The scissor chairs are a heritage left by the Romans and are a unique piece of handicraft, characteristic of the municipality of Monchique. Today, although the secular model is maintained, the craftsmen have made some changes in order to obtain a more comfortable seat. Scissor chairs of all sizes and models can be found.

The designation of this piece of furniture derives from the fact that it opens and closes, resembling the movement of scissors and the manufacturing process is still based on traditional models, but the craftsmen already use some electric machines, especially in cutting and sawing wood – In the past, craftsmen bought the wood directly to the owners of the land where the trees grew. The wood was cut by hand, with a saw, and transported to the workshops using carts pulled by animals.

Currently there are few producers of this chair, with some younger craftsmen who started producing this product – One of the oldest artisans in this art, Mr. Jose Leonardo Salvador, due to advancing age, no longer performs this activity, being currently, the manufacture and construction of chairs scissors made by the following craftsmen, native to Monchique: Manuel Correia Alexandre, Celso Vicente and Márcio Brázio.

In Monchique, alder is present in the vicinity of the region’s water courses and the wood, being lighter, is used in the manufacture of the typical scissor chairs.

When the chair is ready, you can keep your color natural, only with a varnish or wax finish to make it prettier and a bit darker. Or it can be painted in different colors. Scholars believe that the traditional model of scissor chair was inspired by the sella curulle of the romans from the old days. These were made of chestnut wood. and only the richest families could have these chairs.

Reference:
https://algarveimaterial.wordpress.com/cadeira-de-tesoura/