In the earlier days, chairs were made and bottomed with hickory bark.  Hickory bark was used because it was considered to be the best tree bark for a chair seat.  We use the same method of gathering hickory bark, as did our ancestors of the past.  When the sap rises in the spring, we began our search for hickory trees that we can harvest for bark.  These are the trees that will yield to becoming a chair bottom to old ladder backs that have survived the original bottom.   The tree is cut down, the outer bark is taken off with a draw knife and the inner bark is cut into strips.

The rest of the tree may become a chair later.   The bark is rolled up and hung to dry.  The bark is stored until we are ready to bottom a chair.  The amount of bark you gather when the sap is up will determine the years supply.  In the past, there would have been someone that traveled through the mountains to bottom chairs because they were never discarded after the bottom broke.   Now, we are restoring the old ladder-backs to give a bit of the past as an heirloom for future generations.

Do you have an old chair that needs a hickory bark bottom?

Occasionally, a complete set of four matching chares are found, restored and offered for sale.  We do keep the following in stock for sale. Click on the photo to the right for an enlarged view of the stools.

Custom furniture building and restoration of antique furniture WThe stool, ladder back chair, and table was designed and made using antique hand tools and the hickory trees that we stripped the bark from this past summer.  The top of the table is made from very old yellow poplar boards that we salvaged.  We also make benches and other items from "old wood".   Please call for a complete list. Custom made chair    $300 Custom stool    $150 Old wood bench $50