I served my time in the 1970's with my Father and older brother
in the family business "Joseph Charteris & Sons Cabinetmakers
& Chairmakers", Markich, Fife, Scotland. My dad served
his time with Dolald Grant & Sons, Edinburgh, Scotland, in
the 1930's.
The "old timers"; who trained my dad served their
time in the late 1800's, passing to him and thus to me an oral
tradition of fine hand woodworking that is rooted in an apprenticeship
system that dates back at least 300 years. The oral tradition
of woodworking came from the bench-rooms of woodworkers and is
quite different from a college woodworking course. My knowlege
of this apprenticeship systems, where the prime directive is to
do the least amount of work possible to achieve the required result,
helps me guide others easily and painlesly into the art fine hand
woodworking. Classes begin with a one week (40-50 hrs) course
in chairmaking, where the student makes a chair like the ladder-back
on the right. For more information visit here
