In 1985, when Mike Abbott started running courses using the traditional tools and techniques of the Victorian chair-bodgers, many people said it was about time he moved into the 20th Century. Following the success of his first two books Green Woodwork and Living Wood, Mike’s third book shows that he has now moved happily and unashamedly straight into the 21st Century.

With the help of over 600 colour photographs he guides you, step-by-step, through:

• The tools and techniques needed for cleaving, shaping and assembling a chair 
• Constructing a few simply homemade devices to aid the process 
• Making 3 stools and 3 chairs, each with its own unique character. 
This ground-breaking book takes a radical approach to working with unseasoned wood. Although it starts with the centuries old techniques of cleaving and shaving, it then incorporates modern technology such as tenon-cutters and cordless drills to enable anybody with basic hand skills and a few simple tools to transform a fresh log into a superb stool or chair. Because of its innovative approach, new tools and techniques are cropping up all the time, so to run alongside the new book is the new blog, http://www.goingwiththegrain.org, in which Mike hopes to keep abreast of any developments in green wood chair-making

Going with the Grain is not written for cabinet-makers. it is written for anyone who shares Mike’s passion for trees and wood and is interested in getting to know them better through the fulfilling process of turning a tree into their very own chair.