Chair-maker Chair-maker Since the mid-17th century a chair-maker, or chairbler, is a craftsman in the furniture trades specializing in chairs. Before that time seats were made by joiners, turners, and coffermakers, and woven seats were made by basketmakers. In 18th-century London, chair-makers might work on their own account, or within the workshop of upholders, as members of the upholstery trade were called. In 1803 Thomas Sheraton observed a division of labour that was of long standing in London and county towns: "Chair-making is a branch generally confined to itself, as those who professedly work at it, seldom engage to make cabinet
Swietenia mahagoni said to have been interested in samples of mahogany brought by Sir Walter Raleigh on his return from Trinidad in 1595. Mahogany was little used in English furniture making until the 18th century, as domestic oak and walnut were the predominant woods used. The first use of "S. mahagoni" in the United Kingdom for cabinet work was in 1724. Mahogany became the essential material that led to the golden age of British furniture-making in the 18th century, which Percy Macquoid, a connoisseur of English furniture, calls the "Age of Mahogany". Furniture makers have used the wood more or less continuously