sculpting a chair with hand toolsI sense

[charlie spencer]

I am primarily a power tool guy, including a Maloof chair sculpted with an angle grinder and similar tools. I am so impressed with Curtis Buchanan's Windsor chair build using a scorp, drawknife, travisher and similar tools I want to try it myself. Curtis works with green pine and i want to work with walnut and cherry. Wlil these traditional tools work on kiln dried wood? Can I get results working with green walnut or cherry?
I could really waste a lot of time if this goes poorly.

[William Fretwell]

Working with green wood is always fun. You never know how it will dry, move, crack & shrink, but you do know it will do all of those things.
All those tools will cut wood, just more work the harder the wood. Sam Maloof uses a band saw to rough out the seat shape on each piece before glue up with three dowels and does not even edge plane the boards. He then uses an angle grinder sander to finish the seat shape.
A bow saw would suffice to copy his method which would be fairly quick for the seat at least. I would not waste my time with green cherry or walnut. I have used green pine, more by accident than design. If you can re-wedge the joints later it may work.

I try & make furniture to last, give yourself the best chance by using wood that's stable.

[paul cottingham]

Short answer: yes, you just need to be more patient. I would definitely put an adze on that list of tools.

[charlie spencer]

Thanks for the feedback. Is it tedious and unproductive to use a scorp and travisher on kiln dried woods?

[charlie spencer]

Good thought on the adze. It is fast, but I could be too aggressive I guess.