Skip to content
Fine Woodworking
Main Menu
Subscribe
GET THE MAGAZINE & MORE
Magazine Cover
  • Save 69% off the cover price
  • Or, get everything with UNLIMITED, including 40+ years of the online archive.
Subscribe Now!
Subscribe
  • Projects & Plans
  • How-To
  • Shop Tips
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Magazine
  • Video Workshops
  • Members
  • Forum
  • Gallery
  • Blogs
  • More
    • Log In
    • Join
    Fine Woodworking Main Menu Subscribe

    Fine Woodworking Project Guides

    Chairs, Benches, and Stools

    Guide Home
    Chapter
    • Design and Techniques
    • Side Chairs and Dining Chairs
    • Outdoor Seating
    • Benches, Settees, and Sofas
    • Stools
    Member-Only

    Sign in or become a member to access this story

    Sign in

    The Best Wood for Chairs

    Lessons on picking the right wood for making an attractive, strong chair that will stand the test of time.

    By Robert C. Whitley #2–Spring 1976 Issue
    Chair Woods
    The author making a reproduction (right) of the chair Thomas Jefferson sat in when writing the Declaration of Independence. All woods are the same as the original: maple legs and arm posts, poplar seat and mid-arm back, hickory spindles, white oak arms and crest rail.

    I stared at 150 chairs, every one of them so loose as to be dangerous to sit in. “I have tried everything to no avail,” the owner said. “Do you know the glue they advertise on TV where one drop between two blocks of wood holds a car suspended in the air?” he asked me in exasperation. “Well I must have used half a pint on each chair, and they still came apart.”

    I nodded.

    “I’ll admit you cabinetmakers have some secrets. Will you fix the chairs for me?”

    I said no, explaining that the chairs were made out of the wrong kind of wood and that they would never hold together for any length of time. He stalked off, obviously convinced I was out of my mind.

    The preceding is a true account of a conversation between myself and the owner of a large, beautiful restaurant located on the…

    Sign up for eletters today and get the latest techniques and how-to from Fine Woodworking, plus special offers.

    Sign Up

    Start your 14-day FREE trial to continue reading this story.

    Plus, access more than 1,900 in-depth articles and more when you become a member.

    Start Your Free Trial Now

    Already a member? Log In

    Get woodworking tips, expert advice and special offers in your inbox

    Sign Up
    ×
    X
    X
    Previous: Webinar: Evolution of a Chair with Brian Boggs Next: Choosing The Right Wood for Chairs and Other Furniture

    Guide

    Chairs, Benches, and Stools

    Chapter

    Design and Techniques

    Comments

    1. user-4052178 | Sep 25, 2021 05:41pm | #1

      I have used epoxy for some of my glue up projects, especially laminating bent pieces. Do you think that the epoxy used as a glue for the repair of the chairs would work?

    Log in or become a member to post a comment.

    Sign up Log in

    Chairs, Benches, and Stools

    Chairs, Benches, and Stools

    Projects, plans, and techniques for every type of chair you aspire to build.

    View Project Guide

    View All Project Guides »

    Become a member and get unlimited site access, including the Chairs, Benches, and Stools Project Guide.

    Start Free Trial

    Design and Techniques
    • Chair Design
    • Techniques
    • Seats: Upholstered and Woven
    Side Chairs and Dining Chairs
    • Side Chairs
    • Dining Chairs
    • Armchairs
    • Rocking Chairs
    Outdoor Seating
    • Garden Chairs
    • Adirondack Chairs
    • Outdoor Benches
    Benches, Settees, and Sofas
    • Benches
    • Settees and Sofas
    Stools

    Get the latest from Fine Woodworking Magazine

    • #292-NOV/DEC 2021

      • Kerf-bent wall cabinet
      • Online extras from FWW issue #292
      • How to tame curved parts with patterns
    • #291-Sep/Oct 2021

      • Build a modern coffee table
      • Online Extras from FWW Issue #291
      • Editor's Letter: Something old, something new
    • #290-July/Aug 2021

      • Build a Shaker chest of drawers
      • Online Extras from FWW Issue #290
      • From the editor: What we make matters
    • #289-May/June 2021

      • Arts & Crafts Coffee Table with Story-Book Charm
      • Links from Fine Woodworking issue #289
      • Step-by-Step Guide to Tuning Your Block Plane
    • #288-Mar/Apr 2021

      • Phil Lowe: A craftsman and gentleman
      • Online Extras from FWW Issue #288
      • Phil Lowe: craftsman, teacher, friend

    UNLIMITED membership - Get access to it all

    Start Free Trial Upgrade Membership

    Fine WoodWorking

    Follow

    Newsletter

    Get woodworking tips, expert advice and special offers in your inbox

    Sign Up

    Membership & Magazine

    • Members
    • Digital Libraries
    • Join Unlimited
    • Magazine Subscription
    • Magazine Renewal
    • Gift a Subscription
    • Customer Support
    • Manage Preferences

    Taunton Network

    • Fine Homebuilding
    • Green Building Advisor
    • Fine Gardening
    • Threads
    • About
    • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Policy
    • Careers
    • Copyright
    • Terms of Use
    • Accessibility
    • California Privacy Rights
    • Site Map

    © 2021 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

    Get step-by-step instructions, woodworking tips, expert advice and special offers in your inbox. Sign Up Now!

      Main Menu

    • Projects and Plans
    • How-To
    • Shop Tips
    • Tools & Materials
    • Videos
    • Gallery
    • Magazine
    • Video Workshops
    • Members
    • Forum

      Popular Topics

    • Design
    • Small Projects
    • Beds
    • Chairs, Benches And Stools
    • Built-ins
    • Storage And Shelves
    • Cabinets
    • Carving
    • Casework
    • Desks
    • Tables
    • Shop Storage And Furniture
    • Woodturning Projects
    • Workbenches
    • Surface Prep

      More

    • TV
    • Forum
    • Blogs
    • Webinars
    • Podcasts
    • Customer Support

      Account

    • Log In
    • Join

      Magazine

    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
    • Digital Libraries
    • Magazine Index
    • Subscribe

      Membership

    • Member Home
    • Start Free Trial
    • Gift Unlimited
    • Log In

      Shop the Store

    • Books
    • DVDs
    • Taunton Workshops

      Events

    • Fine Woodworking Live
    • Fine Woodworking HANDS ON

      Account

    • Log In
    • Sign Up

    Newsletter

    Get woodworking tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

    Sign Up

    Follow

    UNLIMITED

    Become an UNLIMITED member and get it all: searchable online archive of every issue, how-to videos, Complete Illustrated Guide to Woodworking digital series, print magazine, e-newsletter, and more.

    Start Your Free Trial

    Upgrade Membership