Mike Abbott

Mike and Tamsin Abbott make chairs that are light but strong, elegant yet comfortable, and timeless enough to withstand the whims of changing fashions.
 
When they moved to Herefordshire together, they delved into the work of a Victorian chairmaker called Phillip Clissett, who made frame chairs such as the spindle-back and ladder-back. They were impressed by his simple yet efficient approach to chairmaking. Like the bodgers of the Chilterns, Clissett also used the shaving-horse and the pole-lathe to produce his chair parts. Unlike the bodgers, he made the whole chair, from buying the logs to selling the finished chairs in the local market.
 
This is the tradition that Mike and Tamsin have chosen to follow in their own workshop at home. Although they use a chainsaw to harvest the wood, they still cleave and shave all their components by hand to retain the maximum strength of the grain. Like Clissett, they generally use locally grown ash or oak but nowadays they prefer to leave their chairs with a 'hand-made' shaved finish, using the pole-lathe only to turn the joints. They also differ from Clissett in using a method of weaving bark as developed by the Native Americans. A herringbone pattern is woven from the inner bark of young elm or lime trees to give a comfortable, attractive and durable seat. The seat is made to last for decades, the chair to last a lifetime.