Hi, my name is Laron Algren. I was born and raised on a farm near Springfield, Ohio. My father introduced me to
woodworking as a child and I continued this interest into 4-H as a teenager. My mother was always concerned about my losing
a finger in the process. I have remodeled homes, renovated historic barns and constructed custom homes. During my last
year of college, a friend asked me to build a pair of rocking chairs. After shaking my head and urging him to buy them at a
store (to no avail), I decided to explore the world of chair making. The quintessential Sam Maloof rocker quickly caught my eye
with its striking proportions and unique style. Coincidentally, I was completing a B.S. in Industrial Engineering at Wright State
University in Dayton, Ohio. The focus of my studies was (what else?) ergonomics. Building these distinctive chairs seemed
the logical route to combining two of my strongest areas of interest.
Although woodworking in general is very enjoyable, there is nothing more gratifying than building something that interacts with
the human body. Suddenly, having a perfectly square corner or crisp edge detail takes a backseat to comfort and correct
support. I strive to make furniture that reflects shapes found in nature rather than man made lines and angles. After all, how
many of us have perfectly straight backs that correspond to so many other chair designs?
My ultimate goal is to offer an ergonomically engineered, handcrafted and elegantly styled alternative to the mass-produced
furniture that we see around us now. And let’s face it; we all need to take time every now and then to rock the world away.
woodworking as a child and I continued this interest into 4-H as a teenager. My mother was always concerned about my losing
a finger in the process. I have remodeled homes, renovated historic barns and constructed custom homes. During my last
year of college, a friend asked me to build a pair of rocking chairs. After shaking my head and urging him to buy them at a
store (to no avail), I decided to explore the world of chair making. The quintessential Sam Maloof rocker quickly caught my eye
with its striking proportions and unique style. Coincidentally, I was completing a B.S. in Industrial Engineering at Wright State
University in Dayton, Ohio. The focus of my studies was (what else?) ergonomics. Building these distinctive chairs seemed
the logical route to combining two of my strongest areas of interest.
Although woodworking in general is very enjoyable, there is nothing more gratifying than building something that interacts with
the human body. Suddenly, having a perfectly square corner or crisp edge detail takes a backseat to comfort and correct
support. I strive to make furniture that reflects shapes found in nature rather than man made lines and angles. After all, how
many of us have perfectly straight backs that correspond to so many other chair designs?
My ultimate goal is to offer an ergonomically engineered, handcrafted and elegantly styled alternative to the mass-produced
furniture that we see around us now. And let’s face it; we all need to take time every now and then to rock the world away.
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Copyright 2007 Laron Algren Woodworking
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