Sligo – Worth A Second Look

by | Oct 30, 2013 | 27 comments

As a designer I tend to look at pieces of furniture for their aesthetic first whilst Richard, and I’m sure many of yourselves as well, look at things for how they’re made instead.

Chair

The Sligo or Taum Chair

When I first came across a chair similar to the one shown it was a fairly poor example and I must admit I near enough passed it by without much notice. Richard on the otherhand was intrigued and had to investigate further. His attraction was for a chair which appeared to be made without the specialist chair making tools or skills that are usually required – it was much more familiar joinery. I could immediately see his point and the more I looked at the unusual form the more I could appreciate it.

Sometime later I saw I came across another chair of similar design and this one took my attention immediately. It was well made and had aged beautifully and really did the form justice, it made me feel that the design made a nice blank canvas to play about with. I’ve been doing a bit of digging since and my research has made me just a little obsessed with the form. Between the two of us we’ve decided to have ago at building some examples to put to the test just how simple or complex a design it really is. I’ll share some of our research on here as we get building because this chair has a nice bit of history to it, and if you are familiar with the Sligo or Taum chairs then we’d be very interested to hear from you.

If it looks a little awkward to your eye at first then give it some time, you may just warm to it… I did.

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Helen seeks to explore ways to live with greater joy & sustainability for both ourselves & the planet. Concepts which have led to the launch of her second business We Are Carbon. As the producer of our videos, Helen brings a unique perspective & injects life to our education ensuring it is both a pleasure to watch & easy to follow & learn from. Learn More About Helen & The English Woodworker.

27 Comments

  1. Vic Tesolin

    Hi Helen,

    Very interesting chair design. I could see that being ideal for a guitar player’s chair. I look forward to following your exploration. Say hey to Richard for me.

    Vic

    Reply
    • John

      Hi Vic,

      I suppose I could make one, and let you know about the guitar angle!
      Regards
      John (UK)

      Reply
    • John

      Hi Vic.

      Maybe I could make one and let you know about the guitar angle.
      Regards
      John (UK)

      Reply
    • Helen

      Thanks Vic, Richard says hey!

      Reply
  2. Chris Buckingham

    I cant quite see how this design works as the tenon on the leg of the “tee” must have a lot of vertical (sideways to the tenon) force put on it when the chair is sat upon, it looks like it would fail across the front joint on being subjected to vertical load, is there a brace that goes under the “tee” to strengthen the seat ? And how are the side members jointed in , there appear to be no joints.
    Chris,
    France.

    Reply
    • Helen

      Hi Chris, I love that you are immediately analysing the construction! We haven’t seen any bracing under the the seat but we’ve had similar thoughts about the strength there. All of the seat components are joined with mortice and tenons and based on some of the examples we’ve seen our initial thoughts are that they simply had to find the right balance between the robustness of components and weight to acheive the strength required. When we get the first one built we’ll be able to put it straight to the test when I get Richard to sit on it! 😉

      Reply
  3. Paul Chapman

    Had to google it as I wasn’t familiar with the Sligo chair. Very interesting design and construction and lots of variations produced by different people. I look forward to following your version of it.

    Reply
  4. T. Smead

    looks like an interesting design to experiment with .

    Reply
  5. Richard Francis

    You might look at this website for recent sophisticated variations on sligo.
    http://yaffemays.com/SLIGO
    Laura Mays teaches at the College of the Redwoods

    Reply
    • Daniel Noall

      Thanks for the link! Directly to the information I had hoped to get after “googling” for an hour or so.

      I’m really looking forward to this “second look”.

      Reply
  6. Richard Francis

    And I know Richard does not read much but look at Laura May’s thesis (under writing on the website) and go to page 19 for a discussion of sligo originals and joinery.

    Reply
    • Helen

      Thank you Richard for that great link. I had looked through the great interpretations on the Yaffe Mays website previously but haven’t read through Laura’s thesis, it looks like a very interesting piece all round.

      Reply
  7. mike murray

    I think if I was to give that design a try, it would want to include the taller front legs that continue up through the seat front corners to support added arms; and a splayed back leg. The addition of arms would make it stronger don’t you think?. I’m also not fond of chairs that tip backwards easily when someone sits and leans back. It’s easy to crack your skull on something when that happens. : ( Did that, didn’t like it.

    Reply
    • Helen

      Hi Mike, I also like the look and strength added by the arms and I’m sure this would be the most sturdy version and is definately my favourite. Although Richard prefers a more primitive version than the one in the drawing.

      Reply
  8. Jonathan

    The interesting thing that immediately struck me about this form (and a lot of the Gibson chair forms which I am more familiar with) is that they can be built easily by joining very small dimensioned boards-no need for “a 20 inch board of clear white pine” or “english elm” to get a seat.
    I really like the down to earth back to basics simple methods of the traditional Irish and Welsh chair makers and their unique forms. They use what material is available. They are usually daring and idiosyncratic, strong sculptural forms…

    Reply
    • Helen

      Hi Jonathan, it’s certainly a very frugal design and I think that’s a big part of the attraction. You could almost takes scraps and turn them to something useful and lasting.

      Reply
  9. Paul

    Fascinating chair design – rustic,vernacular,simple, sound, sturdy.
    Think it should be a Sligo or TUAM chair – Tuam is a small town in the same area of Ireland as Sligo.

    Reply
  10. D Boyd

    The basic design does not look very comfortable.

    Reply
  11. Steve Symes

    Hi Helen & Richard

    I’ve been inspired by this to attempt a Sligo Chair myself – I have an old Elm panelled door that I am re- using.

    I have used two of the big panels and laminated them back together (they were a resawn book match) with a curve to form the back section – the rails and stiles of the door are making the rest of the chair – I have some pictures of progress so far but am unsure if I can send them to you

    I have reached a point of stuckness, which has prompted this post

    I cannot think how best to attach the 2 triangle side seat pieces to the back section – the front of these pieces will have a tounge to slide into a groove in the back of the front seat piece – if you could find a moment in your busy lives to give a suggestion, I would be very grateful.

    Thanks again for the original post – I had been wondering what to do with that door!

    Reply
    • Mike murray

      Hi Steve,
      Do you have a doweling jig? It looks to me like two dowels on each piece in that location would be plenty strong .
      Mike

      Reply
  12. Karl F. Newman

    hi; there seems to be about dozen pictures of this on the web…your drawing is one of them. That, and there seems to be no consensus as to what to call them… looking forward to your studies.
    K

    Reply
  13. Claudia Kinmonth

    I have researched & written about this so called ‘Sligo’ chair in my book ‘Irish Country Furniture 1700-1950’ (Yale University Press, 1993), pages 51-52, figs. 59-62. I am giving a conference paper at Dublin’s National Museum, Collins barracks branch, about it soon for the conference entitled ‘Mise Eire?’ it will be called ‘The Sligo Chair revisited, Ancestry & Evolution, an interdisciplinary approach’. My paper is on Saturday morning from 10am. sat. Nov. 5th 2016, anyone who applies can attend.

    My book is currently out of print, but available in most good libraries. It’s great to read about peoples’ challenges in reproducing this chair design, as it helps us greatly to understand why and how it was originally made like it was. The National Museum of Ireland own about a dozen examples. At least one is on display.
    posted by
    Claudia Kinmonth PhD MA(RCA)

    Reply
    • Helen

      Hi Claudia, many thanks for notifying us of your upcoming conference. I have a copy of your book, which gives such a unique look at the furniture we rarely put focus on, and makes a wonderful resource for designers and makers alike. Thanks for your work, and we’re thrilled you stopped by!

      Reply
      • Claudia Kinmonth

        Hi Helen, thank you for your appreciated comments about my book. I often see makers ‘redo’ Irish vernacular designs that I’ve researched and published, and I always think if something new comes of those early, functional yet ingenious designs, then that’s worthwhile. Actually the early furniture makers had a lot in common with our current constraints, shortage of materials, designing for small or crowded spaces, needing dual purpose designs, and often resourcefully on a low budget. they also thought constantly about how they could make things to last for generations. That last thought is too often neglected, I think, now, with so many throw away objects. Good luck with your making! Claudia

        Reply
  14. John Blake

    Hi Helen, l have just come across your blog on the Tuam chair (Old Irish chair). The Tuam chair is being made in Tuam since 1960 and I have been making the chairs and armchairs for the last 31 years in my own workshop, Corrib Crafts. The design may looks simple, but there is probably twice the amount of work and timber of a average chair. There is no design weakness in the chairs, they just last forever, John.
    Website: corribcrafts.com.

    Reply

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