By Monica Rhodes

Master Upholsterer Gareth Reese on The Hourglass Spring: Usage and History – sponsored by Upholstery Education

Gareth Rees is passionate about springs. In this webinar he shares a bit of his vast knowledge to cover the basics of the history of springs in furniture and the principals and dynamics of technique, including a demonstration of spring choice, placement and tying.

Gareth begins with the evolution of seating from hard, upright indicators of social stature to the padded and upholstered pieces we lounge upon today. He follows with an explanation of spring anatomy and variation and explains the relationship of these variables to the strength, function, longevity and feel of the sprung piece.

Though “there is no hard and fast rule” to choosing proper springs it is necessary to understand the many variables and their potential effects to make good decisions. Gareth provides rough compression rate guidelines to help determine the proper spring to use for your intended result. He then covers the fundamentals of spring placement and tying accompanied by a demonstration and a comparison of European vs. US technique. (The 8-way tie is the gold standard in the United States but - fun fact - the US is one of the only countries in which diagonal ties are used regularly.) Gareth concludes with advice on tying order for uniform vs. offset rows, as well as placement and tying of springs for large pieces and those with curved edges.

If you missed this webinar live it is well worth visiting on the NUA website - and be sure to stay tuned for Gareth’s follow-up webinar in January of 2025 on intermediate techniques including sprung edges, arms and backs.

Missed the National Upholstery Association’s September Webinar? Click here to watch it!