The Arizona Wood Splinter Group

Provided by Steve Banen

We had an excellent turnout for our April 18th meeting which was held at the upholstery shop of Dan Allaire where his Master Upholsterer, Sergio, gave an excellent and informative talk on the Allaire way of upholstering furniture. The level of detail, quality and customization that Dan and his crew are able to achieve is impressive. We learned the basic tools of the trade in addition to getting a demonstration of a skiving machine, which is like a planer for leather. Who knew? Sergio gave a detailed explanation of the “8-way-hand-tied” suspension system that is incorporated in all Allaire seating, a technique that is tedious and no longer widely used because of labor and material costs, but is found in the highest quality furniture. Another major talking point was the wide variety of materials that go into the covering of a fully upholstered piece and all the ways that firmness can be adjusted to suit individual preferences. I could go on, but one thing is certain: I didn’t know what I didn’t know!

Prior to the demonstration, I passed out a few more of our cool WSG membership cards, laser printed by Jill Bennett. I am still holding cards for William Douglas, Dean Farnham, Cedric Theim and Kip Merritt.

Speaking of Kip Merritt, in an effort to get Kip back to the meetings, Dan suggested and it was unanimously approved that moving forward, our meetings will begin at 6pm rather than 7pm. Hope to see you at the next meeting Kip! — Steve Banen, WSG president