A rocking chair in the Jennie Alexander tradition. White oak and walnut with a hickory bark seat.
Spring is the season for green woodworking when the sap of the hickory tree begins to flow. When the crocuses bloom, the bark of the hickory tree can be sliced into long strips, pounded loose and removed for woven chair bottoms. It's also the perfect time to harvest white oak for a greenwood chair. Green wood bends readily and holds its shape, and can be carved with hand tools. The chairs rungs and back slats are made first and then dried. Then posts are carved and bent and the chair is assembled. The green posts shrink as they dry and create tight joints around the pre-shrunk rungs. The chair seat is woven in a houndstooth pattern with fresh hickory bark that is pliable but dries to a firm yet comfortable, extremely strong seat.