{"product_id":"backwoods-chairmakers-in-search-of-the-appalachian-ladderback-chairmaker","title":"Backwoods Chairmakers: In Search of the Appalachian Ladderback Chairmaker","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eby Andrew D. Glenn\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eYou can download an excerpt from this book \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/blog.lostartpress.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Backwoods-Chairmakers-excerpt.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor more than 200 years, chairmakers in Appalachia built ladderbacks to sell to neighbors and the occasional tourist. It was a tradition that was handed down through generations. But with the rise of furniture factories and mechanization, woodworker Andy D. Glenn wondered if there were any traditional chairmakers left.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo he set off into the mountains with a camera and a tape recorder. There, he found many still working the craft – some by hand, and others who have added machines to their workshops.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePart travelogue, part profile and part how-to, “Backwoods Chairmakers” explores the tradition of this enduring form. Glenn takes you inside the shops of more than 20 makers, with photos and personal interviews about their lives and techniques.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen, Glenn shows you how to make a post-and-rung side chair and rocking chair using the traditional techniques explored in the book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a massive book: 8.5\" x 11\", hardbound and 304 pages. It is printed on #70 matte coated paper. Its signatures are sewn and secured with fiber tape. All that is wrapped in heavy cotton-covered boards and a tear-resistant dust jacket.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eForeword by Curtis Buchanan: VII\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eIntroduction: 1\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1: Setting Out 4\u003cbr\u003e2: The Chair 10\u003cbr\u003e3. Tom Lynch 18\u003cbr\u003e4: Sherman Wooton 30\u003cbr\u003e5: Cannon County 40\u003cbr\u003e6: Mason Alexander 58\u003cbr\u003e7: Randy Ogle 74\u003cbr\u003e8: Langsner \u0026amp; Alexander 90\u003cbr\u003e9: Tom Donahey 100\u003cbr\u003e10: Newberry \u0026amp; Sons Chairs 106\u003cbr\u003e11: James Cooper 122\u003cbr\u003e12: Michael Houston 130\u003cbr\u003e13: Lyle Wheeler 138\u003cbr\u003e14: Brian Boggs 150\u003cbr\u003e15: Dick Poynor 170\u003cbr\u003e16: Chester Cornett 176\u003cbr\u003e17: Terry Ratliff 188\u003cbr\u003e18: All Good Things 206\u003cbr\u003e19: Vignettes 210\u003cbr\u003e20: Three-slat Ladderback 238\u003cbr\u003e21: Rocking Chair 266\u003cbr\u003eBibliography 286\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments 288\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg height=\"233\" width=\"350\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0306\/3197\/files\/image_64834412_1.jpg?v=1738865080\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAndrew D. Glenn is a furniture maker and woodworking instructor living in Midcoast Maine. Glenn received his formal training while a student in the North Bennet Street School’s Cabinet and Furniture Program in 2008. Since then, Glenn has worked in repair shops, a boatyard, a cabinet shop and a four-year stretch leading the Woodcraft Department at Berea College (Kentucky).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGlenn became engrossed with the prevalence of handmade ladderback chairs while in Kentucky and began taking trips into the eastern Kentucky foothills to seek out the chairs and their makers. The simple question, “Are there backwoods chairmakers working today?” was the first spark that led to this book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRead more about Andy in our full \u003ca rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.lostartpress.live\/2024\/03\/17\/meet-the-author-andy-glenn\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eprofile\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6ljQ5SBJ2Ew?si=puA8QhWE0-9xjYyb\" title=\"YouTube video player\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Lost Art Press","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover book","offer_id":40333806731327,"sku":"BK-BACKWOODS","price":51.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Backwoods Hardcover book + PDF","offer_id":40292557619263,"sku":"BK-BACKWOODS \u0026 PDF","price":62.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"PDF only","offer_id":40333807288383,"sku":"BK-BACKWOODS-PDF","price":23.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0306\/3197\/files\/IMG_7418.jpg?v=1747164453","url":"https:\/\/lostartpress.live\/products\/backwoods-chairmakers-in-search-of-the-appalachian-ladderback-chairmaker","provider":"Lost Art Press","version":"1.0","type":"link"}