The Alpha Chair Kit allows a woodworking or DIY enthusiast to make a Dunstone Design style chair in their own home workshop. The Alpha is a great way to make chairs for your family, learn more about chair making or just have fun woodworking. The Alpha makes a great gift for the woodworker in your life. The Alpha is also an excellent project for a highschool woodworker. We usually have Alpha’s in stock ready for immediate shipping. We ship the Alpha anywhere in Australia or they can be collected directly from our Queanbeyan workshop/showroom.The box contains a set of Victorian blackwood components, a card board template for the seat and back, as well as all the required hardware to make one Alpha chair. The box does not contain any glue, finish, abrasives or tools.
The comprehensive instructions are free. As you will see, the Alpha can be achieved by any woodworking enthusiast who has a basic set of equipment and a little experience. The Alpha is designed to be achieved using largely hand tools. There is lots of scope left for the maker to personalise the details of their Alpha.
All the Victorian blackwood we use for the Alpha chair kits comes as “shorts” that have been accumulated by Denis Brown of Corsair Sustainable Timbers over many years of commercial milling. Denis sources all his blackwood logs from Hancock Plantations Pty Ltd and they are FSC certified.
The Alpha Chair Kit is an ideal project for senior high school students, particularly Years 10 and 11. The kit provides some real woodworking challenges without the need for heavy machinery. The kit can be used as the basis for a course on chairmaking. Parents can use the Alpha chair kit as an opportunity to introduce their son or daughter to good timber, considered design, sustainable practices and fine craftsmanship; a chair made at 16 years old will last them a lifetime.
FAQs
1. HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO GET MY ALPHA KIT?
We usually have stock on hand, so we will normally have your order in transport the next day. We will inform you immediately if there is any delay. You can download the PDF of the instructions whenever you like.
2. WHAT IF I MAKE A MISTAKE AND RUIN A COMPONENT?
All the components can be purchased separately. If you ruin a component, simply email evan@dunstonedesign.com.au to order a replacement.
3. WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I WANT TO MAKE A SET OF ALPHAS?
The Alpha chair kit is a great way to make a set of quality chairs for your family at an affordable price. We highly recommend that you start by making just one Alpha first, before attempting a set. In woodwork, there is no substitute for experience (not even talent!). Sort out your processes, make all the “tweaks” and adjustments to the design that you want and get any further equipment that you might decide you need for making a set; then you can turn around and make a perfectly matching suite of Alphas with confidence.
4. ARE THE KITS COLOUR MATCHED?
We make sure that all the components in each kit are broadly colour matched, but there is no colour matching between kits. Because we use shorts (small sections and offcuts) and because blackwood naturally has a lot of colour variations, you will see some variation of timber colour between the kits. This is simply in the nature of blackwood.
5. IS THE ALPHA COMFORTABLE?
Yes. Evan designs every chair with a specific ergonomic consideration in mind. The Alpha is a “general comfort” design, meaning that it suits the widest range of body types possible. The Alpha’s comfort is one of its biggest selling points.
6. IS THERE A DISCOUNT FOR BULK ORDERS?
We do everything in our power to keep the unit price of the kits down. We expect that most people will want to make a set of Alphas, so our idea of “bulk” is North of 8 kits. If your idea of bulk is also North of 8 kits, please contact Evan using our contact page. Your easiest path to saving some dollars is with creative shipping solutions.
7. CAN I ORDER THIS FROM OUTSIDE OF AUSTRALIA?
Yes. Our website can calculate international shipping.