Our local “Milbridge Days” celebration over July 28th and 29th this year in Milbridge, Maine has come and gone. The weeks and days up to that point were quite busy, and I had committed to donating a chair to the Womens Health Resource Library’s Adirondack Chair Silent Auction.This auction was a fundraiser held at the “Seaworthy Center” on Main Street in Milbridge during Milbridge Days and all of the chairs went to local, professional artists to paint or decorate as they saw fit.

The WHRL ordered 15 folding Adirondack chair kits that came completely disassembled and unfinished (bare wood).  I had to drive a couple of hours (one way) to pick them up from the company they were ordered from, then came home and assembled all of the kits. They were then distributed to the local artists.

My chair made the total 16 in all. I traced the parts from the  kits onto hardboard and cut out templates to base my design on. Rather than build a chair exactly like the kits, I embellished a bit and  made the back slats look a little like the forward section of a lobster carapace, and the arms look like lobster claws. I also made drink holders out of 12 gauge copper electrical wire with soldered joints, using a jig I made so both would be exactly the same.

I used all locally harvested woods and American made hardware for my chair, finished it bright, except for the arm rests, back, and seat slats,

which I painted a bright red. I was trying to keep it subtle and never mentioned the word lobster. I simply dubbed the chair “Downeast Adirondack” and left it at that, but as soon as the doors opened, everyone started calling it “The lobster chair.”

At the end of the auction, my chair brought the second highest bid price of $500.00 and there were several bids from different families in attendance. This was a “one-off” chair as I did not make templates of the “lobster” parts  I incorporated into it. Some folks have asked me if I would be interested in making more of these, and I could draw some parts to look similar to this chair, but I’d have to get $600.00 per chair to make the effort worthwhile.

If you like it enough such that you are willing to part with the cash, a 50% deposit is necessary to schedule the work. At the moment, I’m working towards making enough inventory for my booth at the Machias (Maine) Blueberry Festival taking place in a couple  of weeks (over August 18th, 19th, and 20th). I’ve been assigned “spot number 8” in what they call “the church lot,” and I’ll be there all three days of the festival.

Downeast Adirondack by Paul Bennett