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| We started with the old Nichols & Stone chair my father got me in 1955. It was bigger than I was. Note the ridge along the seat front. | After machine planing, we use delicate band sanders to produce those elegant curves. |
You can see the difference. |
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A team of skilled craftsmen and women make each chair, one at a time. |
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| Every step is done by hand. The unique "Harvard Chair" cut-outs start with these band-sawed cuts. |
Voila! The "Harvard Chair" back. |
The mahogany-toned arms are
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The arms are individually sanded. |
Hardwood dowels become back
spindles, stretchers, and sturdy legs. Each is turned for
decoration, and then |
Now watch this! |
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The first operation uses the
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He flips it over (notice no contact at
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He does the second operation on the right. This takes practice! |
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| Why tapered? The untapered Nichols & Stone leg has a "shelf" that can't fit snugly. You can see it on the dowel on the left. |
Worse, over time the un-snug fit can crack pieces right off the bottom. |
The Lombard chair is not only more comfortable, those tapered legs make it stronger as well. |
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| Each chair is assembled by hand. |
Craftsmen apply the finish
and fine |
I'm Laurence McKinney, H '66, founder of EverythingHarvard.com. I worked for Fender in '63, so I could have made Bonnie Raitt's guitar, but I'm even prouder that Harvard selected us to make the updated chair. If I could make one American icon, you can trust me with another. |
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