About
Robert Bragg, Designer & Craftsman
In the past 40 years, Robert has continued to feed his passion for creative woodworking, converting carefully selected hardwoods into ergonomically engineered, functional art. Based on his background and education, Robert has focused his efforts around designing and building wooden furniture to enhance sitting comfort. He has received two patents on his unique ergonomic wooden furniture designs and crafted numerous other fine pieces of furniture.
- Lucy Clark Gallery – Brevard, North Carolina
- Southern Highlands Craft Guild – Asheville, North Carolina
- The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts – Highlands, North Carolina
- Blue Ridge Craft Trails – Asheville, North Carolina
- Grovewood Gallery – Asheville, North Carolina
- Cotswold Furniture Gallery – Stowe, Vermont
- Cotswold Furniture Gallery – Great Barrington, Massachusetts
- Arts Depot – Abingdon, Virginia
- Heartwood Gallery – Abingdon, Virginia
- Bob has sold his patented Outdoor Lumbar Lounger with adjustable lumbar in Relax the Back corporate
stores across the US.
- In June 2010, Robert presented his rocking chair design and manufacturing approach at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the Furniture Society Conference entitled “Fusions: Minds & Hands Shaping Our Future”.
- Patent entitled “Rocking Chair with a Cantilever Seat and a Flexible Back Structure”
- Patent entitled “Adjustable, Collapsible Lounge Chair with Lumbar Support” design
- Publications on “Defect Prevention”, “Failure Analysis”, and “Optimizing Manufacturing Processes”
- B.S. in Industrial Technology from Millersville University in Pennsylvania with emphasis on woodworking, metal working, plastics
- Apprenticeship in Foundry Patternmaking
- Advanced Teaching Education in Australia and at University of Maryland College Park
- Mechanical Engineering coursework, Masters and Ph.D. at U of MD College Park
Robert Bragg has enjoyed over 45 years of creative fine woodworking and custom remodeling while completing a 35-year career with General Dynamics Corporation in engineering, program / operations management and quality leadership.
Other employment included: overseas teaching assignments in industrial trades (manual arts: woodworking, metalworking and engineering) in Australia, teaching at the University of MD, College Park and an apprenticeship in wooden foundry patternmaking in PA.
Based on Robert Bragg’s background, education and chronic back issues, he has continued to feed his passion for creative woodworking by focusing on ergonomic furniture designs and by converting hardwood (primarily walnut and cherry) into extraordinary engineered pieces of functional art. Bragg’s design utilizes a cantilevered seat supported by a structurally efficient combination of lap joints and mortise tenon joints. Robert sees woodworking “as an adventure – to create original, functional art that unfolds the unique beauty of a log to make the tree live again so that others may enjoy it’s beauty and appreciate the strength, color, and finish.
Robert’s Key Design and Craftsmanship Achievements
- Researched, designed, and created engineering drawings for the US Patent Office for a wooden adjustable lumbar lounge chair and a cantilevered seated flexible backed all
wood rocking chair - Handcrafted a unique rocking chair entirely of wood, without using any mechanical fasteners,
and engineered with a cantilever seat.- Structurally efficient design is bonded together with complex lap joints and mortise tenon joints
- Original, ergonomic rocking chair with a supportive yet flexible lumbar region
- Presented this rocking chair design at MIT – Furniture Society Conference
- Chair named a finalist in 2021 Made In North Carolina awards
- Earned two patents for unique ergonomic chair designs
Robert’s latest design project also plays a part in history and of a personal nature. “In 2020, I lost my
best friend – my father, the greatest musician I know. I wanted to find a way to honor him and my
brother, whose musical influence greatly impacted me. I’ve finished a prototype music stand design, which I’m very excited about.”
- Robert has created two music stand designs that are sculptural and lend to his design aesthetic
As a woodworker, engineer and leader, Robert received a Bachelor of Science degree from Millersville University in Pennsylvania for Industrial Technology: a practical degree with emphasis on materials and processes including: woodworking, metalworking, electronics, composites and foundry patternmaking. After graduation, Robert expanded his practical training with formal engineering studies, graduate studies and numerous challenges in industry settings and universities. Robert has a Masters and PhD in Industrial Technology from the University of Maryland College Park.
- Lucy Clark Gallery – Brevard, North Carolina
- Southern Highlands Craft Guild – Asheville, North Carolina
- The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts – Highlands, North Carolina
- Blue Ridge Craft Trails – Asheville, North Carolina
- Grovewood Gallery – Asheville, North Carolina
- Cotswold Furniture Gallery – Stowe, Vermont
- Cotswold Furniture Gallery – Great Barrington, Massachusetts
- Arts Depot – Abingdon, Virginia
- Heartwood Gallery – Abingdon, Virginia
- B.S. in Industrial Technology from Millersville University in Pennsylvania with emphasis on woodworking, metal working, plastics
- Apprenticeship in Foundry Patternmaking
- Advanced Teaching Education in Australia and at University of Maryland College Park
- Mechanical Engineering coursework, Masters and Ph.D. at U of MD College Park
- In June 2010, Robert presented his rocking chair design and manufacturing approach at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the Furniture Society Conference entitled “Fusions: Minds & Hands Shaping Our Future”.
- Patent entitled “Rocking Chair with a Cantilever Seat and a Flexible Back Structure”
- Patent entitled “Adjustable, Collapsible Lounge Chair with Lumbar Support” design
- Publications on “Defect Prevention”, “Failure Analysis” & “Optimizing Manufacturing Processes”
- Bob has sold his patented Outdoor Lumbar Lounger with adjustable lumbar in Relax the Back corporate
stores across the US.
Robert Bragg has enjoyed over 45 years of creative fine woodworking and custom remodeling while completing a 35-year career with General Dynamics Corporation in engineering, program / operations management and quality leadership.
Other employment included: overseas teaching assignments in industrial trades (manual arts: woodworking, metalworking and engineering) in Australia, teaching at the University of MD, College Park and an apprenticeship in wooden foundry patternmaking in PA.
Based on Robert Bragg’s background, education and chronic back issues, he has continued to feed his passion for creative woodworking by focusing on ergonomic furniture designs and by converting hardwood (primarily walnut and cherry) into extraordinary engineered pieces of functional art. Bragg’s design utilizes a cantilevered seat supported by a structurally efficient combination of lap joints and mortise tenon joints. Robert sees woodworking “as an adventure – to create original, functional art that unfolds the unique beauty of a log to make the tree live again so that others may enjoy it’s beauty and appreciate the strength, color, and finish.
Robert’s Key Design and Craftsmanship Achievements
- Researched, designed, and created engineering drawings for the US
Patent Office for a wooden adjustable lumbar lounge chair and a
cantilevered seated flexible backed all
wood rocking chair - Handcrafted a unique rocking chair entirely of wood, without using any mechanical fasteners,
and engineered with a cantilever seat.- Structurally efficient design is bonded together with complex lap joints and mortise tenon joints
- Original, ergonomic rocking chair with a supportive yet flexible lumbar region
- Presented this rocking chair design at MIT – Furniture Society Conference
- Chair named a finalist in 2021 Made In North Carolina awards
- Earned two patents for unique ergonomic chair designs
Robert’s latest design project also plays a part in history and of a personal nature. “In 2020, I lost my
best friend – my father, the greatest musician I know. I wanted to find a way to honor him and my
brother,
whose musical influence greatly impacted me. I’ve finished a prototype
music stand design, which I’m very excited about.”
- Robert has created two music stand designs that are sculptural and lend to his design aesthetic
As a woodworker, engineer and leader, Robert received a Bachelor of Science degree from Millersville University in Pennsylvania for Industrial Technology: a practical degree with emphasis on materials and processes including: woodworking, metalworking, electronics, composites and foundry patternmaking. After graduation, Robert expanded his practical training with formal engineering studies, graduate studies and numerous challenges in industry settings and universities. Robert has a Masters and PhD in Industrial Technology from the University of Maryland College Park.
