Bentwood objects are made by wetting wood (either by soaking or by steaming), then bending it and letting it harden into curved shapes and patterns. Furniture-makers often use this method in the production of

rocking chair A rocking chair or rocker is a type of chair with two curved bands (also known as rockers) attached to the bottom of the legs, connecting the legs on each side to each other. The rockers contact the floor at only two points, giving the occupant ...

s, cafe chairs, and other light furniture. The iconic

No. 14 chair The No. 14 chair is the most famous chair made by the Gebrüder Thonet, Thonet chair company. Also known as the "bistro chair", it was designed in the Austrian Empire by Michael Thonet and introduced in 1859, becoming the world's first mass-prod ...

(also known as the "Vienna chair"), developed in the 1850s in the Austrian Empire by Thonet, is a well-known design based on the technique. The process is in widespread use for making casual and informal furniture of all types, particularly seating and table forms. It is also a popular technique in the worldwide production of furniture with frames made of heavy cane, which is commonly imported into European and Western shops. Bentwood boxes are a traditional item made by the

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

people of the North American west coast including the Haida,

Gitxsan Gitxsan (also spelled Gitksan and Kitksan) are an Indigenous people in Canada whose home territory comprises most of the area known as the Skeena Country in English (: means "people of" and : means "the River of Mist"). Gitksan territory enco ...

Tlingit The Tlingit or Lingít ( ) are Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. , they constitute two of the 231 federally recognized List of Alaska Native tribal entities, Tribes of Alaska. Most Tlingit are Alaska Natives; ...

Tsimshian The Tsimshian (; ) are an Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their communities are mostly in coastal British Columbia in Terrace, British Columbia, Terrace and ...

, Sugpiaq, Unangax,

Yup'ik The Yupʼik or Yupiaq (sg & pl) and Yupiit or Yupiat (pl), also Central Alaskan Yupʼik, Central Yupʼik, Alaskan Yupʼik ( own name ''Yupʼik'' sg ''Yupiik'' dual ''Yupiit'' pl; Russian: Юпики центральной Аляски), are an ...

, Inupiaq and

Coast Salish The Coast Salish peoples are a group of ethnically and linguistically related Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, living in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. They speak on ...

. These boxes are generally made out of one piece of wood that is steamed and bent to form a box. Traditional uses of the boxes varied - they included storage of food goods and of clothing, and for burial. They were often without decoration while others were decorated elaborately. Today many are made for collectors and can be purchased from museums, gift shops and online sites as well as directly commissioned from the artists. The

Aleut Aleuts ( ; (west) or (east) ) are the Indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands, which are located between the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. Both the Aleuts and the islands are politically divided between the US state of Alaska ...

or Unangan people of Alaska made hunting visors, called '' chagudax'', out of driftwood using the bentwood method. Hunters in kayaks used the visors - they are said to help keep sea spray off the face as well as to improve hearing. They were often decorated with paints, beads, sea-lion whiskers and ivory figurines. Andrew Gronholdt revived the art of chagudax in the 1980s. Present-day Unangan artists create chagudax for ceremonial purposes and offer them for sale to the public as well.

References

External links

AllWoodwork.com – Methods of Bending WoodFineWoodWorking.com – Skills and TechniquesTaylor's Classics – The History and Popularity of Bentwood Furniture
* ttp://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Rx_For_Bending_Wood.html Woodweb.com – Rx For Bending Wood: Dr. Gene Wengert offers advice on bending solid lumber in production applications {{Decorative arts Decorative arts Woodworking

See also

References

External links