73+Miles: A Hickory Bark Odyssey

In 1982, I started hand-cutting hickory bark for chair seats—splitting and weaving over 23 miles in my first decade alone. Each seat took 20-30 minutes to prepare and another 25-45 minutes to weave. Determined to refine the process, I built this machine that matched hand-cutting speed but brought unmatched consistency. Though it didn’t speed things up, it transformed our workflow, allowing us to process over 50 more miles of bark—enough to supply chairmakers nationwide. In 2021, I passed the machine on to Eric Cannisarro, where it continues as 'Eric’s Leviathan.' This is the story of four decades perfecting the craft of hickory splint weaving. Join this channel to get access to more videos / @boggsbench Sign up for our free newsletter to be notified of a new video or other cool stuff happening at Boggs Bench! https://www.lessons.boggsbench.com/ For more information, plans, and more: https://boggsbench.com See our furniture: https://brianboggschairmakers.com/ Click here to order one of our Bandsaw Love t-shirts https://boggsbench.com/product/bandsaw-love-t-shirts-blue/ Click here to order one of our Deep in the Woods t-shirts https://boggsbench.com/product/deep-in-the-woods-t-shirts-grey/ #BrianBoggs #Boggsbench #boggsdesigns #HickoryBark #ChairMaking #HandmadeToMachine #TraditionalCraft #WoodworkingHistory #SplintWeaving #ChairSeat #ArtisanCraft #40YearsOfCraft #HickorySplints #LeviathanMachine #EricCannisarro #SlowCraft #Craftsmanship #WoodworkingInnovation