ButtOn chairs come to Royalston’s Phinehas S. Newton Library

ROYALSTON — Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School students and cabinetmaking instructor, Michael Dion recently completed building ButtOn chairs for the children’s room at the Phinehas S. Newton Library in Royalston.

The project was initiated when Royalston timber framer Tom Musco saw an article about the chairs, spoke with Dion and told Library Director Kathy Morris, who was impressed by the innovative design and immediately embraced the idea of having the Monty Tech students make the chairs. The chairs were developed by Dr. Turner Osler, a former trauma surgeon who had turned to epidemiology research and found that sitting for hours caused him unrelenting back pain. He realized that he needed a seat that could adjust to the position of his body freely and constantly. Finding no such seat, he invented one. And, dedicated to the idea that the everyone should have access to the chair, he has made the plans available for free. (You can view Dr. Osler’s Ted Talk online.)

Dion adjusted the plans slightly and worked with students Simon Hoover, Joe Besette and Jake Cherubin to complete the project. “I am impressed by the workmanship and beauty of the chairs and feel very fortunate to have the library be the recipient of these unique pieces built by the three talented students and appreciate the eagerness of Michael Dion to undertake the project with them,” said Morris. “And with restrictions of the pandemic lifting and the library open for browsing, I’m looking forward to seeing the chairs used.”