How to Make Furniture From Tree Branches
- 1). Plan out your design. If you just want a simple chair you would need less wood that for one that was woven or had twisted elements. Make sure to use measurements in the plan to estimate the longest pieces needed.
- 2). Collect branches, limbs and trunks from trees that have fallen or you have cut. Be sure to wear leather gloves while collecting to avoid sap and splinters. Some varieties that make good furniture are birch, pine, willow, elm, pecan, box elder, cedar or maple.
- 3). Use the tools to remove smaller branches, twigs and leaves from your pieces, taking care not to damage the branch itself. If you wish to remove the bark, use a drawknife to peel the bark off. Then, use a hand sander to make the branches smooth to the touch and remove the chance of splinters.
- 4). Pick the pieces from what you collected that will make a sturdy frame. For a basic chair you need two front legs and eight bracing pieces about 12 to 18 inches and two back legs at least twice the length of the front.
- 5). Attach one front leg and one back leg with two bracing pieces using nails. Make sure the bottom of the two legs are even, so the chair will set steady and attach one brace about half way up the front leg and the other at the top of the front leg. You can also soak leather cording in water for 12 hours and attach the brace while the cord is still wet. Repeat the same process for the opposite side, making sure to attach the braces to the outside of the legs.
- 6). Attach a brace to the front and back sides of the legs, just above the lower braces on the sides. Attach the last two braces level with the other two top bracing pieces. Place a flat board or other flat surface across the top bracing pieces. Check for level on the top bracing pieces from front to back and side to side. This will give you a basic chair frame with a square seat.
- 7). Wrap skinny branches that have been soaked in water from one side of the chair back to the other, leaving lots of slack for drying. Attach with nails, screws or leather cording each time the branch reaches one of the side pieces. You can wrap around the outside both end pieces, or wrap over one and under the other to make a design.
- 8). Repeat the same pattern for the seat of the chair, or cut thicker branches to fit into the square frame and attach with nails.
- 9). Sand and seal the chair as desired.
