APPRENTICESHIP SUMMARY

This wood-based apprenticeship will combine New Hampshire apprentice Tyler Sheaffer’s passion of basket weaving with designing and making ladder back chairs alongside Maine mentor artist Andy Glenn. Together they will dive deeper into the process of constructing a contemporary green-wood, low back chair, along with learning the advanced techniques of constructing a grand rocker (both with hickory seats of Andy’s design), and lastly drafting plans for a third chair which builds upon the knowledge of the first two chairs, completely of Tyler’s design. The pair will accomplish this through 100 hours of one-on-one training at Andy’s woodshop in Waldoboro, Maine.

MENTOR

Andy Glenn (Waldoboro, ME)

Andrew D. Glenn is a furniture maker and woodworking instructor living in Waldoboro, Maine. Glenn received his formal training while a student at the North Bennet Street School’s Cabinet and Furniture Program in 2008. Since then, Glenn has worked in repair shops, a boatyard, a cabinet shop, and a four-year stretch leading the Woodcraft Department at Berea College
(Kentucky).
Windsor chairs, ladderback chairs, and Welsh-inspired stick chairs are all of particular interest. Glenn enjoys using traditional green woodworking techniques and material processes while creating chairs with a more contemporary feel.
Glenn’s first book, Backwoods Chairmakers: In Search of the Appalachian Ladderback
Chairmaker, was recently published by Lost Art Press.

“Tyler’s background in craft was a big plus. He has his hands in this work and is interested in learning the skills around chairmaking. He’s made a few chairs, so he’s already started working towards his education. Along these lines, the chairmaking education I received during my earlier years was generously given. I’d like to share in much the same way.” – Andy Glenn

APPRENTICE

Tyler Sheaffer (Acworth, NH)

Tyler Sheaffer is a basket maker and woodworker from Unity, New Hampshire. Tyler is passionate about hand-made material culture and is devoted to preserving ancestral folk knowledge for future generations. Tyler loves to teach people–young and old–to make beautiful, functional objects with simple hand tools and teaches workshops around the county.

“Andy has a very good reputation in the chair making world and extensive experience as a teacher. He is also an expert on making chair seats out of hickory bark. As someone who has worked as a basket maker for years, I’m excited to learn how to process and weave the seats with hickory bark. It’s a great opportunity to combine two of the things I most love, weaving and woodworking, into a single beautiful, functional object. I think Andy is an ideal candidate to mentor me into that new career.” – Tyler Sheaffer