Woodworker: Miguel Gómez-Ibáñez

These chairs, based on a style that was in vogue around 1700, display deep and aggressive carvings and turnings. The arm chair (24 in deep by 23 in. wide by 48 in. tall) and the high chair (18 in. deep by 20 in. wide by 44 in. tall) are called banister-back chairs because the spindles, although flat on the front, are rounded on the back. The spindles are made by split turning. Two pieces of stock are glued together with a piece of paper in between; they are turned, and then they are split apart at the glue line with a rap of the chisel.

Photo: Dean Powell

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