In this project, I'll be building a pair of chairs modeled after Hans Wegner's, "Bukkestolen", which he designed for Johannes Hansen in 1959.
Wegner designed a number of chairs that were influenced by the shape of a sawbuck or sawhorse, and this one is a later design of that category. Judging from the limited number of examples that I could find on auction sites, it did not seem to be a popular design at the time and apparently was not in production for very long. I admit, I was not taken with its appearance the first time I saw it. It grew on me over time, and it did present some unique construction hurdles, which is something I like to chew on.
There are a couple variants to this chair. One has a sling of fabric or leather for the back and seat. The other has a caned back and seat. I'll be building the latter variant, except that I'll be weaving Danish cord rather than caning.
Here is a pair of caned originals.
The big ticket item for me in this build is working out just how to make the leg/arm assembly - how to make the curved arms and replicate the finger joints that are cut at an angle on the leg to fit the curve of the arm. Once I work through that part, the rest should be straightforward.
Thanks, gents. I'm posting the first couple installments retroactively. I wanted to make sure I could get to a certain point successfully before sharing.
Splinter - I did consider steam bending for the arms, but ultimately went in a different direction. All will be revealed. :) And, yes, that's a leather strap between the bottom edge of the backrest and the rear stretcher. The backrest pivots and strap limits the travel. So you can lean back and the backrest will rotate somewhat, without it hitting a hard stop. That's my guess about the choice to use the strap.
Yes a new build from Ross. Good choice for a next project. These chairs were indeed not popular at all, and I have never seen one in person, only in books and auktion sites. Looking forward to read along!
"The good chair is a task one is never completely done with" Hans Wegner
Hi Ty. The design is unusual, and it's not surprising it didn't have widespread appeal. But, the joinery challenges make it a fun build to tackle. With the backrest providing no structural support, the joints are certainly going to get a workout.
I can absolutely see the appeal of this chair. Both from an enineering standpoint and from the challenges in reprodusing one . And this is an example of why Wegner is such good a designer. The courage to give himself challenges - and not care too much about what the rest of the world thinks
"The good chair is a task one is never completely done with" Hans Wegner
