The Chapin family is synonymous with Connecticut furniture.  Eliphalet Chapin studied in Philadelphia, returned home to East Windsor, Connecticut, and began making furniture that blended both regions’ stylistic preferences and construction methods. His cousin, Aaron Chapin, studied with him and is responsible for the chair you’ll make in this six-day class. And the Make a Chapin Side Chair class takes place just down the road from the Chapins’ hometown in Manchester, Connecticut, at the Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking.

Chapin Side Chair

Trapezoidal-seat chairs remain some of the most challenging woodworking projects because they employ so many different disciplines. Most Chippendale chairs involve tremendous carving skills in addition to profoundly-honed joinery skills. This Aaron Chapin side chair is simple yet elegant and is an excellent choice for intermediate and advanced woodworkers alike. There is enough to challenge any woodworker without being overwhelming. It’s nearly perfect for a woodworker’s first chair.

The week begins with a trip to the Wadsworth Athenaeum to study the original chair made by Aaron Chapin. You’ll learn how to accurately measure an existing piece of furniture for reproduction. The class then moves into constructing the back, carving the crest and other elements, and finishes with forming and fitting the angled joinery.