WoodworkingONLINE.com

Last summer, I had a chance to visit some excellent craftsman in the Berea, Kentucky area. Brian Boggs in particular is making some incredible hand-made chairs down there. New York state woodworker Peter Galbert is in a class right up there with Boggs, as well as most other master craftsman chairmakers.

Besides the style of chair they specialize in, the biggest difference between the two seems to be their level of notoriety. Boggs has been published many times in woodworking magazines through the years and is well-known nationally. Until recently, I had never heard of Galbert, a man who has obviously found his purpose in life. He has taught at the John C. Campbell Folk School, the Penland School of Crafts in Penland, North Carolina and has presented seminars on chairmaking at Colonial Williamsburg.

“Each chair that leaves my shop is hand made by me, from the selection of the logs, to the rubbing down of the finish. I work the wood while it is still green and soft, enabling me to work almost completely with hand tools. Parts are hand split (not sawn) from the log, carefully shaved and steam bent before being fit and assembled.”