Cypress Chair Design Errors, Maybe

[Sonny]

Learn from one's mistakes!

Project: Making "rustic" chairs to go with the cypress (camp) table.

I wanted to do the woodwork with hand tools, mostly, and this, I think, mad e for some inaccurate fitting-of-parts together or fitting them disproporti onately.

I used the bandsaw for some rip cutting of the back legs.... at an angle, s o that the back legs angled backwards 7°. You might can see this in the practice-making of the Maloof joint (scroll right for more pics).

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The front legs angle forward 7° and sideways 7°, i.e., splay legg ed.

I first designed this chair in my head, put a few notes and drawings on pap er, then started the build, piecemeal, somewhat designing/modifying element s as I went along. Maybe pics show this better than my description.

Using the plastic chairs in the shop as my size model, they are a little sm all for comfort. I wanted something a little larger, i.e., seat wider and backrest taller. The camp scenario is not just for dining, but often for general seating, slouching, watching TV and the like.... not always perfec t posture.

6 Pics, scroll right: 46/in/dateposted-public/

This first chair is a little shorter than I want and the seat is too wide. I can rip the seat's center to narrow it, though this will alter the back rest slats. I'll re-do/re-fit the center backrest slat, in order to figur e out the modifications for the remaining chairs. As is, this chair looks disproportionate... squat - wide and short.

The backrest slats don't align, quite right (unsightly), with the backrest frame members. The slats' contour need to be reworked.... and lengthened , if I am to make the backrest taller. These initial build-results don't match my initial imagination and paper drawings.

Some of these design errors may be that, I started out with 4X4 stock, with the intention of carving the legs and backrest supports to 1) reduce bulk and weight and 2) to give the chairs some basic rustic curved/contoured ele ments of design. The seat will be gouged out (Windsor chair-like), also, so, at this stage, the seat is still thick and bulky.

I'm not crazy about this first chair, after putting in lots of hand work, b ut it's allowing me to see some errors in design and build. This chair lo oks more awkward in person, than in the pics. I think the design/build an omalies will be relatively easy to correct, though the actual work won't ge t easier.

I want to build 5 chairs for the 9' table, two captains chairs and 3 side c hairs. An 8' bench has already been made for one side of the table settin g.

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Side note: I was to have a curved scorp made, for this project, by a local blacksmith. I haven't heard back from him, despite texting him, as to the progress. I suspect he won't produce the scorp, after all. He could, a t least, let me know something, one way or the other.

Despite the issues I'm having, I'm pleased with the general goings-on and a m enjoying building this project. I can visualize the subsequent good res ults.

Sonny

[Iggy]

replying to Sonny, Iggy wrote: I think it's recoverable and even not bad at all for a Rustic intention. I think I might play with it to end up at a final result for the rest of the chairs. Yes, I agree that the legs and back should be taller or longer. But, you can simply put feet on the legs, like a Ball and Claw sort of thing or even join the fronts and backs with a Sled Runner under them.

And, you can Scroll-Cut or Thin-Down the top backrest board and simply put on a Crown or Fan or U-Bend (cut-out) rail a few or more inches higher. I've had a number of chairs in my life that had vertical and horizontal sections in their backrests. Doing stuff like that may very well put the seat and entire chair back into appealing proportions.

[Sonny]

I should have given a little more info. It's not the legs that are too sh ort. Actually, at the moment, they are too long. I plan to cut them to be st length, later. Once I contour the seat, then I'll trim the legs, so th at the seat height is 19" off the floor. I think, at the moment, the top o f the seat height is about 22" off the floor. Presently, the seat is 2"+ stock and I'll gouge the seating area to 1.25" thick, there abouts.

The seat is presently 28" wide. That's too wide and that's why the chair looks squat. I can trim the seat sides, 1.5" each side, but the splayed f eet will stick out the side edges too much. I plan to rip out about 3" of the center section of the seat, hence, alter the central backrest slat.... Correcting this alteration on the subsequent chair seats, before slat pl acement.

One of my initial reasons for the seat being so wide is to have plenty of s pace for installing comma shaped arms, a' la,

and I didn't want the arm supports to displace any leg/hip/seating space. But 28" is too wide, I've now realized, even for installing arms.

Sonny

[Iggy]

replying to Sonny, Iggy wrote: Oh, that makes sense, that's a freaking wide seat. A 3" trimming will be great and you can leave the outside of the maloofs filled, I wouldn't cut anything out of the seat's center. While you might think that ruins the chair and the front legs will be trip-overs, it's actually kind of a good thing for you.

As, you definitely can't durably do the arms like the Swing Bench. You don't have the very much needed apron for arm support. But, moving the legs in another inch+ OR removing them entirely, will leave their old holes perfect for either mortise and tenon arms or as a good notching candidate for straight/plumb maloof front legs for the arms.

[Sonny]

Trimmed the width of the seat 3".... a little from each space between the s tiles and splats. Revised the splat mortises, also.

The bottom curve of the splats don't align with the stiles, so new splats w ill be made. The mortises on this seat are a little too far forward. Su bsequent mortises will be about 1/2" further back.

The basic design looks better, now, but a little more tweaking, here and th ere, is needed.

A little more trimming of the bulk wood is needed, also. I'll contour the seat before trimming other bulk areas. As is, the chair's weight seems ab out 30-35 lbs. Bald Cypress dry weight is 32 lbs/ft³.

Sonny

[DerbyDad03]

stiles and splats. Revised the splat mortises, also.

will be made. The mortises on this seat are a little too far forward. Subsequent mortises will be about 1/2" further back.

there, is needed.

he seat before trimming other bulk areas. As is, the chair's weight seems about 30-35 lbs. Bald Cypress dry weight is 32 lbs/ft³.

Nice tweaks. Getting real close.

It looks like you and I used the same plans for our outfeed table. Mine has a custom slot, just like yours. ;-)