Birth of an Heirloom

            Jed Sutter, a physician’s assistant from Milton, Massachusetts, joins the two arm sections of an arts and crafts-inspired chair. Bob Ouelette, a master craftsman at Thos. Moser cabinetmakers, helped Jed align the gleaming curves of cherry wood. Jed’s father David Sutter, a retired engineer works on a matching armchair with Dona DeBlois, another Moser cabinetmaker. “I have been a hobby wood maker all my life, and thought that I knew a thing or two. But this past week, I got invaluable tips and learned some great shortcuts” says the elder Sutter.

            The two are members of the latest class of Thos. Moser’s customer in residence program. The program paired each participant with a Moser cabinetmaker; in Jed’s case it’s Ouelette, “because Bob is the expert on this particular chair.” Jed explains. John Carey, a surgeon came to build a trapezoidal captain’s chest. “My grandfather was a ship’s captain. This piece already has great meaning for me. And, my children and grandchildren will use it long after I’m gone.” Carey says.

            Thomas Moser’s furniture evokes that kind of passion. In 1972, Moser was a Bates college professor of speech who decided to take a year off to try furniture making. “Old furniture, as well as old architecture, was a burning passion: I needed to make things with my hands. When I was still teaching, I made reproductions of Georgian furniture; every so often someone would buy a piece.” He says.

            In 1977, Moser wrote How to Make Shaker Furniture and introduced the Continuous Arm Chair. It became instant classics. The book is out of print, but the demand for the chair has never abated. Today tables, beds, case pieces, upholstered chairs and sofas, kitchen stools, and chaise lounges with matching ottomans flow out of the 70,000-square-foot plant in Auburn, Maine.

Armchair

                                          Moser Cabinetmaker