Last time we looked at dining tables for the holidays (remember the whole families coming over and you’ve got a card table in that great new house?). Ok, so now the dining chairs. Here’s another clairvoyant moment of mine. The clients choose the dining table, and chairs, and I know the next words out of their mouths, “The six chairs cost more than the table. How can this be?. They turn to me in bewilderment, and I nod my head, and begin to tell them the story of why dining chairs seem to be expensive.

1. Even though they’re small dining chairs are one of the most time consuming products to make because they have more parts than a dining table, and all these little parts have to be cut one by one on a band saw, then assembled like a vertical jigsaw puzzle. Once glued, each part must be checked that it is perfectly level, the chair carefully clamped at various joints, and must dry very thoroughly on a level surface.

2. After drying, all those parts with nooks & crannies and turns must be thoroughly sanded, often by hand since a sander won’t fit in the detail areas.

3. If the chairs are upholstered, you obviously don’t have to sand, but the labor, fabric, and time can be extensive especially if they’re tufted backs!

Ok, so you don’t want a woodworking seminar, but it’s important to know why something costs what it does so you can make educated decisions. Remember ask about warranties. Chairs get a lot of weight, and daily abuse. We’ve fixed many chairs over the years as a courtesy to our clients that were only dowelled together instead of having mortise & tenon joinery.

–

maite