Dining chair construction

Over the holidays I went to a friend's house for dinner who had some dining chairs quite similar to these, albeit a little different (did not have the vertical "slats" between the lower part of the legs, and the legs rotated / splayed out from top to bottom):

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I'd been looking to either buy or make new dining chairs for a while but hadn't liked any I'd seen or sat in until these. Of course the place where they bought these is no longer in business, so I can't buy them, but I am interested in making some like them if possible.

Questions: The rear legs have a curve to them of about 3.5". What is the preferred / strongest way to make these? Just get a big ole thick slab (or glue up) and cut the curved piece out of it? Or is this something to be done with a steambox (which I don't have and never tried)?

The rails across the back between the 2 rear legs are also curved. Also the vertical slats between the rails are curved. Same question - can I "get away" with taking a thick piece (or glued up pieces) to make this curve, or does it require steam bending?

The chair I saw was actually made with what looked like table hardware underneath the seat. Those corner bracket things diagonally across the aprons, but with wood instead of metal. Is this an ok way of doing it?

I took several pictures of the chair, but don't have the SD card handy, and will post them if needed.

Cheers!

Reply to
opalko
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You do NOT want to try steam bending this type of chair leg.

Take a close and careful look at this step by step "chair reproduction" on my website:

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is a lot information there and the pictures can fill in the gaps. About the only difference between the two chair designs is the mission style spindles, which is a piece of cake to do.

If you have any questions, just ask here.

Reply to
Swingman

And, for the hell of it, and for you or anyone else that may benefit, here are my original CAD "shop drawings" of the project in .pdf format, including a full size template of the crest rail for placement of the back slats:

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...

Shhhhhhh ... I've also got a SketchUP 3D model if need be. :)

Reply to
Swingman

Reply to
opalko

Please don't let that stop you, you don't need one!!

I've built quite a few chairs before I got the MR, and all the joinery on the prototype on the webpage was done with a plunge router and shop made jigs.

"Jigs" is where it's at!!

There are a number of "how to" articles on making jigs for chair making on FWW's site.

Reply to
Swingman

No need for a multi-router. As Swingman said a normal router with jigs will work just fine.

Alternately, a drill press and chisels will work as well.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Friesen

There was an article in Wood magazine about 6 months ago (maybe a little more) that had a great step by step on building a Stickley style chair. It answered all your questions. This guy used loose tenons so you could easily do it with a router. Also showed how to build the mortising jig.

I take issue with loose tenons in chairs unless you pin both side but that is a different discussion.

The issue has the picture of a craved fan type detail on the front. The fan is having a glaze applied with a brush and the main article is about finishing techniques. I just read through this last night. I'll post the issue date tonight if no one else chimes in before then ... hint

I th> Over the holidays I went to a friend's house for dinner who had some

Reply to
SonomaProducts.com

Hey Dukes, I am currently building 12 chairs based on a design by Kevin Rodel which was published in an issue of Fine Woodworking a few years ago. You can see the article and a video on the FWW website. If you are not a member you can sign up as a guest for 14 days so I think you'd be able to see everything that I am able to. I cut the back legs - and all other parts - from solid cherry using a masonite template and spiral router bit for the shaping. (It hurt to have all that cherry waste but I am saving it for something!) All of the curved rails are shaped that way too. I chose not to make the floating tenons his way and decided to use my Domino for all tenons- angled floating and straight - which saved a lot of time and material by not having to allow wood for a true tenon. The reason for 12 chairs is that there were a few cosmetic defects in some of the legs (most my fault and some wood defects not noted before machining (still my fault)) so instead of scrapping the leg sets I made more rails and other parts and will use the less than ideal chairs somewhere other than the dining room. I do not have any pictures of my work to post but you can see what Kevin has done on FWW or his own site.

Also, my wife and I chose to weave our own fabric for the upholstery so I am hopeful that will go as well as the woodworking.

Shaping the back legs and the curved rails is easy, just take it slow and remove most of the waste with a bandsaw.

Marc

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Reply to
marc rosen

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price ... especially if it is "per chair"! :)

Reply to
Swingman

:)

Once again,

Those standing on the fence of uncertainty on this issue should also be aware that a long standing practice (going back centuries)in chair repair is to replace any broken tenons with loose tenons (obviously with NO pins, which would likely ruin both original finish, style, and possible value).

Many of the these known "repairs" have already lasted over a hundred years themselves.

The method also has a component of practicality not considered by those who contend that since all joints will eventually fail, using the very strongest is always the best practice.

Historical evidence provides ample proof that joinery methods which readily lend themselves to repair when failure is a certainty are equally worthy of consideration.

This fact alone should make those of you who are considering using loose tenons in chair construction, pinned or not, a bit more comfortable with doing so.

Reply to
Swingman

On Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:16:27 -0600, the infamous Swingman scrawled the following:

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>Nice price ... especially if it is "per chair"! :)

Of course it's "per chair", Swingy. Look what prices Phully is commanding, though they're a bit higher, being Aussie Ducats. Hmm, his chairs are CHEAP comparatively, but look what he gets for a TV stand:

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TV cabinet, $3,495
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$2,895, but just $335 for Jarrah (or $365, Marri) chairs. FOUR GRAND for a dining set ain't a bad price for building, wot?

-- We rightly care about the environment. But our neurotic obsession with carbon betrays an inability to distinguish between pollution and the stuff of life itself. --Bret Stephens, WSJ 1/5/10

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Reply to
SonomaProducts.com

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