rustic furniture

[rustics]

Does anyone in the forum build rustic stick or twig furniture. I have built a few peices of sassafras furniture and was wondering what if anything i need to look out for ( pealing, cracking, spliting, rotting). would like to here from anyone doing same. ( would like to put pictures, but don't know how.)

 

[heretoday]

I can't make rustic furniture, but I think it's beautiful. Sometimes, in the matter of the twig chairs, it's almost too beautiful to sit on! I would hate to be the ruination of such a work of art!

 

[Mike Davis]

Rustic,

Since you are in NC I suggest you join www.ncwoodworker.net there are some rustic furniture makers in NC and you should find good answers there.

 

[Nailed]

I've seen a lot of that type of furniture in the mountains of North Carolina. It really is lovely. I wonder how substantial it is over the long run. We brought home one of the chairs once, but it didn't last two seasons. It was flimsy to start with -- I admit.

 

[contractor]

I think it's a good idea to use fairly substantial pieces of "twigs or "sticks"" for furniture like this. I'd stay away from the real green stuff, but at the same time, you don't want to use anything that's been left to dry out too much. To protect this furniture, store inside during the winter and you may want to apply a UV protector of some kind.

 

[Sparrow1]

My parents have a beautiful rustic chair adorning their screened porch. I believe it was something they bought secondhand and it's still in very nice condition. They keep it out of the elements and use it sparingly. It's a lovely accent piece but doesn't seem terribly practical for everyday use.

 

[woodcrafts]

I think the key is to be sure the furniture is not out in the weather. My grandpa used to make outdoor furniture out of tree branches and it was gorgeous. We had to make sure we sprayed it with a clear protective sealant and then take it inside in the winter.

 

[GordonP]

I live in Canada and my dad made a number of pieces of rustic furniture from trees 20 years ago. We keep them at our cottage and they are actually really great and comfortable. We do have to make sure they don't get wet though, so they are in our screened in porch out of the direct line of any rain.

 

[JackJr]

My concern with twig furniture would be whether it could support the weight of a person. Certainly using twigs for making tables and magazine racks sounds very possible. We have a friend who makes miniature twig furniture. It is very cute and easy to make from vine twigs.

 

[Sidekick]

A man used to set up on the street corner selling handmade furniture like this. I used to see him all the time near the mall, but I don't recall seeing him in several years now. I hope he's found a market elsewhere and is still making his chairs. We never bought one, but we did love to stop and admire his handicraft.