about 8 in. (20 cm.) above the first bar, and the last four-foot piece 8 in. above that.
Select two of your largest, thickest saplings for the back of the chair and two of the thinnest for the arms. Bundle a large one and thin one together and plant just in front of the upright bars.
Divide the remaining eight saplings into two even groups and plant them where the front legs belong.

Bend the inside saplings in any pattern to form the seat. Pass them under the lowest bar and back up in front of the next bar and finally behind the highest bar.

Use two hands to create an un-localizing bend at the front of the chair and at the back. Do the same with remaining seat saplings.
Tie the two large saplings together to define the back of the chair.
Bend the two thin arm saplings toward the front and then toward the back and secure with stretch tape.
All junctions can be approach grafted. Any parts that appear out of shape can be pulled into place with stretch tape.
Prune the branches during the growing season to give light to the tips of the smallest of the saplings.
Sit in your chair only after it has grown strong enough to support your weight.