[Ansteorra] Not Actually A Viking Chair

[C. L. Ward]

Lord Morgan Lucktain asked:
>...I had seen a two piece chair they
>called a Viking Traveling Chair.  It
>came in two parts, the seat part would
>slide into a grove into the chair back
>part.  It would then lean back some so
>that one could sit at almost a recline
>position.  I am just trying to see if any
>one has any pics or blue prints on how
>to make them.  I have tried looking on
>the net & have not found what I am looking
>for.  So any help from any one
>would be greatly appreiciated.

Firstly, these are not Viking chairs by any stretch of the imagination.  How
the two board, non-period camp chairs got to be called "Viking chairs"
involves the general evolution of "folk understandings" in the SCA.

To locate the two-board, modern camp chairs, try searching for "stargarzer
chair".  There are online plans for this not medieval chair at:

http://www.currentmiddleages.org/tents/chair4stargazer.pdf
http://cls.coe.utk.edu/mcnutt/SCA/portfolio/woodworking/bogchair/bogchairpla
ns.htm

And though I'm sure no one would have guessed this, there are a series of
messages about this type of chair in Stefan's Florilegium at
http://www.florilegium.org/files/HOME/chairs-msg.html as well ;-)

HOWEVER... if you'd like an actual Viking chair, I can help you with that,
too.  Check out my article on woodworking in the Viking Age
(http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/wood.htm) in the "Furniture" section.  Then
also consult the Bibliography, which has one section devoted to
"Reconstructions, Plans and How To Articles".  There's one chair from Lund,
Sweden (ca. 1000-1050) that is almost identical to a chair I've seen offered
commercially at various places such as Walmart from time to time.

::GUNNVOR::