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Hazel grown on local land in Wicklow has been used in all Corylus chairs. The hazel grows in a coppice in great straight flexible poles with some interesting & unusual deviations at times. The greenwood is cut down and partially seasoned to be used in the backs, fronts, arms & rails. As each piece of wood is different, so too is each chair unique. While general dimensions & angles can be followed, the resulting chair only takes shape as the work progresses and its final form appears. Irish birch & ash logs have been mainly used for the seats, worked in one or more pieces. Other woods used in the seats include a one off ancient pittosporum shrub, which produces no grain and a wonderful smooth sheen (but is liable to cracking – the price of uniqueness of an old ‘shrub tree’!).
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As these chairs are made using unseasoned wood, will they crack as they dry out? Will the joints come loose? etc. Each chair is unique, made from wood recently coppiced from hazel on our land. Irish hard woods or other interesting pieces are used for the seats. Both traditional woodcraft skills and modern tools are used. The joints of each green wood chair have been glued & clamped and do not loosen as the hazel seasons - the pegs & holes usually shrink together to a very tight fit. By the time you get your chair, it has been drying already over a period in a cool dry area and it is unlikely to crack much more other than at the open ends.
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What is the best maintenance and care for my green wood chair? Keep your chair out of too much continuous heat. Check the date of completion written under the hard wood seat and leave at least 3 months from this date before placing the chair close to a direct heat source such as a radiator or open fire. Any recent chair may still be very green and the three month rule is a minimum. The debarked/smooth areas may begin to darken with time, especially on arm rests. Only sand these areas if there is discolouration. Do this by rubbing any discoloured bits gently with very fine sandpaper or fine steel wool, removing the surface polish. The original colour will come up underneath and the wood can then be repolished using Briwax (clear) or similar quality wax based polish. Briwax treats and polishes the wood well but is not water tolerant, so chairs are created for indoor use mainly and if rain or water gets on your chair it may well be stained by the drops. Also beware of sooty smoke. From time to time, rub Briwax all over, leave for a while and polish off to bring up the shine again. (Beeswax smells nice but does not dry completely and can leave sticky patches).
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