Newsletter: October 2025
James Mursell
Welcome!
I had thought this would be a very short newsletter, but I have found several items that I hope will be of interest. There are details of a big show that I will be attending next week at Wisley Gardens, and another show in early December with the Sussex Guild.
There are amazing pictures of a miniature Windsor chair, made in the US by a former student; and a message from a former student who is now making chairs at home.
Best wishes
James Mursell
Craft in Focus Craft Show, RHS Wisley Gardens GU23 6QB
Wed 5th – Sunday 9th November; 10 - 4 Weekdays and 9 - 4 Saturday and Sunday
After a break of one year, this show is back and it’s a blockbuster, with two shows for the price of one – a craft show, which I will be in, and a jewellery and silver show in the Hilltop building.
This show is free to RHS members and discounted tickets are available if you book beforehand online. If you live nearby do come and say hello. I will have several of my course chairs for you to see and try out. Also, there will be some other wonderful crafts on display and perhaps you may find inspiration for a little early festive shopping!
Sussex Guild Craft Show at Midhurst Rother College
6/7 December - 10-5 Saturday and 10-4 Sunday.
Please make a note of the dates and I will send further detail nearer the time with an opportunity to download free tickets. It’s the perfect show for Christmas shopping!
Miniature Windsors
As if making chairs at normal size is not enough of a challenge, one of my students who travelled from the US earlier in the year to make a chair with me, has made a miniature of his chair!
This is what Russ wrote:
I took the sheet of dimensions you gave us and shrunk them to 1/5th size. I used basswood and bought an inexpensive micro lathe for the turnings (except the spindles, which are 1/8″ dowels for now). The basswood is easy to work with, but seems almost too soft. I’ve started on walnut and cherry chairs and it’s been more challenging, especially carving out the seats! I definitely need to keep practicing and learning (and recovering) from my mistakes!
For the record, it’s 9.5in/24cm high and 5.5in/14cm wide at the arms so it is 1/5th. But, yeah, when I first made it even I thought it had to be smaller than 1/5th!
Part of the fun is figuring out how to do something at the smaller scale. When drilling the seat holes in the basswood I got the angles pretty good freehand, and the wood was soft enough to force things if they weren’t. But I did not get the angles right with the walnut and cherry. This time though the solution was the same as the full size – I got a (dremel) drill press and built a jig (complete with tiny hinges!) to set the angles. I plugged and redrilled the holes and they’re spot on!
Making Chairs at Home after a Course
At the beginning of the year, Brian attended a continuous arm course. He wanted to make some chairs at home and with the skills he gained he is now fulfilling this ambition, with his first pieces being the superb bar stools in the picture.
Brian wrote:
I spent a week with you at the start of January this year making a continuous arm chair It was a great week and I said at the time that I wanted to get to the point where I could start making these chairs at home.
After practicing all the unit operations and getting the workshop organised for this, I finally finished my first chairs this week – just two simple barstools, but I’m really pleased with them and learned a huge amount making them (especially the joys of turning wet wood with the lathe at high speed, but also the huge shrinkage as the wood dries). Now onto a two wheelback chairs that daughter number two wants!
Thanks for introducing me to this engaging avenue of woodworking
