Re: Elijah Slocum and other fine furniture
I think we may have spoke on the phone today?
Chairs are extremely hard to make and do well, that makes them costly. They use large pieces of stock typically 8/4 or even 12/4 instead of common 4/4. Also almost all angles are compound joints which adds considerably to layout and build expense. Do do them right means mortise and tenon construction. Quite frankly most people don't want to pay the price for a properly made chair, which is why you see so few of them.
To give you an idea of costs, here's one of the wood suppliers my cabinentmakers use. Look at the prices for raw wood!
http://www.irionlumber.com/index.php?page=maple-sets
John Buchanan is a custom builder, he can do most anything to a very high level, but he is slow to complete.
Here are probably the best builders/finishers on the East Coast. These are the guys the big auction houses use when they want to make a copy of a priceless antique. Too rich for my clientele - with 6 figure orders but its done right:
http://www.andersenandstauffer.com
And here's another:
http://www.karges.com
Those will put a big dent in your bank account but if you want the really good stuff.....
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
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