Carpenters Without Borders

Chair-Making Project in Rio Dulce, Guatemala

Phases I and II of our first project were completed succesfully, with all objectives met: 

     Phase I
1. To investigate different indigenous wood species appropriate to chair making.
2. To construct shave horses
3. To teach tool skills: maintenance and sharpening
4. To teach basic chair making skills while making chair parts to be air-dried for the future phase.
5. To teach conditioning of wood.
 
       Phase II
1. To build simple kilns for drying of chair parts.
2. To build steam chambers for bending chair legs.

3. To teach steaming and bending of chair parts.

 * * *

Phase 1 - Synopsis

 Phase I - Wood
  We collected 7 different species of wood to evaluate their qualities in regard to chair making. Considerations were:
 
a. orientation of fibers in wood, parallel vs. intertwined -
splitting quality,
b. Density – hardness 
c. Workability – ease of cutting with a draw knife and
spoke shave. 
d. Characteristics of moisture stability – time of drying
e. Appearance.  

The following examples of wood were explored:  Cenicero, Matilisguate, Teca (Teak), Caoba (Mahogany), Irayol, Laurel, and Hormigo. 
 
The choice with the most apt qualities was Teak, followed by Hormigo and Irayol. Although Teak is not indigenous, it is probably the most readily available; as the area has been heavily deforested and tree-farmed Teak has become more abundant.

Phase I - Shave Horses & Tools
 
The shave horse is a type of work bench with a 5000 year history.
It enables a worker to clamp a piece of wood firmly in place so that the worker can efficiently shape the wood using a draw knife.
In the first three days we cut and assembled 21 shave horses.

We introduced a tool new to the area called a draw knife. This is the principal tool used to “rough out” the pieces. 
Using high grit sharpening stones, we showed the students how to put a scalpel edge on their tools.
 
Phase I - Rough Out

The students then put the shave horse and the drawknife to use as they worked the various components of the chair and whittled the stretchers and legs to a roughed out state.
 

After the “rough out”, we showed students how to prepare the
wood to be air-dried to 18% moisture content. 
 
This process takes 6 to 8 weeks.

 
 
 

Phase II - Synopsis

 - drying -

a. In a bentwood chair, the “stretchers” (the horizontal rungs) must be kiln-dried to 5% moisture content to be ready to make a locked joint. A simple kiln was built using locally available materials to dry these pieces.
b. A steam-chamber was made using 2 pressure cookers, a double burner and a length of 4” plastic pipe in which to soften the wood. 
c. The students learned to steam and then to form the back legs into
the traditional curved configuration.

d. The students learned to use the spoke shave for rounding and finishing the chair rungs. 
e. They also learned sharpening and maintaining the spoke shaves.
f. They assembled the chairs.
 
 - Classes -

Classes begun every morning at exactly 8:00 am and they were to end at 4:00 pm.   The plan was to have a mid-morning break with melon and pineapple, a
half hour lunch at noon, and a fifteen-minute break in the afternoon. Although everyone was hungry, it was hard to get people to stop working.  On three of the five days, we were working and cleaning up at 6:00 pm with no complaints.

 - Assistance -
  
We had considerable willing assistance:
Emilio Mendizabal:  from Eco-Río who was trained as a botanist, is at 63, a well-respected conservationist
and local organizer. 
 
His efforts brought students from over 6 remote villages. Some were from the Peten, near the Mexican border, and others were from villages along the Rio Dulce.  The majority was from areas with neither roads nor electricity, and little education.  We asked for 16 students and got 25 who stayed for the entire course. 
 
Emilio came for the introduction and commencement and also intermittingly attended the classes.  His rich lore of forestry, trees and ecology kept all, teachers and students
alike; spellbound. His emphasis on conservation added greatly to the program.
 
 
Eugenio Gobbatto, the owner of the Finca and Hotel Tijax on the Rio Dulce was of great assistance.  I have known Eugenio since the days of the great earthquake in
1976, when we both volunteered in the reconstruction up in the Altiplano (Highlands). He has a great respect for the
land and the indigenous people and this project seems to be resurrecting his “volunteerism”. He provided us with free daily transportation on the river from hotel to restaurant to class – areas that were scattered widely.  
 
He also arranged food and lodging at a great savings for everyone.
 
 
Richard Bronson   The classes were held on the Finca Seja and the Finca Rio Dulce. These two locations are on a prize-winning tree farm that is both productive and innovative.  Dr. Bronson gives his facilities and services
because of his love for the area and the indigenous people who inhabit it.    He is the Co-Founder of Carpenters without Borders.  He was also involved in the reconstruction efforts after the earthquake of 1976 and has watched the development in
the Rio Dulce over the last 35 years. He keenly feels the need to protect the environment and its inhabitants.  A farmer in fact and an esteemed archeologist, Dr. Bronson and his family are making our program possible.  

Juan Castillo is the plantation foreman. He and his crew provided us with 9 different kinds of wood with which to experiment and test in the making of these chairs.  He not only supplied us with enough milled wood to make 21 Shave Horse benches but also with tools, chainsaws, and sharpening equipment.
 
Steve Dudenhoffer, founder of Ak’tenamit provided us with 6 talented students from his program.  The Ak’tenamit program boards and educates over 400 Q’eqchi’ Mayan children from remote areas of the coast. His experience teaching in this area is invaluable. 

www.aktenamit.org           
 
Counter Part: Is an NGO based in Washington, D.C. and Guatemala. They have assisted us with the
students’ food and lodging expenses in Phase I.
                         
Jorge Gonzales (above) is a Guatemalan who has been first a beneficiary of NGOs and
then a participant.  He has become an expert in soy food technology and in organizing
in the slums of Guatemala City. He volunteered his considerable interpreting skills,

which minimized the language (Spanish and Q’eqchi’) barrier in the teaching process. 
 
 - Progress – Evolution of Objectives:
 
1. It was necessary to first cut local wood to use for the project.  This process involved evaluating an abundance of different available species and their qualities vis a vis this particular chair making.  Our students proved to be very knowledgeable and were helpful in characterizing the indigenous wood. 
2. One of the trickiest skills to teach and to acquire is that of sharpening the tools. However, since most of our students were already familiar with machetes and
files, they took to this enterprise with enthusiasm and competence. 
 
 - Impact -
People have been making bentwood chairs for at least 500 years. The “Shave Horse” design and function is over 4,000 years old.  Astonishingly, no one in this part of the
Peten had ever seen nor known the draw knife.  We brought 16 of these knives with us and could not find any in the four hardware stores we searched in Guatemala City.  
    
With the Shave Horse one is able to hold the wood firmly in a clamp operated by foot while shaping the wood with the knife.  Our students were amazed by the technique
and eagerly applied it. Within a short time the students elaborated on this method and adapted it to their circumstances to achieve the desired result. Without the use of electricity or other machinery, but with a supply of small trees, these tools and time, we are excited about the prospects of what they will create. 
 
                   
 - Future Impact -
We are teaching chair making. The methods, however, lend themselves to other types of furniture (beds, tables, etc.).
 
 
 - Environmental Conservation -
The concept of preserving the environment is not new to any of our students, however, training in how to do this in their home localities is. Our hope in this regard is that our
modeling and what we tell teach now and in the next sessions will influence them in the long run.
 
At a personal level, interacting with our Mayan students has had a profound impact on me personally. Understanding some of the struggles which they face and the enthusiasm which they apply to make their lives better is inspirational.  Lending them the experience of our own technical lives is an even trade for the simplicity and focus of their own.  I am a much richer person for doing this.