Eleven of us work under one roof off Whitworth Street West. We cut dining chairs , carvers, armchairs and bar stools from solid English oak, European ash and American walnut. Mortise and tenon joints, drawbored and wedged, no plywood anywhere in the frame. Prices start at £274 and every frame is guaranteed for ten years.
Why the quality claim holds up
Inside the workshopLoaded before it is finished
Every dining frame goes on the rig at 110 kg and through the backrest cycle of BS EN 16139 level 2. Contract frames run twice as long. A frame that moves goes back to the bench, not into the finishing room.
One board, no laminations
Back legs are sawn from a single board on a template. There is no plywood, no dowelled joint and no staple anywhere in the frame, which is why a chair can be taken apart and put back together in twenty years.
Numbered and written down
The frame number, the timber and the date are stamped under the seat and copied into the book with your order. A repair in year nine starts from the same drawing and the same cutting list.
Ten years, collected and returned
If a joint opens in normal use inside ten years we book a collection, take the chair apart in the workshop, re-joint it and bring it back. Carriage both ways is ours, not yours.
Chairs we hold in stock
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Whitworth side chair
English oak, oiled
- Seat height
- 45 cm
- Stock
- 2 to 3 weeks
from £385 inc. VAT
Whitworth side chair, ash
European ash, hard wax
- Seat height
- 45 cm
- Stock
- 2 to 3 weeks
from £352 inc. VAT
Castlefield carver
English oak, arms
- Seat height
- 46 cm
- Stock
- 3 weeks
from £498 inc. VAT
Ancoats stacking chair
European ash, stacks six high
- Seat height
- 45 cm
- Stock
- held in Manchester
from £274 inc. VAT
Deansgate armchair
American walnut, cut to order
- Seat height
- 42 cm
- Lead time
- 8 to 10 weeks
from £1,240 inc. VAT
Rusholme stool, 65 cm
English oak, footrail in steel
- Seat height
- 65 cm
- Stock
- 2 weeks
from £345 inc. VAT
Rusholme stool, 75 cm
English oak, footrail in steel
- Seat height
- 75 cm
- Stock
- 2 weeks
from £362 inc. VAT
Chorlton dining chair
Oak frame, wool seat, crib 5
- Seat height
- 46 cm
- Stock
- 4 weeks
from £452 inc. VAT
Hulme low armchair
Ash, 3.5 mm saddle leather
- Seat height
- 38 cm
- Lead time
- 6 to 8 weeks
from £876 inc. VAT
Salford bench, 1.4 m
English oak, seats three
- Seat height
- 45 cm
- Stock
- 3 weeks
from £690 inc. VAT
Retail prices include VAT and delivery to mainland England, Scotland and Wales. Trade accounts are priced ex VAT from twelve chairs.
How the chairs are made
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FRAMES
Mortise and tenon, drawbored and wedged
Tenons are cut on the machine and fitted by hand, one joint at a time, so the shoulder closes without filler. Back legs are sawn from one piece rather than laminated. Every dining frame is loaded to the 110 kg seat test in BS EN 16139 level 2 before it is finished.
TIMBER
Oak from Shropshire, ash from Cumbria, walnut from Ohio
Boards come in at 52 mm and sit in the rack for a further six weeks before we touch them. We work to 8 to 10 per cent moisture, which is what a heated room in Manchester settles at. Grain and colour move from tree to tree and we do not stain to hide it.
CONTRACT
Seating for dining rooms that turn over three times a night
Contract frames get a heavier stretcher and a bolted seat rail, and upholstered seats are made up in fabrics rated to BS 7176 medium hazard. We hold the pattern for your order, so a replacement chair in year four matches the ones already in the room.
Ten years on the frame. If a joint opens in normal use we collect the chair, take it apart and re-joint it, and bring it back.
Buy once, and keep the chair in the family
Oil finishes can be topped up at home, seats can be re-covered, and we keep the drawings for every chair that leaves the workshop.
ORDERING
Four steps, and one of them is sitting down
- 01Tell us the model, the timber and how many. Send the enquiry from this page or ring the workshop.
- 02We write back with a price, a lead time and, for upholstered seats, two or three fabric options.
- 03Come and sit on the chair in the workshop, or ask for a sample chair on sale or return if you are ordering ten or more.
- 04Half on order, half before delivery. We deliver ourselves inside the M60 and use a two person courier elsewhere.
Trade accounts
Restaurants, hotels and interior designers buy from twelve chairs at 15 per cent off list, and from forty at 22 per cent, ex VAT, on 30 day terms once an account is open.
Send an enquiry
Add chairs from the list above, or just write what you need. We answer every enquiry, usually the same working day, with a price and a lead time.
- Workshop
- 12 Whitworth St W, Manchester M1 5NZ
- Telephone
- 0161 236 7716
- [email protected]
No chairs picked yet. Use Add to enquiry on any chair above and it will show up here.
Estimate: £0 inc. VAT, before any trade discount
Thank you, your enquiry is with the workshop
We have your details and will come back to you with a price and a lead time. If it is urgent, ring 0161 236 7716 and ask for the bench.
Reference BC-0000
Come and sit on them
The bench is at 12 Whitworth St W, five minutes from Oxford Road station. Ring ahead and we will have the chairs you are interested in out on the floor.