Where we left off, with the spindles drilled to their appropriate angles. This is the second and last post in a series about the making of the Kanna Chair. Moving on from the last post, the next steps for the chair involved seating the legs, carving the seatpan, and final assembly. I mentioned earlier that the leg design I went with didn't require a lathe, but it still required a circular shape and therefore a woodturning workaround. Each leg must slide into a tapered hole c

The final chair, next to the very log I got the wood from This is the first article in a 2 part series briefly covering how I designed and made these chairs from start to finish. Making chairs seems tricky. Between the splayed legs, non-linear shapes and curved edges it seems like a massive undertaking to create one. Some of this is true, but much of it is negated by the fact that woodworkers have been making chairs for thousands of years and that has resulted in some ingenio

Traditional hand-hewn beams supporting the roof of an restored Japanese farmhouse I may have left Japan, but in so many ways Japan has not left me. Unexpected smells and sights whisk my mind away to moonlit streets and rainy hours spent in cafes. Black tea, 7-elevens, faded wooden signs and the crunch of wood shavings pull me straight back to the workshop. When I talk about Japan, what I’m really associating with these wonderful feelings is Somakosha. Back in 2024 I attende