Chair construction question

[alexy]

I have never built a chair, and before I "fix" one of my chairs, I want to make sure there is not a good reason for how it is built.

The chair in question has turned legs that are splayed. The ends of the legs are cut perpendicular to the length of the leg, I presume because of the cost to cut so that the end sits flat on the floor. Pressed-in feet also contact the floor only on an edge, increasing the chance of marring the floor.

Am I missing a reason why I should not use dividers to mark a cut line a uniform ~3/8" above the floor, then use a saw and block plane to cut up to that line? Adding a felt or plastic pad will make up the lost height.

[Fly-by-Night CC]

None that I can see - sounds perfectly reasonable and also the way I'd expect to make and see chair legs contact the floor. I doubt you'll really feel any difference by removing the 3/8" that this will require.

One suggestion. Trim 3 of the legs and s-n-e-a-k-u-p on the last until it sits with no rocking.

[Australopithecus scobis]

Book on jigs and such had a picture of a block of wood with a scribe at the right height. Make one in two minutes. Easier to keep square than dividers.

[Mike Marlow]

You're probably ok with that approach Alex, as long as there's no real structural problems that are being represented by this splay. Obviously there is a problem, but it's impossible to guess how bad that problem is without seeing it. Have you looked at the chair to see if you can address the underlying problem before taking the approach you're considering?

[Guess who]

As you wish, but I'd mark the legs using a flat piece of wood to suppor either pencil or small nail to scribe the line. Have the chair on a flat surface and run the wood, with scribe attached around the leg. The three legs first is an excellent suggestion also.

[alexy]

No. Sorry if I was unclear on that. The splay I referred to is just the design of the chair. Everything is tight, and I'm pretty sure the holes in the bottom of the seat have not gotten closer together or the stretchers gotten longer!

[alexy]

Thanks. After typing "dividers", I had decided just to use a bit of wood the right thickness, with a plane iron laid flat on it to use as a marking knife. But a brad in a block of wood, with the head sharpened to a scribe point, may work nicely. Thanks for the suggestion.

[POP_Server=pop.clara.net]

On my web site - Marking Out Notes - Marking Gauge Tips - foot of the page - is a drawing of a Patternmaker's Mouse that is worth making when you have a moment or two to spare.

Jeff G

[Larry Jaques]

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 07:10:40 -0000, "POP_Server=pop.clara.net" calmly ranted:

Hey, more great stuff from you, Jeff. That little patternmaker's mouse looks like a handier item than a pencil laid flat. It could be set lower so less cutting could be done.

I'll modify it to take a regular hexagonal pencil and add a screw to the side to lock in the adjustment depth, giving a height range of half an inch or so.

You and Charlie B. do a great job of putting interesting tips and information online for us. Thanks to both of you for your websites.

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