You are on page 1of 147

THE ART OF WOODWORK1NG

Scribner
Library

THE ART OF

BUILDING
CHAIRS
THE ART OF W D W R K I N G

BUILDING
CHAIRS

TIME-LIFE BOOKS
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA
-

ST. REMY PRESS


MONTREAL* NEW YORK
PUBLISHER KclMhw-
PRmLmvr P a cw
PacHome-Cat&
FnuKincLemieux
MucCsrrioi Clob0m-LMtaq#,Idwwed ' -ta
IimMcllr lechniulvhoolr for mwp lhpo &No.
NormrndBoudmuhlucOennsin ~behurrorkdasarrstomof~tique~
huyoknlxkkhH~Dao,
r~pllGuyDoiiMlcbd~
-bet bckmn
Andmv banes, David Simon BuMiqLtnirr
WQuina p.aa-(TheArI.Tt~
c;aeb&.Udremin,W~ Indudcrhdcr
Mi& Bbk,Ronald Durrpn6, ISBN 00094-9525-2
luna- 1. ch.in
Narlicwatadx Z FmniIure making, I. Tw-JJfeBook
Mihd*llubidc uri&ildiagchsir..
lean-luc Rov IIL kk.
m197.5.wB%s 1994
684.1'3-tkZO 9(-3fJ363
CIP
F a informationlbwr any lime-I& bmk.
~+xxm1-rn~~mac:
bduhdkmmtion
Eme-Lia Curtomr Smite
P.O. Bm '2-32068

P&dcntmd CEO FohnM. M y e 1994 nooks I=


Edbr-in-QI*f JohnL PIpvrt MgIt5Psema
~putof~booklluybs~in.nyformor~
q &tmniC or medunicrl mms.iodudh info,mah
I t o ~ u d ~ ~ o I ~ * u t p * n n
~ p u m i s d o n h t h c ~ ~ * ~ t t h a t b d d ~
lfrddnu bhnD.HnU
Vyr-PmidcnhDirumr o f bfa- Nann K lone. %scF%%SA
Published rimuluomudy in Canada.
TIME-LIFE k a tredanslt ofTmHhrou Inc. U.SA
CONTENTS

4 6 INTRODUCl'ION 94 LEGSAND S'IWXCHERS


4 96 Inventory of legs and stretchers
12 CHAIR-BUILDING BASICS 98 Legs
14 Designing a comfortable chair 103 Stretchers
3 16 Selecting and ordering wood
18 A gallery of chair styles 110 ARMS AND BACKS
4
112 Inventory of arm and back styles
4 22 FRAME CHAIRS 113 Arms
9 24 Anatomy of a frame chair 119 Backs
26 Designing the chair
30 Making the legs 124 ROCKINGCHAIRS
3 32 Making the backrest 126 Anatomy of a rodcing chair
36 Frame chair joinery 127 Rocker design
47 Assembling the chair 128 Making the rockers
3 132 Rocker joinery

'
il
50 SLAB-AND-STICK CHAIRS
52 Anatomy of a
slab-and-stick chair
140 GLOSSARY

54 Preparing the seat and legs 142 INDEX


58 Assembling the seat and legs
3 6 1 Making the back 144 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

70 SEATS
72 Seat styles
73 Sculpted seats
78 Upholstered seats
83 Cane seats
90 Rush seats
Sam Maloof on
DESIGNING
CHAIRS
I b a m ~ m o n t h vMOpiecesofhunmuPinnearly
l ~ycarsofwotking
wood~barredowfurniture~homes,o~churchs,andschods,althwgb
I~~~~~EvenmwItaketimctodesigaandmaLeitleastfive
new~ayeatno~hnvbusyIuoorh~~h~IminfiIliogorders.
I do mauydrPwingsofpieces that mme to mind but I also havehundredsmore
~dnwaymdy.Imake~~ofcmse~andbablesfor~dkotffbut

ingat~1hsdtot~~tsbmarnPirinourbome.
When makinga chair,I don't foIlnvany formuip or template; each chair bdight-
Igdif&rrntIliLGetonsmyownbodyerapattem.Icutoutspin&formyd-
h g chair on a bandsaw by eyt. and then hold the spindle to my back in a sitting
positimLffYfeds~IkaveapattcmSoh,the~chnirsmcomeoutodmyshop
seemto6thheupers.
I-believemy furniture is functionaland for owryday use; I want every piece I
maLe to be useful to the pasoo who buys it.In a rockingchair,I lik to shoot for a
&thet~2~tmfarbadrw@youlamadWdIiSIowema~dmy~
tobebeautifulhlmr&Forinstance,thepnayisahvagserposedWhybideabeau-
tif.eymadepint?Wben~~utlcgJ~my~mair,Iliketolodclor~
that followsthe curve of thc leg. A chair should iovite a penon to be seated, to
~thatp~ondmaLethanmm6ortabk.Iwanthimmktotwchaod
teelthedandmthoftheofto~
1believe any person in the whmdRw medium-has a responsibility to
shan?with~whateverbnowl~he~bavekamed,~Ihmbeen
"
thinlitbat my chairs sit verydwelL

Sam hWnf&p and b u i l d r j h e m in his


U m L o m a , ~ ~ H c w a ~ I h c f i r s t d -
~ewrdcrtnlaFdlowofthc~~C$Mcrl,
andhi.schairsarebthepmmaUeW~.fdtcMuseutn
0fFincAtt-sin Boston Heis the awtkofSam M a b d
~ m d w o r L t , p u b W e d b y ~ l ~ B ~

K
b ., t b .
'.W .>.: 7....
:.;.>:,, :,>:.>..~-',
,y<?, ,<.,;:>:.y,
,$-;<,.:{~;:<*.: . .,~
:>.. ....
C.:.;:.:.
,.

&;m*:.
.,j:,:.;.:,:'--
.......
......
.....
.....:..i
......
. ....... ... . .
.....
......
;- ,.:.:.p
...:.,..
.r.>
<..*
:?.,
*-
......
..-.
. < ..
....:....
.:......
::<..+
..,. ..g, p.
: ,>$*?>e-~*s<&,
@
,. ;g@a;4& .J
. f5$5y:.

,I
.

. .
'.
.
:'
. .
1 ...... ,..I;,y,
$?%
. <
,.*<

:-...,,
!?(P.~$$$<
,;$
;,:!
,:$&
.*.a

. I'"/
.?;:&
INTRODUCTION

Arthur Mitchell talks about the


CHALLENGE
OF CHAIRS
~ ~ ~ f & - f i r s t ~ u a i n t ~ w i t h t h e ~ ~ ~ d
an&stbiltminvohrsdEnminevviwsdtairsty&s,rangiagbmthesimpIeto
thtonratzthm~akolrthatis~~andinawporatcyourown
LjcsnFgoudonothaw:the~toaabea~~,,dmoaeaready-
d p h l o d s t a r t ~
Ihedcsigppbsscabesbarderduoctualconstrudionofthechair.Amrxn-
nwphosisalmostahvDyshspparzbetweenanide3andthefinisbed6nalpiece1
have found that it is m y rare to mate an original ksign that d m not require
~Somctimgitisevennecessar)rtomPlre~proh~tppe~kfbrrbuilding
thelCtUpldlPiC.htbesrmllestadj~ttotosizeWtbelocationofhtyp~
gteadyenhanceachaifsappeal.
IntbemnrtructIarofmycbairsI&foradesignthatwillhavebda&
wbikwithndkgtheshessesddpilyuse.Provrnjoinerytehniqusareefseu-
biPLChairsare~dtorwietyof~nood+andco~with
hmnidity.~Monthe&Iproduceua~~~pPaes+theJeat,~
~thmgluedPndwledgedinpLce.The~mof~woodgrainofthe~isori-
entedwith tbatofthcse~tTostrengtheathelcgsIisceidrerabrlcethatissd
to~kPanddvirbottamortrsditiDnrl~Thesum~dumraht~-
nique in'mpratinga wedge is used wherever possibk esp&y with &dk
thatsupportthearm~ofacfuiraodalsoonsome~ykpwhere~espindlsite
~tothesestdDowelpinsiuePlsousadinsh'ateg;icplresto~that
INTRODUCTION

Carolyn and John Grew-Sheridan on their


FITTING CHAIR

D esigning and building chairs is somewhat like writing. Whether you are pro-
ducing a simple stool or an ornate dining chair-a short poem or a complex
n o v e k c h pmject has its own form, intent, and inherent challengesaswell as per-
sonal, social, and cultural meaning. This range of possibilities is what makes chair
design so challengingand a p h .
Since training at Peters Valley Crafts Center in Layton, New Jersey, 20 years ago,
we have developed nearly two dozen chair designs for limited pmduaion and cus-
tom orders. AU have benefitted fmm our first chair, made fmm recyded oak barn
wood, with a simple Canvas seat and back The item was supposed to be the ultimate
in inexpensive,'comfortable sea+
The first person to sit in this chair was Mary Coes,the diminutive adult daugh-
ter of our friends Viiton and Eleanor Goes. She nearly disappeared in our first mas-
terpiece,designed for "every-penom"Her genemus commentwas that experiencing
our chair was like sitting in her grandfather's lap. From that first humbling review,
we have been reminded continually that chair making is a reconciliation of esthet-
ic, functional, technical, and personal requirements, full of compromises.
There is no such thing as a standard chair. The seat height of a dining chair,for
example, can range fmm 13 X to 20 X inches. Chairs can be used for any number of
activities, from reading and relaxing to talking and dining. Some chairs are built
solely for ceremonial occasions, others to alleviate the dktms of physical disabilities.
Consequently,it can be helpful to have a convenient and reliabletechnique for mea-
suring the physical form of a chair's user and experimenting with their personal
preferences. We use our adjustable measuring chair, shown in the photo at left and
on page 13, to supplement other traditional design tools such as drawing models
and pmtotypes
W e r a customer is tall or short, wide or narrow,long or short of thigh or calf,
we can easily investigate d&nt options and combitions for a chair's dimen-
sions and angles.The rigfeatures five backsupport$andadjustments for the h+t
and angle of the seat and the arm rest By moving the supports up or down, or in or
out,wcanfinetunetherigm~wehavetlaebestufit"hthesitta.U~graphpapa
or a computer,the setting are thenplotted, creatinga side view of the chair.That Corms
the basis of a three-dimensional view fmm which we can then fashion a full-size
mock-up using corrugated cardboard.
&It the fitting chair is only a beghmg. The outline the rig pmvides is like the out-
line of a story. It's a skeleton upon which you can build everything that you want to
embody in the chair's style, using, meaning, and emotional content

G m l y n and John Grew-Sheridan build custom-fitted


chairs in their studio in San FmnciKo,California.
CHAIR-BUILDING BASICS

F a~chaicsbawbePn~-
edtodtheseaNn$ysimple
demandsofseating.CnnRwt,durabili-
the human form in their WMk, partic-
ularly when they are building custom-
madechaislhejig &own at EeR allow
ty, and beautyare the criteriathey must acbairtofitasmuglyasacomfortable
mgtlbebestpovideatmdtssblad pPir of shws The charts and illma-
ofaUthteequalitis.Thewrstan be tionsonpages 14and15willhelpyrm
boa'& W-andpmpu- reconcile the sometimes conflicting
Iy buih mairs providecomftutabkand danandsoffundionand~anato-
huabIc~earing,areplasingtolookat, my in your designs, allowing you to
and lit into tbei surroundings-Small build chairs that are both useful
&tbatchairmalringisoftena- andcomforhMe
sidardtobethepinnrdeofthewood- Onreywrhavedesignedaannht-
mWsart. abledrair,ititimemhunpuratten-
By the time t k use b e m e mwe Tha a+wable&-fittingjigrhavn b n to appearance. A visual gallery of
wid+ in Europe in the 16tb Cm- abow!,&signal by San Fmncimfunti- the most popular and enduring chair
t u r g , , E h a i r s h a d b e c o m e ~ b ~ tunmdmCmolynandbhnGaw- ~frnnthGreelrKIianosofthe5tll
spmifk purposes. Dining chairs mre Century BC-an armleas chair that
Yraidnn iibi f i e g u c s n y o r k ~ q f
built to l i t 4 diningtalkundwrit- makingmyhi&k, qpmmimn), Homer said was favored by the god-
ingcbairsweteoft~lpBiredwithdesk sewddrairsdmram&-madetothe ~Sam~f'sdassicmo&
Often, neither was matched to the w'sbody and pohm. KT mae em rndcingchair,is praentedstarting
humvlformromfortfnquentlytook i@mationmifiedrviarandoncus- onprg~18.Astheerampksshow,the
second place to the fonnal9function. t o m - m a dvrir, s c o w 11 and 15. dsign possibilities for chair makingare
TrPriitinul~mairs,for~, virhrallg limitleer
femurabFPdartatanahnost~angletotheseu,~ l h e i n f w m a t i o n m p a g e s 1 6 ~ 1 7 w i l l ~ ~ i n o n e o f
theuratositnrmodstraight tbemoreonihurg,butcnuial,~ofcbairmaking:selea-
Ahhoughhmaion~animpDrtantdesiicDnsida- i n g t h e a p p ~ t e w o o d s f o r g w r ~ a n d d e t a m i n i n g
ation,dlPirmalms~typicailygiveht~~n~tionto howmuchlumberpneDd
DESIGNING A COWORTBLE CHAIR

M ostpeopleratcwmfortasthe
m o s t ~ ~ t o
&.Stvla~andsturd~ioin-
bekwdairefromthe~h bcatedwillmhhkd~in
fof anduopometry
a and ergonomics theJbwldas Efthewhokchairistobe
whichdealwi&mranuina~bod- analedbac$,tkgamustalsotikbadr-
ery are &-Undeniable ky e&ts, ies and tailoring what Emade to the
butifanyoftbeseaiterk~inan h u m e n f o r m . T h c m ~ t s p r 0 - ward and irevent the front d& &t
u n d r t a b l e chair, the product may v i d e g o o d ~ p o i n t s ~ d e s i g n i n g frolncuttingotfchhtiontotbelegs.
eodupbeirrguseda~littkmo~rthanan chairs, but following these guIdellnes Mde&ned b d m b that mnfimn
attnrtivcshowph slnishlywillyieldpigwthatareonly to the shape&the human spine mQU-
U d r t a b l e chairs give rise to a well suited for peopk of average build ciaLForinstance,aboduegsbouhlbe
6lmilinrlitanyofmmplaintscuaingd t%adad&*anbe&- concave to wrap around the back of
circulation to the legs; strPining n& abkfwiodividunlswhodonottitthe the ni cage, shoulders, and waist It

-
sho&,andbedrm&and~- mold: childreq pregnant women, or shouldakonwe6mmbottommmp.
i n g ~ ~ ~ E p=e o p- k w hh o a r~ e t P~l l a~, ~ c n ~ ratherdlanbemadeperfectlysh.aight,
lcmsstems from the Fdthat. although dmtbeawrageButasawoodwo~, in order to supportthe v e ~ b r a form- e
veryfewpeopkshpretbe~pnesizeand y w h a w t h e o p p o ~ t y t o ~ t u n e ing the curve ofthe spinal 001-
shaphmostchairdesignsarcinspi the design o f p u duirs m fit the indi- uma Whatevet its style, h b i o n , or
by the "one size fits all" philosophy. vidual user. design,a chair must support the k
Some chai~s,like those found in fast- 'IlrePeiueafewbasiEprinrjpIsto61- five vertebrae inthe small of the ba&,
Mrestaurantsforexample,iueaba- low. SePk that I p e back dighdy, for knownas the lumbar region And fw a
ally intended to be uncomfortable to example, help position body weight Rdiningchair, which pkces the head
discourage users from sitting in them momcom6ataMy.~ningaseatso behind the center of gravity, the back-
for Eeogthy* t h o t t h e d s h e e t b e ~ p l s n t - rest must be higb enough to also sup
I h e s t a o d P F d ~ b r v e r i o u s e d o n t h e & m F w i U n o t c u t o $ ~ pntthespiwsuppasaaion,Imarm
types of chairs presented in thc chart tothekgs.Armrrststhat~propaly as the do14 region.
. .. .

Like a tailwed suit, a custom-built chair should be made to For seat width, measure amss the hips.
follmv the contours of a particular vser's body. To design such For seat height, measure from the f l m to the underside
a chair, haw the penon sit upright on a flat bench and take of the user's knee.
the measurements listed at right. Using your measurements For maximum seat depth, measure han the cmok of the
along with the anatomy illustrationshown a h and the stan- knee to the lover back.
dard dimensions in the chart on page 14, you can make a FM a m rest height, measure from the seat to the elbow.
mockup chair hom a light material like corrugated cardboard. To determine where lumba suppaZ is needed, measure
laminated to whatever thickness of stock you need with thinned fmn the seat to the waist
white glue. This mockup can help you design the chair and For minimum backrest height for a dining chair. measure
make the templates you will need to size its pa*. from the seat to the armpit.
SELECTING AND OWERING WOOD
YeUav Pagesor w m h r h g w 0 b t a i n s o m e ~ ~ f ~
to findlumber dealerswho spedize in wood is ideal for somechai~~.
some of the less common hardwoods Regardless of your chosen supply,
usedforfine~twe.Youwiu~ &gournd~*orda-
stress and abuse that chairs must typi- pa mom,but the quality ofthe wood ingyourwood.Whend~how
d y endure. A chair need not necesslr-
ily be built from a single species,
wi be higher too.
lhereveotberlesrcosdyoptionsfor
muchlumbapuneedmakeadetaikd
adtinglistofthe~piecesoflum-
houRver,pvticukrlyifitwillbepaint- finding the wood you need. A lumber ber needed for a particular chair (page
edor ifthe visual e l k t ofcontrasting mill may sell you boardsata reasonable 27firfmme-prrge53forM-
woods is not too jarring. prk;e,butmmtoften&wooddd stick chairs).
Your local lumberyard is an obvious to be seasoned and surfaced, which Use the formula shown below to
s ~ u rof
e woixl and often the most con- means that you must have access to a dPtumine how many board feet you
venient. But d e d i ~ maybe
~ n limitedto jointer and a thickam planer. Waged may need, and add 20 to 40 per cent
Eonshuctionuoodrsum$s*4n.uce, wood is relatively inexpensive and. (depadingonthegrade)tutotfor
and&sofhrvoods.Ahhollghgwmcry because it often comes fnnn&-growth incrirPMew;eteand~inthewood
6nd the occasional cache of humvood, timba, it can be vhally and shumdy Because some chairs feature many
more often than not you will have to superior to recently harvested lumber. auwdpartsthedegreeof~mtun
venture M a afield, consulting the And if you can fell your own trees or Mpacentorhig&r~tipsthatfollaw
wiUhelppbuywhatpunaedatam- S k ~ i s ~ s o l d i n n o m i n a rough
l lumber and surfacin$ it your-
sonable cost rather than finished sizes, so you need self will pmve Less expemk.
Spedcs: Ask for a specific wood to make al- for the &ce Seaom& Lumber is sold either
speck+ ratherthan a broad family oame when ordering surfadlumber. A 2- kiln dried (KD),air dried (AD), or
Fwmmple,orderWmapk,notsim- by-4 is actually 1%inches-by-3%inch- greeuKilndtiedwoodisaena;ly.the
ply rmpk.Ti be sure pu k what PU es. The thicknessof hdwoodsis often must stable. It has a moistwe content
want,learn the botanical name of the expressed as a fraction in quarters of (ME) of 8 pemnt, whereas air-dried
woodyouwantandaskbrit an inch. A 1%-inch-thickhardwood lumber has a MC of i2 to 20 percent
Quantity:When ordering wood. bead, for aomple, t often expressed G& Withii the b i e r hard-
specify whether you want the stock in as €44. The nominal and real dimen- wood grades, the primary difference
board k t or liaeal feet.A lineal foot is sions of w&d, green boPrds are betWeenthevariousgredEsisappear-
m ~ a n e x p m s i o n o f a b o d s ~ ,the same.
~~~~ . ~ ~ . . ~ ~ ~ ance rather than stmgrh. Condering
q a & s of its width or thkknea The ~ S u r f a c i n g r e f m t o b o w the m c e in price, it is best to
bosrdfootisaspecificmlumeofwoal; the stock is prepared at the mill W r e reserve the best stock b r the visible
it is usually necemy b r onking hard- it comes to iheiumberyard. Sofhwood parts of your pmjedsusing Less expen-
woods w h i i are often availablein ran- lumber is usuallv surfaced on both k-iuadewood forhidden com- I
dom widths only. See page 16 for faces; hardwood i; often sold rough. If ponents & d t p u lumber dealer RK
&mation aboutcak&tingboad$a you have a planer and jointer, buying a hvt of the diffaent grades available I
CHAIR BASICS
CHAIR BASICS
CHAIR BASICS

C-
T hfnmedrpirtasrim-
pkandassturdyasits
worka&v name imvlies. ~ts
ba& bh elegant d;sign has
cbaogdlittkollr~d
I portssothe~wiU6tinfO
its surroundings. Before p a
hl~ur-drawfull-
DernpLrtes of the seat (plrgc
ZAthe=bW28APnd
p r e . 'Itis longevity of style the back nils (page 32). Not
owes much to its drpn lines, *~~trmpllteslpelp
butalmtoaPObllGt~ podndopantttiaghdrcv
mutedbyaframethatdb dalaomabkgwtodeim-
~ ~ a n d ~ s p r r l - mine theprrdwsizadthe
lyaromdtoautbejoiots park, and show you how to
Thepriacipalhuasd joinh
inmabg6amemoitaisthe Thefram&structure
stahwt mortise-and-tenon, a l l c n v s ~ ~ W 0 m
noted for its abilitv to with- of desinn.For -le arms

ikad-tenom are used to mlbq+atrtrc


~hontPodboctn3seq
tbe~~tmortsa~tbeshknils;and~alPts
LintomundlDortis~~intheaertdba&t&.Convr
hatroedtotbesatmilshdphepthrpincrg~urd
%? orrra~ofupc
~a~chPL~kasimparrntprnsgm-
Mi~itStprtwithadesjgntbatds&the~oftbe
ebair's evmtual mer @ngr 14ka
d planthedimensionsoftbe
ANATOMY OF A FRAME CHAIR
FRAME CHAIRS

i
DESIGNING THE CHAIR
shopmade bpnrplata.brfmmedrairsrrrp
like wooden blueprints drawn to Kale.
pmvuling the a ~ dimensions
m ofall the
fimepieus as well as the positions of
their mortises and tenons. Four main
templates are t y p i d y required for a
chair: one f i r the legs and mils, shmvn
below-called the seat u m p l a t e 4 n e
for the rear kgs (page 28). and hvofbr
the back miLc (page 32). After the tem-
plates are drawn, they are a t to shape
on the bandsmv. T7wlegbemphdeshown
at L$ will be us& to shape the mu legs
Finished temp- can be set aside a d
keptfirfutunpmjeca.

MAKlMi THE SEAT TEMPUTE

1mibile
Mak the
11*
out
Iqr ad RHs
seat tamplate on a piece
0fplyvroadorhardbcard.StMtbydrwing
a rectangle to hame the swt, making b
length equal to the width of the chair at
the fnwt-lwidly 18 inches. The rectan-
&%width is equal to the chair's depth,
which shwld be sl[ghtly l s s than the
chair width; in this case,the chair depth
is 17%inches. As &om at right, a frame
chair seat s usually trapezoidal; make
the back narrow than its front; in this
example, 15 inches. In the fmnt umen
of the rectangle, draw in the two front
legs, 1% inches square. Then draw in the
raa I-, makingthem wide enough to
accanmodate the tenons in the back and
side ails: st& Htat is 1inch thick by 2
inches wtde should be suff icient. Next.
con& the legs with mwal lines off&
Y inch fmm the wtside edges of the I=.
Thelinesrepesenttheoubidafacesd
the rails. The oMa makes the chair more
& a l l y appealingthan if the pats rven
flush. Cmw In the insidetaces of the mils
s~the pi- dl1 be 1inch Wick.
FRAME CHAIRS

QllhirCII*mnm
2 Due to the trapezoidal f m of the
chair seat. the henom joining the side
rails to the legs must be angled. Stert by
gnw
aird in the tenons between the side
railsandtherear&. Markthecenderof
the contact area batween one of the side
raikand rear leg Then, awning WCinch-
thick tenons, mark the tenon cheeks,
W i n g each one K inch fmn your cen-
ter mark. As shown at right, make the
t e r n cheeks parallel to the faces of the
I= this will allow you to mut Wight
mottkes in the legs. Make the tenon 3L
inch long. Repeat ta draw in the angled
tenon at the end of the other side rail.
Mark the angled t e r n joining the side
rails to tha fmnt legs so they will be the
minor-image of those at the tMCk end.
If, fw example, a tenon cheek is Y inch
fmm the outside fate of the rail at its
back end, it should be Y inch from the
inside face of the rail at the front. Next.
draw in standard blind tenans pining
the fmnt and back rails to the legs. The
tenons in the back rail should be cenbereC
In the rail, whew those in the fmnt rail
must be G~W$ twxd the rail's outside 1
face to avoid umtadlngthe angled tecwxw
in the side rails. Make sue that there is
-
atleaStWofspacebetweenthetenom
in the frmt legs.
I
ME CHAIR CUTTING UST
Whle. *,ld
Onue you have completed tW seat template, p u can begin
cmdling your e d n g list f q the chair IJeR1. k shown, the
cutting 11% sln~uldIIH the indlyiiunl chair pcdb, how many of
each is needed, sod the dlmnbions of each part. Since the
template is d m to scale, yw can take the m a a w ~ e m r l b d
the rdls directly fmm it. The crest and back rails (pqse 24)ill
be the same length a6 the back seat rail and a llttk!thicker. The
crest rail is d s Wider
~ than the other rails. rocl will not be able
to determine the precis size of the slats and the length Of the
legs until the leg templates an? done [page 28). Refer to page
16 for in'iormationon using a cutting list to determine how
much lumber yw need to b y .
.
FRAME CHAIRS

MKM6 THE TEMPUTE FOR THE REAR LEGS

1 YIILl~hcmgkplhabrkcart
Cutapiecedplywmdahadbodtothei~ofthe
rear IegE-ln this case, about 42 inches. Stat by marking
the locationsd the s e d and side raik on one edge d the
: :. .
"" ....*.,,.<?,.,:, template. The top dthe seat should t y p i l y be about 17%
?>;!:!; ,...\
~
,, ...y<:;, l.;...., ,
\.,.\
;,.,'.&~<...!<:.>:. itchesfrOmthehttmdthekg.Mi4iethethe1inchthkk
:v:\.>.., #
and mark the 24nch-wide rall directly belw it. These marks
M n e a fiat sectionam the legwhere the raik and seat will
be pined to the leg. htend the length of the flat section by
X inch abwe a d M o
w it. This will help you m i d cuning
the flat secth+M creating impcecise joineq-wlm you
Her sand the leg (page311 Then use a potractn and a
pencil to d m a line fdr the angle of the back rest abr~?the
a
flat section a 10"angle $ell yield a chair badc that most
pwple find canfatable, but any angle M e n 0" snd 20"
isdaeptable. Edend the line with a carpews s q m to
themofafthetemplate(asrepesentedbythedc4tedlinein
the illustration).

2 RrwiltglImlm~drnmd
To cunbwt the angled line you maiked
m step 1into a natural cum, wt a th~n
strip of splngy rvood roughly onehalf the
template's length. Ustngclamps and a6$p
blPdr, secure the strip on edge m the tem-
plate so that one face 1s Rush with the top
of your lme. Then, holdingthe sirip near
its other end, gently bend It toward the
line until it 1s flush with the fmnt edge d
the template at the flat am,Keepingthe
strip firmly tn place. run a pencil along It
to define the cum of the legs abm 'the
seat lnght.
FRAME CHAIRS

3 Cnmpleling tha rear-lltcnyllrtc


Complete the top half of the template by drawing a c u m
mughly parallel to the one you made in step 2. To define the
to the front edge of the template than mark B; this ensures that
the back of the leg at the bottom wll not extend beyand the top
beginning and end of the cwe, mark a point directly opposite and bip up sMneone passrngthe chaw from behind. Joln po~nts
the rail mark 2 lnches from the fmnt edge of the template (mark A and C. Finish the template by dliav~ngthe c u m for the fmnt
A in the illustrationa h ) . Since the leg tapers toward the top, Of the leg at the M o m . F a balance, esthetics, and strength,
mark a polnt at the top that 1s only 1inch from the f i s t c u m mark a point at the bottom (mark D) so the leg's width at the
(mark B). Join the two marks using the same methad shown in floor wrll be rnldway between its width at the rail and the top,
step 2. F a the bottom of the leg, start with the cur& at the or 1%inches. Use a pencil and the springy wwd sbip to draw
back. Mark a point at the Wtom (mark C) that is 1 inch closer the c u m tabbe).
MAKING THE LEGS

'I
A blank for one of thefront legs of a
fmme chair is mced on a jointer. h h
block a n d m safwrd the opem-
tor's hadadsfmm the cumheed knives.
The mckforchair legs should befree
of defkts like knots checks, andsplits

MA10136 FRONT LE6 BLANKS


P14l*lallbb*
If the fmnt I- of yow chair will be thick-
er than the stock p u have cm haxi. YOU
can make kg blanks by faoe-gluing boartk
kgalher. Cut the stock so the blanks will
be slightly l q r than the find size of the
legs; In thiicae., the &will be 1%inchs
square; their le@. from the flm b thc
boatan of the is typically 17%inch-
es Glue up both Manh in a sir!& setup.
Spread glue on the matillg surfaces of the
boards.thenuseasmanybarclampsas
ngessay to suppert the stock at Cinch
intervals, alternating the clamps betwleen
the top and bottom of the skck. T i i
the clamps ~r&Wuntil there are m gaps
b d w w the hoards and a thin bead d glue
squeezes out of the pint& After the adhe-
sive has cured, joint an w a n d face of
each blank, ptane or rip them to thew find
width andthiekness,and cmicut them
to letgth.
FRAME CHAIRS

1
on
Jbl*lhlg
Use the rear-leg templab 29) to d i n e the p a t h
hro p i e m of stock planed to a thickness of 1inch. Cut
(inset). FFashlon a guard for the bit and a fence for the template
and stock to nde against on the infeedside of the table. Srxew
away most of the waste with a saber saw or band saw,leaving the guaf and fence tDgether and clamp them to the table. Press
atrad H.inch of wood beyond the cutting lines Attach the tern- the template against the i l ip bearing as you feed the stock
&
phb? to one of the kg pieces using sbmg double4ded tape, then across the table; use a push block to Anlsh the cut (above).
finish shapingthe less on a muter tabk Install a piloted &&ht Tun the stock around to shape the other side of the leg. Then
bit in the muter, mount the tw( in a table, and set the depth tape the template to the other leg piece and repeat the opera-
of cut so that the pilot beering will rub only on the template tion to shape it.

2 -ly- 1-
Once the legs ha^ been shaped,lW
one as the right leg and the othe~as the
Mt on their bottm ends. Then use hand-
screws to clamp the legs face to face.
edges flush, and seawe the handnxewsto a
waksurfacemthefmnt~ofthe~
we faclng up. Refenlngto the template.
use a pencil and a ambinatim squae to
marlr the flat sedcon on the legs' mig?s.
Then use a sanding Mock to m w t h the
*of the rak. being careful to amid
the Rat area. Use pmgmmmly finer-gnt
sandpaperunblthesuffaceismocth.Sand
the bwk eclges of the legs the saw way.
MAKING THE BACKREST
MAKING THE BACK-RAM AND CREST-IUIL TEMPLATES

DDsrgnhl# tho mnlplM8~


S~pcethe back and cred ra~lsof the frame Chair share the v
curvature, mgke tenlplatw for both pteces on asingle piece of
almood or'hsrtlbwrd clamped to a wtk surface. S# w~th
the back-ra~ltemplate, drawing a rectangle as long as the gap
between the rear legs and a6 wide as the rail stock thick-
abWt 1%to 2 inches. Then mark a line down the center of the
kctangle, extending it a&& the template anU yaur work sUr-
faae. Mark ttie thickness of the back NIon the wnierline, in
thismcase 1inch Mthe top of the rectangle. Next, use tram
me1 polnk to draw an an: on the,templatethat ~nterseckyour
rail Likness mark and the bottom corners pf the rectangle.
'Draw a second am parallel to the first, cutlining the back mil
(abave). Yw *Ill use thjs outllne tocut W bpck and we$
~ 1 1bs thickness (w 36).Then drim a thirU am outliningthe
top of the crest rail f&M, Uompl* the theplates by ddtewing
In the sides and bottMn edge of the crest rail outline, and the
tenons fa both railr [These elements are mpmented by d d
I I In the
~ illusaatibhri Cut out thk templates and traCa their
outlines MI $out tail blarlb. Trshr Me back rail outlina,on the
top edges of bdth the b k k and crest ail blanks. Thce themcrest
rail outline on the face a f pbr crest rdl blank. Finally, smi blind
tenon at the ends d both raik (pa@ 35),then cut the ralk on
the band saw (w 33),
FRAME CHAIRS

WITIN6 THE CREST RAIL

for the top of the rail. Feed the stock into


the blade, turn off the saw about ha-
through the cut. and remove the wak-
piece. Then cut along the same line fmm
the m i t e end. To avoid detaching the
waste piece from the blank and losing
tha marked artline on the top edge d the
rail, stop Me cut about !4 inch from the
first kerf, leaving a short bridge behveen
the twro cuts i/em.

2 &n46maatmilbIh(~
Turn the rail blank so the marked d i n e on its top edge
1s facing up. Cut alwg both marked lines labomel. This time,
3 JerrhLlh.1.rQ
uest
Rot& the rail blank so the first face yw cut is fac-
ing up. With the saw turned off,feed the blade Into the kerf.
c a m p k the cut, lettiw the waste fall away. (Thi same cut Then turn on the saw and cut through the bridge to release the
is used to saw the back all to t h i h . ) waste pece ( a h ) .
FRAME CHAIRS
.
MAKIN THE SLATS

1mmailthlaanalltkasws
Cut a Mark wide
enough the
number of slats you need for
the
to yield
chair.
The thldtnessd the blank will detennine
the width of the slats, so make It 1to 2
inches thii. Plan on poducing an eve0
number of slats so there will hot be a si*
slat in the middle of the badr rest exert-
ing p s ~ l r on
e the chair user's spine. Use
the m - l e g template ( ~ g 291
e to mark
the c u m of the slah Mark the locations
of the aest and back mils m the bmp(ate,
and add marks4! inch bepnd the fint triu
to represent the ends of the sbts that mll
flt into mortrses In the raik kx& place the
template on the blank so the top ends m
flush and malk the curve of the template
on the Mank with a pencil (/em Then cut
along your m a w line on the band saw
and smooth the cut edge (step41.

template to tha blank Then, with a pncll


held between ywr thumb and index fin-
uer, run wur middle fihmr alonn the
btvad&of the blank mark h-
ring line perallel to the edge and X iwh
from it (W.You can ako use a mek-
3 cmtliw(keMdP
Label the top and Mwn ends of the slat, then cut the sbt on
the band saw fsbove), keeping ywr hands well clear of the blade.
inggauge to scribe the cutting line. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to produce the number of slats yw need.
FRAME CHAIRS

4 Srrlkhlw-
Sand
the
fr@V,
dle sander
slats by hand or with a spin-
using m l y fin-
ergit sandpaper sleeves until the slats are
smooth. With your right hand, feed the
slats aminst the dlrectian of the sanding
drum's-rotation while applying pressure-
with your left hand.

5shpiamw
Once all the slats are smooth, mund
their edges usinga ?&inch piloted rbund-
ov&i bit mounted in a muter btibk. To pro-
vide a beaingwtface for the slats,install
the same fence and bit guard you used to
shape the rear legs (pge 31). Set the
height and depth of cut using a piece of
stock the same thickness as p l l r slats.
Then mund the edges of each slat. fw
ing them into the bit with ywr right hand
while applying pressure against the fence
wtth p u r left f/eR). Kw p r hands wll
clear of the bit thmughbut the operation.
FRAME C W R JOINERY

Abadr-nmunteddarrsamor-
rircinrhrfmntiqlofudrak,dying
dwkgj6randmma T k l h e s h m w ~
abmeumpoducepjkdy~nuJr-
rhcsupto3i&dapBamarirPkadr
at mbting racking and other mpm
that&rsmusttmderlpoi knwrtipc-
and-tuum is &joint of choiajbr mn-
n&ngjinmedmirpvr+ Uxmudard
Mind tccmrc tojoin k f m n t a n d brrdr
sat~aswdlas~nmandback
milrtothekgs[rightk#aqkdMind
Iba~(~38)tofiksidevlult&

1 Jnr4rihcblmdadrr
You can cut standard Mind tenm in the mik quickly and accurately on yw tabk
saw with a cornmenial tenoning jig. The model above slides in the miter slot. Outline
the tencm on the ends of the raiS usingpur seat temp)ate 27) is a guide. Set
the cutting height to the term length. Usinga wood pad to protect the wotkpiece,
damp a rail to the jig end-up. Adjust the jig sideMays to a l e one of the tenon marks
with the blade. After making the first cut, turn the rail amund to cut the other.
tenon cheek. If p are cutting an offset tenon like the one shown, in which the
tenon is not centered on the end of the ail, you will havz to reposition the jig to
saw the second cheek. Rep& thecuk at the other end of the rail (above) and at
both ends of the remaining rails.
2 Onilytkbacloltheshulm
Saew a board to miter guge as
an BdemMn. Then, hddtng a rail against
the W o n , adlust the cuttrng hecght to
the depth of the tenon shoulder. Align the
shoulder with the Made, Mt a stop Mock
against the vrwkpiece ard clamp the Mock
to the edensian. Holding the rat1 against
the stop blodc and the extension. f e d the
duck with the mlter gauge to cut the first
shoulder. To saw the oppostte shoulder.
turn the ail GRT (f@tU, adlusbngthe Made
height for an &set tenon. To cut the shoul-
ders on the edges of the tenon, make a
senes of passes wlth the board on edge
until the waste is removed. Repeat to cut
the tenons at the other end of the rail and
in the remain~ngails.
FRAME CHAIRS

CUTTIN6 AMLED rarHmSW


I THE SIDE RAILS
~tkelrLhsnUade~~
Once you have cut the t e r n in the
fmnt and back seat rails and the back and
crest rails, cut the blind angled temm in
the side rails. To set the Made angle on
your table saw fa cutting the angled tenon
the sest template (m27)
5:: as a guide. A t i i two boards alcnga badc
' !
comer of W template and adjust a slid-
, - ing bevel to the angle formed by the

MmwkCI*JIU.*~llB@s
Install a dado head on ywr saw and
bunsfer the angle fmm the sliding bevel to
the b b k 1- an sraillaywmdenfenu
mtheripfencaand nrkh Itwiththedado
head. Then E& a cutting width of i( inch
and a height of Y inch. Feed a saap pkae
uIehe~k.asywrsbodcfacedomi~
the dado bad to make test cuts across
both ends, a6 hrmn in sbp 3. Then psi-
tion the test piece on the seat tempme
dimWcwer oned the side raik (&W. The
shouklerlinesmthepkeandthe~
should line up: If not, inmas? the cuuing
. . . . ..? ..
width and make ah~tharsets d Euts, MI-
tinuing until the shoulders allgn. Adjvst the
cutting height until the tenon cheeks an
the piece line up with the template. ... .
FRAME CHAIRS

3 ar*rmemolcm
Once the cutting width and h e i t of
the dado head have been pmprty set,
put the test piece aside and make the
cuts on the side rails. Use the miter
gauge and fence to guide the board for
one pass, thm turn the board over and
repeat the cut at the other end (aboR).
Cut the axraspondingc M in the other
side rail. To set up the saw for the other
side of the cheeks, set one of the rails on
edge and use the sliding bevel to extend
the thoulder line =rots the edge of the
board (inset).Then moue the rip fence
to the other side of the dado head, and
reposition and notch the auxlliiry fence
accordingly. Align the shoulder mark with
the outside Made of the dado head and
butt the fence against the end of the
stock. Leavingthe a d e of the dado head
unchanged. cut the remaining cheeks
(left)in both rails the same wav vw cut
FRAME CHAIRS

4 salir(tmpYa~*BnillontMlar
Adlust the an* of the dado head to 90". Holdinga board
paallel tothe miter slot, use the slimng bewl to set the miter
gauge. The shoulder should be parallelto the np fence: ifnot,
turn the rail over onto its other edge. Set the width of cut to
gauge to the same angle used to adjust the Mades in step 1 the width of the chqek dadjust the dado heed to the des~red
(above). Butt one d the side rails on edge against the miter cutting height.

5 Ukea & r t b e l 8 m ~
the tenon cheeks, the shwlden
are cut in two steps. F a the f~tstset d
mk,guide the &me on edge using
the miter gauge and fence frightl, then
turn the bmrd around and repeat the cut
attheotherendofthesameedge.Saw
the conesponding houlderr an the other
rail.Tomakethesecondsetofcuh. use
FRAME CHAIRS

WRllSINS ME LLGS FOR THE SEAT RAILS

1~ m d * s rtheh t hthec k o n t m
Mark the of seat dl mottises on the fmnt le&
using a tenon on hont ml as a guide To mark the width of
the m m t i i , pasition a leg on b e seat template. Since yw are
d i n g on the top of the template, plaa the right leg in the
2 weif*nlbn~~ruriqr
Use ymr leg template to mark
the
the
ail on &h re+ leg. Then use
of
location of the side seat
tenon the side seat all to
left-hand comer of the template and the left leg in the right- outline the length of the moctlses on the legs. Extend the lines
hand corner. Extend the tenon marks on the template onto the onto the Inside face of each leg. To mark the &ise width,
legto outline the width af the mortises for the fmnt and side measure the pastion and thickness of the side rail tenon on the
rail tenom (dm+?) hm Then eQend the I Ia c ~
T. m the ten& seat template, measure the positionof the side rail mortise on
malB. Bore the matkes with a mwtiser &e 36)w a jig fw each rear leg. and transfer your measurement to the legs
4 2 ) 2 ) t t u m l ~ t h e !€gS (ahme). Repeat to outline the mat*es fwthe back rail temnb

3
noulklgk-kifr~or~
Secure the lkgs face to face to a wak
surface M, that two match~ngmottise cut-
lines are facing up and perfectly aligned.
Then tmtall a Clnch mwtlsing bit in a
plunge router; also install a commercial
edgegudedettedwthawwdenextension.
t k edge r i d e against the leg (whim
is not curwed at this wint), adjust it to
center the b i t o w mi d the matise out-
lines and rout the math wlth a series of
suressiuely w r p m s until t k 'h inch
deeper than the tenon length. Keep the
e d g guide flush against the leg through
out the c u k fkff).Repeat for the mor-
tise in the other leg and for the adjacent
edges of both legs Square the cornets of
- the mortiseswith a chisel.
leg template. Position the template on
one of the rear legs and transfer the rail
and mortise mark to Me w o r i t p i i I&W.
Then bansfer the marks from the leg to
the other rear leg, butting the two legs
@&her and using a ambination square to,
edend the lines.
FRAME CHAIR
FRAME CHhIR

SMMrmlNG THE RAILS, SUTS AND LEGS

1 ~ ~ . C ~ ~ ~ * ~ C L ~ R 1I I S ~ S U I
Befwe awmbling the chair, smmth
Lhe surfaces d psrb that om& be sanded
a b r the chair is glued up. Hand-sand
parts that wwld diiicult to smooth with
a power sander, such as the slats and

-
back-rest rails tr@U Use p m i v e l y
finer-it sandpaper until the surface is
5m60th; move to a finer-grit abmsiw when
Me marks left by the coatser sheet are
away.
I

SadngtkclyrmdseamOI
2
I
Use a power sander like the belt
sander shown below to smooth the
remaimn#chair parts: the seat raik and
I=. Secue ywr vmkpkce b&ween
bench does on a wakbeneh, patecting
the stockwith wood psQ As with ha&
sanding, use pmgressively finer-grit
sanding belts to smooth the sto&.
.
FRAME CHAIR

1aarsrm-
The last step before gluing up the
chair is prepariogthe corner blocks the!
reinfmx the #at frame. Cut the blocks
from a board of the sa(ne thiikllgs as the
seat mils. Sta~tby Mlniing the blecld on
the board, using wr template as a
guide. Place the'board on the template
eurss one of the cornen so that the -In
of the bcerd h diagonal to the gain d the
ralls. Then a n d the lines kpresentlng
me ihkide faces of the rails ecross the
board. Cut the block oh the band saw,
thmming the inside corner to clear the
leg. Repeat to mark and cU the remaining
aHner bkb (W.

2 -*-BoretwDscrswtldeslhrwgh them
m r bloaks on your drill press. Starting
with a F m r bit slightly Iwget man the
~dthe~yo(rvvllluret01nstall
the blocks. hold the block with its long
edge fecing up and drill shallcm pocket
holesfordqthe~*f
~lmpawppatbPardtDthetablet0 lp T
you keep the blodc wfttcal. Once allltiffse
holesare drilied, crrmpletqtheel-
holes thm& the blccks with a kadOoint
bit slight)y'law than the scpew shaffs.
ASSEMBLING THE CHAIR

6U1lH6 UP THE FRONT AND BACK ASSEMBUES

1 A frame chai;is assembled in two steps: First, the back the seat raik, drill the holes thtwgh the rails f m 77). Once
and front leg assemblies we glued up separately, as sham the raik are reedy, cut a half-dozen wmd clamping pads, pre-
ahove and on page 48, then the leg assemblies ae jdned with pare three bar clamps. tkn epply glue to Me p i n k of the rea
the side seat tails 491. Stiwt by by-fittlng the chair m- leg asssmbly. Using a small, stiff-bristled br&, spead adhe-
k ~the,crest and back ndls, the seat rails, and shem the rail t e r n and in their 4 m u t i i fabae). L% not
the slats. Use a chisel to pare away excess wood from any apply any glue on the slats or In Uvlirail mwtises; W slats
Bccad~elytight jdnts. If you will be screwingthe chair seat to must be free to move.
.
FRAME CHAIR

2 ~ ~ W theu r ~ ~ k crest
Assemble
c = = w
back rest, fitting the slats into
their mortises in the back and ails. then
insert the rail tenons into their mortises in one
of the rear kgs; take care to keep the slats in
place. Next, slip the back seat rail into place in.
the k,fit the c d k rear leg onto the rails and
tap the assembly t-er with a wooden mallet;
use a striking block to prevent mmingthe stock.
lmtall the clamps across the three rails. pmtect-
ing the legs with the pads. Tighten the clamps a
lime at a time (ahJ until a thin bead of due
squeezes out d the pints.

3 flrilrapYI.h.14==w
Fa the fmt leg assembly, yau will need a sin-
gle bar clanp and a pair of damping pads. Glue
the fmt @to the front seat rail, sightingalong
the tail to emun? that the legs ae perfectlyaligned
f r W . If they are misaligned, slacken the clamp
FRAMECHAIR

6W1m UP THE CHAIR

1w mtrtucsa*rlhcmarm
Once the adhesive in the
tnn
assemMi has cured. rmwe damps
the
leg

and glue the assemblies-her with the


Ei& seat rails. Assemble the chair on a
pafedly flat surface, such as a saw table.
Stat by clarnpiclg a board as bng as the
fmntoi the chaw Is& to the back face
of the bnck seat rail; t
hisclamping board
will help pu keep the chair squae as y w
asmble R. Set the rear kg assembly on
its back then spead glue on the a& rail
twxm (righ0 and in their martises In the
bFit the rails into the rea legs.

lPWh#lb~anabloda
3 Once the chair Is level and the
Bhre
2
chair
J w o g l b l i q ~ i
Working quickly, fit the front leg assemMy onto the side seat rails and set the
IW1two clamps along the side rails, potecting the front legs with
damps are w=d
rntheeQgesdthewmerbloelrrthatwill
amtact the seat rails and screw each one
d pads. T&ten the clmps labe), then gently mek the chair to emuethat it e inplaae~~lkjVBthesa~nsunti1
kuel. If Mt, iwsen thedamp on the uneven leg, slide one of [ts jw up sl~ghtly,and there are no gaps betmeen the blocks
mtightm. Check agam for level, shift~ng the clamps sr m c e s a ~ ~ the chair is lev-
until ad the rails and a thin bead of glue
el. &so make sure that the top edges of dl the seat ra~lsare level with the tops d the squeezgoutbdrveenthetwo.Narpe-
fnmt & use a mallet and sblking bkck to tap the ails into posltim, if necessay. p r e and install a seat im 701.
SLAB-AND-STICK CHAIRS

T beWiodsorcbair,wi&its
iudependentback and kg
asembkanchodto amlid
tise in a wet chair seat, €01
example, can make a snug
joint wen tighter. Once the
seat, and the post-and-nil joint is assembled, the tenon
m a i r 4 r simplestidr cbair- willabsorbmoishurfromthe
in which the back is an exten- scat, swelling the tenon and
sionofthenarlegs,~Long s h r i g the mortise. Pro-

-
been fnvorites with d- vided that the tolerances m
w o r k W-IS are noted hdpinwmaynotm
hr botb comMrt and elegsnce, -*glue.
butbrgmamnlleqgetobdd. Although the cbair Eratured
Wstglesdhm-bmd- in this chapter can be con-
ingmanyoftheparts,Ndlas Ilwstrtsfiwaladda--backchairliketheoneshawit stnrdedwithgreenwood,the
beus-Thejoints onpage50aznbchdr)cuoffgtkejigdunvnabwe. pmceduresshowninthebl-
mustalsobecuttoveryda~e Mrrclefmmmutkin~~faLPlliued~, hhgpagesassumetheuse
toleraacarSim~4estlkchairs, eachslatirheMbyawebdnmpagrrinnafmn, of dry, seasoned l u m k As a
ontheotkrhead,areeasierto whkhisnbtofk~cu~ dthernoltkand-tmons
assemMe;mostdesignsIrature
.- -temnpioerv. are glued together. 'be ioints
simpled- attscbingthelegstotheseatare&fo~bywedg&and
This Chpoter will sbwr mu how to build a hvbridof these the slat-to-back wst connections are stren&ened bv we^
h*i~&;hirlitetheOne~onpage50. ~lthoaghch~isd&gmtedinthecu~"list,youcanuse
,."
With the d i d sat and -1.9-4-bark ~ C of a Sn y w o o d ~ c a n b e w o r k e d e a s i l y u n d i s ~ t o c h e d
theWhr,rhiStbischeirbe becomEmtaMe.thesah oraadrafterthechairisascanbled
%
chkmostofitspartsmassemb withroundm@mund
tenm,nhich s h n p b its m ~ n .
Aswifh,lnypieceoffumituR,formshouldhUowfunc-
tioa The shape of the seat and the slope of the back shown
Both Windsor and stick chairs are traditionally made here represent only one of many design possibilities. The
of green, or "wet", wood-hldy hewn stock that has not chair~buildshoulda,nformtotheneedsofitsenentual
been seasoned or dried. The bene6ts of wwlxingwith gmn use:Readthein~gslybyJDhnandCdimGrew-
woodarem~ny.WetwoodisnlPtkely' anditis ~ f ~ 1 I ) t o h m o r e a b o l l t h o w ~ c a n
eroiertoshapeondjom.Fittjngadryle~eamor- aatixrachoir'sdesign.

The chair at kft wmbitlrr a hdder bad with a sculpted Wtndcor-nyleseat, meat-

a &element to the/unctio&design. fherings were burned & on dre


Lthe by W i n g a pieceqfthin wire against the spinning Mank.
ANATOMY OF A SLAB-AND-STICK CHAIR
SLAB-AND-STICK CHAIRS

A cutting list records the finished sizes of the woDd needed for would normally add an extra 20 to 30 percent to account for
a pr0ject. If you buy plans, a list may be included; othemise defects in the wood and waste. Add at least 50 percent for
you will have to make your own based on a drawing of the chairs, havrever, as there is inevitably m m wask because the
design. Lumber is often sold in board feet. As explained oh appearance of each element is of critical impatance. For the
page 16, 1board foot is equivalent to a piece of wwd 1Inch chaw project shown in this chapter, which totals roughly 5
thick, 12 inches wide, and 12 inches long. Once you have board feet, you should order at least 8 board feet and you
tallied up the number of board feet for all the pieces, you could quite easily use 10.

7herungsnreattwhaitothelegs
with mnd motrise-and-horn
while rhe legs arejoined to rhe sad-
dle-typc seat with a wedged version
of& ramejoint.
PREPARING THE S U T AND LEGS
MARKIN6 AND m6 POST AWD LEG MORTISES
N

I
Ihcmxtitionalwaytodrinmma
drairomtjiw~postsrtdlcgrbwitha
bnraandbkmdmvninthe~
butyot~mn&ureadrillpten
Mthcithsrmdhadywwillneedto
driUaaarnpouud@thatbmkedm
rhcfmnror hukandspkpi olu to rhc
1 LqkL~~I*laulawrrtlrrdfneI
Lay the seat Mank face-up on a wwk surface. msrk the center d two adiacent
sides and use a carpenter's quare to extend the lines to the opposite sides of the
si& I f p are udngaM p m s du blank, b i i i n g the center d the seat blank. The resulting grid will help you -.a
mrrsrr an&offheforwador back- symmetrical wtline fa the scat To msrk the outline, a h use an enstlngchair and
nnrdmbrisrctby Wngrhc muhe's aqy it or create p u r mdesign using the d~mensiomin the chact on pwa 14 as a
mble-ora riwng tabkjig-m the guideline. In each caner d the seat you will need b mark a morttse for a leg. The
appropriate angle. 7'benposition the back of the seat wll also require an ems d s e in each comer bthe c h a ~ posts. h
raarbhksothe~splay U s a massunq tape to emure that the mortnes are perfectly symmeblcd. You will
Mgle nqkwuzline (right) is a & g d also need to mark referenw llnes to help you dhll the mortisa so the legs and pods
witkrhcdrillbitmddu!mlmnatdre willYplsyoutwhwnthesi&dtheseatatthep~perangle.Thaearem~blct
lmckofdrrmaddnc. guidelines for what thls angle should be. w i n , use an existing chair as a model.
LqptypicaUy flare out by 105O to 115.; posts by 110"C 120". Use a pmhctw b
mak a r e f e m line thmugh the hem and extend it tward the center of the seat
fahe). Repeat this prccedwe for each mortise.

mwnbnLbri
Asmllassplayingoutthemottissforthelegsand posts
must be angled-or raked--tarerd the hont w badr of the
chalr. To help you drill the resultingcompound angle you will
need the helpof a simple jii in addition to the splay angle d-
efence lines yw ham almdy drawn on the seat Use a sl~ding
bevel to mark the rake Mlgk on a piece of suap stock (left).
1 Thisan@e~be~1Vandl~frinnvaticalforthe
fmnt legs and p05t5, and almost Wce that bthe back legs.
Clamp the stock in a vtse and wt dong the line. You will need
I to~a~jigWeschdthed'~ta@esyoudll
requite bthechair.
SLABAND-STICK CHAIRS

seat blank to a work surface with a swap


pand undemath to protect the wlfke
and reduce tearout Next, ~nstalla s p
bit habrace; anaugerandarpadebitse
s u W e akmaWes. Line up the drilling
guide with the splay angle reference line
fa one of the post morbisas. Then center
the bit on the mcNtise and begin drilling.
keeping the bit parallel to the slope of
the rake q l e jig(rw. Repeat to bwe
the other podt mortises.

~ i h r ~ r l L c L i q

q4
Use the approprlak rdre angle jig ta
help you drill the k k leg mortises, then
drill the front leg mmtises. In this case.
thesameguidewesusedforthefmntleg
mortise
with theas for the
splay posh.
angle Line up
reference the
line jig
and
b m the mortlse. Then cut out the seat
A ..'.
,-: and wulpt it (m73).
.
SLAB-AND-STICKCHAIRS

1Tnminrthr
on (haLIB
?quare
Install the
legs and sadat

leg stock between centers


on your lathe and adjust the tool rests close
as possible to the stock vnthwt touching it.
Use a roughing gwge to shape the leg, mak-
ing sure that you keep the bevel rubbing at
all times and the tool pdntihg In the d~rec-
tion of the cut. Then turn the tenon with a
parting tool. Turn off the lathe periodically
and use calipers to check the diameter of
the tenon (left). Then produce the sbeches
Ule same way, turning a tenon at each end.

2
and
rwngwc~bthc*nns
Remove the finished leg fium the Mhe
wrap it in a tq leaving the tenon end
ercpoeed, and secure it in a bench vise. The
rag wlll protect the stock fmn the j a w of
the vise. Use a backsaw to slice a kwf in the
center of the tenon to a depth of about
threequarten the length of the tenon.
Repeat for the 0 t h legs and ttretchers.
SLAB-AND-STICK CHAIRS

--

ASSEMBLING LEGS AND STRETCHERS


MllilylLa amch matiwr
1 SMches are insWled between legsto
provide sufficient tension in the leg assem-
bly. Dry assemble the legs in the seat with
the kern in the tenons perpendicularto the
n i @ of the seat, and position the metch-
ers. Then cut a pige d rrap stadc slightly
longs than the d i i n c e between two I&.
Uampthewmdbetweenthehvolegsjust
below the &se level to serve as a ref-
erence fw keeping the drill b i horizontal.
PI&e a dpad between the legs and the
clamp jzm, or use clamps with non-mar-
ring jars like those shown at right. Next,
install a bradpoint bit in an eleclric drill and
mapapigedtapeaoundtheshaftofthe
bii to mark the depth that the mortise
should be d r i 1 I d - U ~ of the stretch-
er tenon. Holdingone leg nea the bottom,
sight akmg the horizontal guide and drill
the mortise to the proper depth (right).
Repeat f a the other mortises, readjusting
the height of the horizontal guide as
required fmn stretcher to stretcher.

12 clam^
llrrcnmkl1Lartrrteh
a scrap Danel. softer than the
;
chaw stock, onto wwk surface to protect
the cha~rparts. Remove all the legs fmm
the seat. Then, take a leg and put glue
In the stretcher morbses and on the mat-
Ing d g e d tenon of the stretcher. Insert
the tenon Into the mortlse and qp them
flrmly together by hand. Repeat this
pmcess for each pint uhtll the whde I&
&&her m a g e 1s assembled. Nerd, place
the arsemMy on the scrap panel. Holding
a leg firmly w& one hand, tap the back of
each mortise mth a dead-blow hammer to
seat the tenon fully in the W i s e (left).
Repeat this pmcedure for the remaln~ng
stretchers. Then pmceed quickly to the
next step--installing the legs in the seat
(page 58- t h ~ smust be completed
before Me glue has cwed.
ASSEMBLING THE-SEATAND LEGS
INSTAUIN6 AND SECURIIIG THE LEGS

1 WhWIrhihrsrl
Place the seat upsidedown on a clearance board narrower than the gap
between the mortises for the back legs. Insert the leg in b mortises and tap it
with a dead-blow hammer until the tenon is wedged tightly in plixre. Repeat for
the remaining legs (above).

2 weww~llr-
Set the Muprighl and bim the tenon
above
ends to slightly seat level with a
flush-cutt~gsaw, To make wedges for the
hat% cut some hardvood pieces on the
band saw about 1 inch long and Y inch
th~ckatLhebsse.tapehlBtoapointPlace
glue in the b f and M the wedge, then
hammer it h place with a wDoden mallet
fr@O. Be caehrl nd to Insert the vRdge
too deeply a it might split the tenon.
3 SLAB-AND-STICKCHAIRS
4
.
SLAB-AND-STICK CHAIRS

Shim*aohdr
4 The legs d the chair must be shimmed
level before trimming them to the desired
height. To do this accurately. place the
chair on a smooth, level surface. Level the
seat from side to side and from front to
back by positioning small shims under
e s h leg as required. (Some woodworkers
prefer their seats to angle slightly down-
wads toward the back.) Then decide on
the height yw want for the seat; 17%inch-
es is a good guideline, but you can cus-
tomize a chair to fit the intended user.
Make a mark on the chair leg at the point
that the leg needs to be cut. then saw
four blocks the same thickness as the gap
1 between the mark and the work sub.

I
Notch one of the blocks to fitaround a leg.
Place the block amund the first leg to be
cut. Holdingthe leg firmly with one hand.
cut it to size with a flushcutting saw (m.

5 T~thakPiD6iW
once~~ipgiscuttosize,remove
the m h e d Mock and r e p h lt vvlth one of
the rematningb b c k War the notched
pece irrmndthe nmt kgand mdre the cut
Continue in this way unbl all facr !&g5 are
cut (right).
MAKING THE BACK

can be @l uMdanedaembel-
lidvd with W-painted mat#
mawings Hae.araoUsaw
cu6adaantivedaigninadat.

PREPARING THE MORTISES


Mafkiythm~
1 The f i i step m making the bask k b
lay out the mortises for h e slats on the
~Qampthe~pecgofsqwrepmt
stock de-by.*de on a walc surface. Mak
a cenMine d m the length of each pcst
and use thr asa guide for centwlng the
m a t i Then usa a pie@ of slat stock to
outline Me positii of the m w t w on one
pmt blank. Determine the prmbiDn of the
slats by taking Into acaxlnt the numter of
h
e
m
slats, the of the pod, and the spac-
ing between each slat. Use the marked
blank as a template for the other post,
transfenlnnthe finished outline n t h the

II aid of a square (left),


SLAT-AND-STICK CHAIRS

Rodnltbnat[m
Secm one of the post blanks between
bench dcgs. Install a k n c h mort~slngblt
in a router equlpped with an edge gu~de.
Center the bit wef the mattst? d i n e and
adjust the edgegulde to butt against the
stak; use the second post Mank to suppolt
the router. Make several passes. increas-
ing the wtting depth with ~ a c hpass until
the moctlse is completed; a depth d W
inch Is typical. Reqeat this pocedure far
all the m i n i n g moctiseson the f i d pmt
(kft),then rout the rn~tkesin the second
post the same way.

3 Place
Tlhl[~SmpmtontheIaUm

I
the first blank between cen*
~vwrlatheandpushthetdFestupto
the blank as close as possible without
touching it. Suppott the millggouee on
therest and, with the blank turning, me-
blly move the bevel until it touches the
stack and the cutting eQge starts to remove
waste. Continue removingwaste up and
d m the length of the blank until a cylin-
derisfwmedf~,withtheW~tl#
and the tod poinling in the dlrectlon d the
cut. Turn tenon w, the lower end with
s paibngtod, stopping frequently to test
the d i m e b with calipers Then cut a kerf
insachpmtfora*Rdge,asywdidfarthe
kg (pa@ 56h ensuring the kerf 16parperr
dicula to the gfan
i of the seat. Repat the
pocessfortheotherpostblank
SLAB-AND-STICK CHAJRS

PREMRlB6 THE SUTS

1Wmirrammklk
The slats far
the
the
bent with
d
chaw back can be
help a steam brm Build
I
the dev'ke fmm a piece of Schedule 80
ABS piping longer than the length of the
slat Cut the pipe in half and fit one end
d each p k e lo an ABS TconnW. Olue
a 1Mnch connectar p i p to the T-connec-
tor and fatten this to a uwnmercial wall-
papersbeamer. Build a support sbucture
fran -2 awl tilt the pipe ditty with
a support Mock so any exws water can
run out of a drain hole installed in the cap
at the *end of the p~pe.Tha end caps
shwld be the p b o n variety to prevent
the steaner hrm beaming wer-presw-
ired. To hold the wood above any wn-
dm!iedwater, haseriesofhdesalong
the pipe's length fa %inch zinc&
w h i n e b o b and nuts. equipped with
rubber'Iwashers.

2 smhwsm
pkce
to be
the
Turn m steam
swrce and mark the center of the nrak-
bent As soon as steam begins to escape horn the
that time for g m n wood. To ~ K Iscalding
I~ your hsnds, wear
wdgkwes and use tongs to hadle the s . labow). The sluch
cMn hde, plnce the &piece imide. Close the end cap tightly r bent over a plywood form shaped to the desired
can ~ a v be
and let the wukpiece steam until it is soft. As a mugh guide, curve and then clamped in place until in dries. Or use the 1%
stem air* lumber far one haw per inch of thickness; half shown on the following pa@?.
SLAB-AND-STICK C H A M

MEASUWIIG AND PREPARING THE SLATS FOR MORTISES

1a-*-Let the sbts dty In the bend~ng


for couple of days befae cuttsng them
fwm

b lm. Ckyinstall the posts sn their m-


tises in the sfat, then install a spax?rboarf
betrreen the pmts to hold them the paper
distance apart. Place the top slat behind
the posts and align a with Its mortsses.
Markalinedowneachendofthesbtat
Ute mahse (m. Draw a cutting line Yi
inch outside each mark b awnpensate for
the depth of the mortsse. Before rnak~ng
the cut,do any shaping wwk Wep 2). Thls
will make it safer for you to feed the slat
into the cutter slnce you will not have to
shape b the ends of the stock

2 SLlphgihesm
The slats can shaped on a table-
mounted rwter. Install a psloted mund-
over bit sn t h e M ; a Mnch bit will work
well for Isnch-th~ckstock. T h e w -
pare a shop-made gusde by notching a
plece of 1-by-2to clear the bit Clamp it
In place wth the notch directly ever the
cutter; the edge of the gurde should be in
line mth the muter bearing. Re~nfwcethe
gui& with a piece of 2-ly-4 clamped at a
90" angle and notched to-fit over the
guide. Feed the slat in$, the c u b , mak-
ing sure that the stock resb flush -161
the gukk baarim and keepingywr fiw
well clear of the bit (itt.
.
SLAB-AND-WICK CHAIRS

3 EUIIIq1Y~bblgth
Oncethe~oftbeshtsaeshapad,
pu are mdy to CIAthe p h to length.
Usiwthebandsaw, becwefultokeepthe
wt of the slat wnth the cutting line flat a,
the table while yw mdre the cut i@V.

4 snbnLa*oRLI.c-
The ends the slat6 need to be 6anded to compensate for
of
the nwtiss
the aq#e at w h i i
they enter Take each trimmed
if the tenon fits all the way into the W i s e (mset). A gauge can
also be used to cut away the waste until you have a secure M
slat and carefully sand dmm the pat of the back face that will Yw may have to trim the end of the slats s l w to fit ~ntothe
flt Into the mwtise labovle). Stop frequently and cheek to see W i s e to allow fa the angle of the slat
I:r SLABAND-SIICK CHAIRS

i" INSTAUIN6 THE SIATS AND POSTS

i' 1 Fmimgadrbi*pifapmls

-
Put glue in each mortise and on the
ends of each slat. Insert the slats into one
i' post,thenlinethemupmththe~sesin
the other post and press the slats in place
i3 (r~ght).Set one of the posts on a scrap
panel and @veit a few taps from a dead-
i3
mil
b h hammer above each mortise to drive
the slats in all the way. Flip the assembly
I
=3
arer and hammer directly a h the mar-
tises in the other post, then prom& qurk-
I ly to installing the posts in the seat.

i J3
IJ
I1 4
I
i3
i'
' 3
I
i
id
' 4
I
i'
i
iJ
i
i 3A Lr#rimrrtrewetrt
! iJ Push the tenons of the pmt assem-
bly into the seat mortises (left). Then
I sink the pwts tightly wtth a few taps

i13 from a dead-blow hammer befm seeur-


ing them with wedges hammered into
the tenons 581
I
i
.
SLAB-AND-STICKCHAIRS

3 Raprbl-P-Pnd-afpqr
Once the back is installed, drill the
holes for the pegs that will secure the
slak to the posts. In an electric drill, Install

n a brsd-potnt btt the same wdth as your


pegs. Then, scribe a line d m the Inside
edBe of the posts to ltne up the peg peg,
whtch shwld penetrate the post and the
slat without exitlng from the far side of
the posts. Mark the center of each peg
hole abng th6 line to lndtcate the dnlling
point. Mark the depth on the b ~with t a
piece of m&ng tape. Use an awl to start
the hole. Then place the chair at a com-
fortable level. pasp a post in one hand,
and bae into the post until the tape on the
blt touches the stock (left).Rep4 th~s
pmcedwe fa all the peg holes.

4 -buthed-
*~~-PcI
Prepare pegs to secure the slats in the
posts. Take the stadt (eithec the same a
a conbasting hardwood for a decorative
effect)and rip it to size, The sides of the
peg should be the same width as the diem
eter of the hde; use a push stick to keep
your flngers well clear d the blade. Then
cut the pegs m l y to lengthon the band
saw. Taper one end of eaeh peg slightly
withashopkr)itomakLteaderbhm-
mer into its hde fright).
SLAB-AND-STICK CHAIRS

5onnnktbPPhbpa
Wlth the chaw back clamped secure-
ly a wrk sutface, spread m e glue
on the tapered end of each peg. Next.
pDJiti the peg in [15 hde and tap R mth
a hammer untll you hea a change in tDne
which will ~ndicatethat the peg has bot-
tomed out In the hole. Insert the other
the same way.

Cablgih~~*(tLI*I*6
6 With the chair still clamped in
place, use a chisel to shave away the
pegs a little at a time until t w a n
flush with the post (left). Sand them
smooth if necepsary,
SEATS

-
I he
-&...
seat is the reason for a
..sexstem.
. Backsand
. .~~~~~~~~

Century, while the Egyptians


arms may be optional-even were making rush seats more
legs-but every chair needs a than 3,000 years ago. Cane and
seat. Over the centuries, chair rush seats remain popular, and
m h hare setdedon many seat the techniques and materials
styles to suit a variety of appli- for weaving them ace v i r h d y
~Canestrandsarecut
from the bark of the Asian rat-
big bur types of Gats: a solid, tan plant and are available in
d o t e d seat: an uoholstered various widths. Although can-
&a wove" cane &!at; and a I ing a seat requires f& tools
nuhs t .
.
The top surjzmofihe woodseat in ihefmmechair
.-Im 83).
ing
. it is a timeansum-
process that demands pa-
Ihesolid,xdptedseatshown
starting on page 73 represents shmvn above has been sculpted @provide maximum tience. Weaving a typid cane
the d t i o n of what appeared m f m t and supportfor its uzer. seatcantakeaslongas12ho~1~
intbeeuliestchairsandstooIs A less time-consumingoption
as a Bat wooden slab mortised to hold three or four legs. The is p r e m caning, which is+ into a gmove around the
modansdidseatisappropiatehvhallyanychairdesign. seatframe,asshownhthephc+oonpageM.
Its sculptedsurface is idealiy suited to frame chairs, as shown Today, rush seats are generally worn with twisted Inaft
in the*to above,and its &ty adds a measure of strength p a p rathathan natural ru&-aqt on npductionpiges

-
to &-and-& mairs (paee50A which use the seat as an inte- Sold in various widths and colors, fiber rush seats are very
gralelement 0fthestru;tl;e. dmble.Rushingaseatusbownonp.rge~isanedsiertd-
The uohoIsteted seat with its and fabric mverine niquetomasterthanfuling,andisanacdhtwaytospanthe
a
(PW 78j, was p iof the o k t e d;girs built in the 1%
ad18th Centuries-The comfort and iuxwious appear-
seat frame of a stick chair.
Although wwen seats are intended to last a long time, they
that it piuvidesmakesit a good choice fDr chairs intended for usuallydonotlastaslongisthcchairi~EThechairbeiog
dit&rooms and other f&d setthgs. rewovenonpa~e90,for~le,ismorrthanahundredpus
The practice of weaving chair seats has a long history. old Before reweaving an old cane seat, be sure to remove
Western chair makers haw used cane to make ,-ts for fasteners from the edges of the seat frame.

Pmvoven m e is glued into a scatfmme, held in place temporarily by Woden


wedges. B+ installation, the cane is soakedfor two hours in warm warn.
It is then mrtchad tightly over he scat and wedged into grooves routed in the
brcide dp ofihefmme. Thecane is securedpennane~+onesidear a time, by a
md~hctkphoto~EcF,~hmebeengluadinihegrooveconrhreesides
ofrhrsamArCpdrsplineisinmrllat,dreekmrmneiscutawny.(SeepagelU).)
SEAT STYLES
SCULPTED SEATS

I
T hedptedscatdesignfepbmdin
tbisssctionisintededfwaframe
chair. (If you are making a seat €or a
Begin by makinga seat blank that isa
fnvinrheJlvgerthantheseatframby
a+ghQpicca of 1- to 1W-id-thkk
&andandstickcbair, see page 54. The mlid sbxk fw atypical &, a 20-inch-
pmcedure for sculpting the seat, as square blank should be sufficient.
shownonpages75and76,isthesame Anvrgetheboardssothatthegrainof
fwbothtypesofch2irs) thsatwillmhwnfrontto~

A~sartWistat-fi#nla~themukgsofrhcfnunccJmir
shown at l$.17rr@t step in sinig dte bhnk invohwpmitioning it on
rhcsa~t~andoutl~thenoahcsdrcltmuctbenrt.outforrhcm
Iqp*&rthedtethofthenordusaddYi~ofclramnabehwm~
WdthelegsmaUowforHoodmowment.~thedcpfh,msanar
fmnrrhcfmnr4fthedegto~Y~beymrdthe~smtdand
add the overfrangM d
E
CW DllCCpu have mar@ thedngIing
a~~afffie~nkureanyq~1)~mnrmtdihenrtodEC~

PREPARING THE SEAT

1 Ovtline the notches for the rear legs on the blank iphoto,
W a n d c u t them on your band saw.Then pm~timthe blank
the fifint set of lines. These will be your cutting lines; the 5;8a
will overhang the M e by K inch. Round the corner between
on the seat frame and Mltllne the artside of the frame and the the rear legs and the sides, then saw along the cutting lines.
fmnt legs on the undmide of the blank. Turn the blank over starting with one bide, continuing to the front and finishing
and merk a second set of l~nesparallel to and K inch outside with the second side fabod,
2 Use
marks
kll*Iikce@sofII*wd
your jointer to rernmthe saw
left on the edges on both sidesof
the seat.Adjust the d i n e for a shal-
low cut and make a ~BSSon each edge.
keepingthe edge flat on the pintar tables
and the face flush against the fence
frigtN. To ensure smooth mlts,feed
the seat w, that the knives will cut with
the wocd p i n - i n this case, with the
fmnt of the saat leading and the back
trailing. Do not try to smooth the front
and back ends of the seat on the jointer;
the knives will tear at the end grain.
Instead, use a sander.

3 Ronllir011ik~oftbmt
Far the rake of canfort and appearance, mund over the
side e- and the fmnt end of the seat. l&ll a Mnch mund-
the seat flat on the table and flush against the fence as you
feed each edge tnto the bii fh . turn the seat over
Then
over bit in a router and mount the tad in a table. Fashion a and mund o m the edges on the other side the same way. Do
guertl fur the bit and a fence for the wrkpiece to ride against not shape the back end of the seati it should m i n square.
on the infeed side of the table, as shown above. krew the Smooth the end and edges with sandpaper. wwldng with pm-
guard and fence m t h e r and clamp them to the table. Hold gmsively finer grits.
4
the
Mh~ibgl(M0ftk~ap
Yak the outline of the shape of
W s top surface on a hardboard
or ply& scrap and cut it out as a
template. The outline should typically
beFwndadatthebaekandtaFertcwad
thefront, as shwn at left. Place the
template on the seat and tramfer the
outline b ik top wuface.

5 mil*-*p

tect the stock Yw can cut the


a p s h m abova T b chai-like
-
Senvethesadonawakbenchwith itstopsurfaceup, wng
clsmps and beneh dogs to hold it steady and wood.psds to pro-
by hand with an adze, or
wW, an angle grinder equipped with a spclal rrmdcawihg Made.
blade is well suited to r e m
a series of shallow cuts. At the back of the outline, work acrog
the w i n (abbe, /eM mare the gfinder along the grain at the
fmrt d the seat fdxke, r&M. The re~esssfiouldbe a l i i deeper
at the back and at the fmnt than in the middle. Perikally test
theoonfartdthessatbys'thngmkandchkkthe~dthe
recess by placinga sWghh@ aums the seat ard mecrpulng
ing vrabe dquickly and in a controlled fahim fmn a boad
sutface. Hddingthe grinder with a ftnn lwo-handed grip, sweep the gap betrveen the edge and the seat. As a rule of thumb, do
ithrmoi&bside*rithin theoutlinebexcavakthefecesin not cut deeper than halfway thra& the sat's thickness.
SEATS

7 glPP*bltkse#
sand the surf-
To of the seat quick-
ly, use a andomMbis a d r with a foam
a di n d M the d i m disk and I
the sander's platen. SW witht@ &
-i-a
sanding disk,trying to reach all ares of
the recess (rtghil. Before moving on to
finer-grit d i i inspect the recess for any
Uneven spots and nrooth them with the
C
I
inshave. Send the seat untll the sutfwe
is un~formlym t h .
SEATS

INSTUN6 ME SEAT

1MIimpilrt boles b the mils


Since a solid chair seat for a frame
chair is typically fastened b the top of the
sat ails, you must dr~ll the screw holes in
the rails befaa assemblingthe chair. Mark
three drilling points along the bdtom edge
of each rail, one In the middle and near
each end. Bore the holes ~nt w steps, start-
ingvlth a bad-point b ~slightly
t lager than
the shank of the suawsyou will be uslng.
If you ae uslllg ywr drill press, hdd the rail
on the table and drill a hole through the
mrkpiece at each marked point (right).
Once all the clearance holes are drilled.
install a bit sl~ghtlylarger than the screw
heads and bore holes that &p the ckiv-
ance holes, drilling only deep enough to
recess the wew heads.

F W m i y bseal lo ihr mils


2 Once the chair has been glued up, set
it on a work surfwe and clamp the seat
in position on the seat rails. The clamps
shannratlefthabeplast~cpadsonthejaws
to protect the stock. Hdding the the seat
and raik together sm~gly.drive the saews
from undwneath thmugh the clearance
holes and Into the seat.
UPHOLSTE&EDSEATS
Apartfrom extra comfort, one
benefit ofan upholstered seat
is that it can be recessed in the
seat rails as in theframe chair
shown at left Thisfeature allows
the rails toframe thepattern
cfthefabric covering the seat.

MAKING THE SEllT

1 ~ t h ~ p a b a s e
Make a plywood a hadboard templata
of the top surface of the chars seat falls.
If the seat will rest w~thinthe rails make
the template %inchsmaller than the seat
frame to allow for the racess, if the seat
Wll lle m top ofthe rails *re the template
Me same as you would a =lid sculpted
seat (m73). Trace the outline fmm the
template onto a piece of Y or %inch ply-
nmd and cut it out on your band saw.
The plywwd wll be the seat base. Then
insert a l a g e d i bit in pn~drillpess
and bore m a 1 hdes thmugh the base
(right). The holes w~llallow air to escape
fmm the foam padding when the seat is
sat ffl and compressed.
Slringm.fpypdlhmmmabaw . ., .

2 .Buy a ptece of 1%-inch-thlckfoam


"::. i
;x;p<+
.

padding fmm a ciaft supply M handware


store and cut it wing a sharp knife to fit P
over the seat base. A utility knife w U a
retractaMe blade will work well for slicing -.
.. .
Uw@ thick paddink To inWl the paddin& . .
.:. . . . . '

eoatthetopoftheseatbaseandtheunder-
side of the padding with contact cement.
let the adhesive dry aceording to Me man-
ufacturer's directions and press the two
pRces together i@n7.

3 Tlimnll~mep l d l i i
To enable the padding to fold end
round over when the fabric cawing is
applied, cut a V groove lnto the edges of
the foam. Cut Into the top of one edge
with the utility knife at a 45" angle, pen-
etrating halfway thmugh the pad's thiik-
ness. Then run the knife to an adjoining
mner, cutting one-half of the gmave.
Repeat along the bottom of the edge.
Cluing down the e d m of tlm pad din^
Onceallthe~hawbeencut
Into the paddln&-the edges are ready to
be fdded down. Apply contact cement to
the top and bottom of the grows, let the
adhelve dry, and fold the two pats-
ar (left).Apply hand pressure all around
the edges of the padding bensure uniform
and cmplete contact then use the lm~fe
to tnm away any padd~ngowixngtng the

l n l e l l i r ~wrlahy
5 Before fastening the fabric cwering
to the seat, p u need to attach a piece of
cloth underlay to the base. This will setve
as a banier between the uoholstew fabic
and the padding, peventi* the falkc fmn
adhering t~ the foam. An d d bedsheet is ,
ideal matenal ftnthe underlay; cut a sec-

the seat To i n a l l L set the underlay on ';?.


a wak surfaoe and center the seat badded-
dde down on top. Fold the material over
the fmnt of the seat and staple it to the
base. Staple the underlay at the back,

-
pullingthe Mterlal tight and mkiqsure
the fabric IS neat in the notches for the
fwr legs. Rnally. fasten the underlay ovar
the sldes (@U. Trim away
al with s c b
materi-
SEATS

mcb@mfaklcmr*Tq
6 Cut a piece of b b r to~ unw the seat
and install it as you would the underlay
l p w 8Y)).Sincethe fabric is the only WSI-
Me byer of the uph&terd seat, take spe
dceret~foklandstapletheWr~cndy
at the c ~ ~ l a rfngM).
s Once the fabric a
attached tn the base, fasten the seat to lk
umer Modn in the ahame, dnuing the
fmn underneath. If the seat will be
~lnthefame.remembertopepsre
thsseattaiklsfepbebwIbefaepmzeding
with the final a m b t j of the chaw.

PREPARIWG THE SEAT RAILS WR A RECESSED SLAT


the art nib
lWla dado bbde on your table saw,
adjusting it s l i m wider than the t h ~ k -
Iness of the seat base. Set the cuttina
heighi to about one-half of the rail thick-
ness. (The tall shown has a d e m d i bead
cut into itsoutside fat%) Next, install a
maden auxiliary fence on the rip fence 6
and notch it with the dado head. To sup-
port the rails, u* three feathewards,
clampingow to the fence on each sidc of
the blades and a third to the table in line
with the dado head. Feed the rails inside
face durn, runningthe top edge along the
fence (leff). Complete each paa with a
pushstick. Once all the rabbetsare sawn,
you can glue up the chair.
.
SEATS

2 ~i~thcle#sfartbrut
Once the chair is assembled, you
need to cut a notch out of the front legs
to accept the seat. Install a straight bitin
a router and adjust the cutting depth to
match the depth of the rabbets in the
seat rails. Holdingthe tool with a firm
b h a n d e d grip, plunge the bit into one

I leg and rout the notch with small clock-


- -
wise cuts (left.Avoid routing bewnd the
cheeks of the rabbets in the falls. Repeat
to notch the other front leg.

3 ClRdq+lbr*
The muter wlll leabe mund corners in
the kg notches. To squam the caners.
use a firmer chisel. Hddillgthe tml wrt-
cally with the flat side of the Made against
one sde of the n m , p m away the waste
wmd in thin s l i m until t h e w IS shm
CANE SEATS

Tphissertimofthe~willshau
bud.
u how to by
cane a chair seat
Although tbe process is lpbori-
atphcatakcupto12hountoweav~
aseatforatypicaIchair4hensllltis
both sturdy and elegant As shown
below, the first step hvolves making a
frmneandfarteaiclBittotheseatraila
~*meisvKhcwedtothis~
(3neislmullpsoklinbundlescded
hanks, made of 10- to 20-hot lengths
mtalinglOODle&lhisk~~
fwabolDtfwrchairseats.Thecharton
prpeMshowsthevatious~ofcanc
lvPiQMe and the diameter of the holes
gauneedtodfiu~thehvneto
rapttlustruldr.Theonlyothersup-
pkraquireduespeciplwooden~
tubklthestrandsofcancin~holes Chairani~aecrsirr~ginrranarulicvalChina.ItwarinnoduGEd
rrgwmavethem,butsdfteswilldo. inAmsiramthcsamnd~o/&17h~ryandhar~~-
Tbcpeuealewrukspushouldhl- aroednreviml~mtlw%1 lltepmhaistim~arnuningbut
1owasyouancaseat.Tokeepthe notdiBinJtm~'IheIheisarhairvrtrthatmhrtdsra&r
OaadstlariMe.keeptwoorthreeina
budretofwarm&6ml5tou)min-
~ one as it is used.
utes, d a c i n each MAKING THE CANING FRAME
~ome*&-to&the
cane easier to head Should a length
dryandbmnnebritdeasyouwaveit,
you can sponge a bit of water on i t
Ahvays keep the cane's glossy-sidc up.
DonotPlbwtheanetotwkes@al-
lyundertheseatframeorinthehdea
Ahthecanecanonlybevvo~edinone
dk&q othenvk, it will catcfi and
brePlL Run a finsaaailalong theglossy
side and you will 110th a bump every
footor so. lIach bump isakpfnode
Yournailvnllcatchonthe~inone
dirrctkm,but not in the other. Weave
thecaneinthemthatWpu
t0puntheleafnodesthroughthek
widmmtatchhg. Whenahgihofcme
comeitoancnd,pcgitinahok,trim
it to leaoe an excess of about 5 i d e s ,
andstartanewlengthupthroughthe
orfiuxnthole.
1 MP#~~Lc*UC
Use yaur 4templa$ fp&e 26)b d h i n e the dimmiomof thecanl~
Each of the faw pims should be about 3% incheswlde and can wehangthe fmnt atid
franc.

shk ails d the seat ails by appmximately H inch, if yw wish. Cut d h e s for the rear
!egs in the badc frame piece, Len due the pieces usiea mmibe-nnd-temnor
-.
biscutt joint at each When clampia polstyatr stock with dpads fabin&
.
SEATS
I

2 m mthei h c ( thes r ~ l kH L
Once glue has clued, cut the hame to final size,then
mark a line all mund frame Inch fmr, the imide edges.
Md a mark alongthe line in the middle of the fmnt and back
rails Then refar to the chart a h to find the spacing and
diameter of the holes required for the width of cane you m .
using. Mak the hdes along the line, adjusttng the spxmng, I
necessacy, to ensure that the hdes wll be equ~distantThen
install a brad-pant bit of the correct diameter in your drill
press. Set the hame on the table, align a comer mark under
the bit, and clamp a board to the taMe flush against the edge
of the frame as a gu~de.Bare a hole through the hame at
each mark, hddingthe stock against the edge guide (tdgM).
Once all the M e s m drilled, lwist a piece of sandpaper into
a cone and smwth the holes so that there will be no gharp
edges that might tear the cane.

WEAVIWG THE CAME

7
WaawihlglImfintwiicu lan
1 Clamp the canlng frame to a &bench so that the
holes are unctslmted. Then take a length of cane horn
your bucket and feed it horn a h lnto the center hde
in the back frame piece. Laave about 5 inches hanging
blow the frame and insert a peg lnto the hole to secure
the strand. Now bringthe strand across the frame and
Q

rt fairlyan
through
strand taut
the top
inch aofpeg
anl so.)
theit. (Yw
cen&
Pass hole
strand
theshould
Inbe
the
upable
h tot piece;
thalrghdeflect
the adja-
pull
the
cent hole m the front piece and tmng it a;cms to the back
pece, feeding it down horn the top Into the hde next to
where yw started. Contlnue tn this fashion (leff), mav-
g hole sideways and up and then acmss the frame.
~ n one
always transb~ng the peg from the lad hole. Leave the
fitst peg In place as well as my peg secunng the end or
start of a strand.
SEATS

2 KonpiUgtllll~~l
If your caning frame is trapezoidal
rather than square, as in the qample
shown here, you will have to peg the
strands in a hole in the side piece, atha
than the front a back as pu resch the
sided the frame. This will keep the last
mw parallel to the preceding ones. When
you gel to the side piece, choose the appw
priate hole and feed the caning into it as
described in the step 1MU. Once h sti
is done, return to the hole adjacent to
where you started and weave the cane
toward the opposite side. Remember to
peg the cane at the beginning and end of
each strand, leaving about 5 inches hang-
ing below the frame.

Iu)pr(~yUfi~tLI*.nIalma
3 Once the first set of vertiil mm has
been installed, move m to the first honm-
Idrm*. Start with the fnst hole in one slde
piece at the back of the frame. Remove
the pegfrom the M e d there is one. then
feed the cane up through the hde and
insert a peg to s u r e the strand. Pull the
stand m f the franc and the hmmntal
nMsalready in plaoe. and s u r e the cane
into the fltst hole in the oppos~teside
piece. wing a peg. Qntinue lu waave hor-
imntal rows as yw dld the vertical mws
(~,~ngfiMntheb~towardthe
fmt of the frame.
did the fint,passimthe cane over all the
standsinplace.tkmw,imtesldofstat-
-
ing at the middle of the back rail.. M n
with the last hole you pe&ged in the finl
vertical row in the lefthand side of the
seat hame. Then, weave the cane fmrn
thk point lf&M)hrwrd the opposite side,
diigthe J t r a n h s l i i to the right of
~~~ratdvertiealsands.

5 llrwklilurrmdhDlhDlbl~~~
the weaving
Now begins wth the see
ond hwizontal rqw. S W mth the
sane
hole in which you started the first haieorr
tal mw and peg the simd in place Then.
we= the cane under the first -1 row
and nner the samnd one. positimig the
cane beside the fitst horizontal m~ ( 1 4 .
Continue weaving in this way until yar
reach the seat front, and peg the last
strand in place.
SEATS

6 F@ a leogth 01 cane in one of the cwnw holes at the back of the


frame. Pass the cane aver the hbrimntal strands and under the wrtlcal
sb'ands tothe immediate right ( e b o ~ )Continue
. until WIJ yauh the o p p
site comer hde. Then pass the strand up thmugh the hole in the fmnt
tame piece next to the uwner hole and wcik your way toward the back of
the seat, weaving the cane under the vertical mw6 and arar the hwiintal
ones f@O. hntfnue weaving d i a l mm this way until you reach the
ather m e r hole in the front of the seat, making sure that all the mw6 are
perallel. Now, return to the hole in the back of the chair frame nekl to
*we pu started the diaganal mm and rep& the pr-, working in
the opposlte direction.

7 W d & l l l B f w ~ d i s l p l lweave
Start the second diagonal
lrw#
in the left-
hand corner hole in the fmnt of the chair frame.
Thls time, feed the cane o w the vertical rmws and
under the hwimtal one (le#. Complete the rows
a i in step 6,
.
SEATS

8~ o thel l ~ b m e ~ orowf s m r
Once second d l m l is done.
it is time to secure the lowe strands
hanglng under the frame. Turn the seat
frame over and use the double-loop knot
shom in the inset to secure each strand.
To tie this knot, slip a loare strand under
an adjacent strap of cane. Then feed it
thmugh the loop you just created (left),
pass it under the strap again and cinch it
tight. Trim the remainingportion, lamring
a 'h-inch-long tip.

9 Ilppplpbctlrb i i r apt
Oncethewesvingisdmeandalltheer&
have been tied&, apply a strip of binder
cane around the perimater of the seat to give
it a neat and finished appearance. Binder
l l y or two Sizes larger than
cane is ~ S ~ a one
the cane used for the -. Pass the end of
the binder cane down thmugh the left-badc
tuner hole and peg it in place. Lsy the binder
caneacmosthemwdhdesinthebeckfame
piece. then we a length of weaving cane
smaller than the one you used for the seat
to anchor the binder cme. Tie lwps over the
binder cane by passim the weaving strand
up thrwgh the fit4 hole adjacent to the car-
ner, o w the binder cane. and back down
thmugh the swne hde (right). M m on to
q e next hole in the back of the seat frame
and repeiit, continuing until yw reach the
mrner hob at the end of the piece. Trim off
the let@ d binder cane and use new
lengths along the remaining f m pieces.
SEATS

10hLl[a*-Once all the binder cane is


off ends
instdled, tie the of the
ing cane you used to anchor it. At
each corner, pull the binder cane
taut and tempaarily tap a peg i n t ~
tha corner hole. Mark the peg at the
point where it meets the top of the
frame piece, remove the peg and
.. . ,
trim it at the mark. Spread a little
,:,,... .. glueonthesidesofthepegandtap
. . ,. ,
. , .., . ... it in plaoe with a hammer (leff). Thm
. .
.,. trim the peg flush with a chisel.
RUSH SEATS

T radhdy,rushfor&~~a~
made of twisted cattail leaves.
Ncrwzdays'Itamoreanmnoatousea
'
Rushingechairraatissimplertfw
~ ~ i t ~ q e a t i u g a s i n g l e
technique all around the seat frame.
tough-grade, fiber paper twisted into RuPhmnorhbestonmairswithsquue
10ngstrPndshwwnasltiber~~It seats and with front legs that extend
issddbythepoundandcomsin~ d.ightlyrbwetheseatrails.Thisaddi-
Jizes % inch for fine wrk, % inch for tioaal~willqportthe~asit
nmstmahsand%inchh@~ iwrappaddthecrwnwhda
andpatiofurniturr.MsuppIydd- aremtquarec~nstiubaveNEh~as
ers are usuay.good sounxs of advice long as you lay down a fnv lPIimitlPrp
for theappropriatesizeandthe amount
ofrush needed for a pamculnt project
&o
wrsvrsaaarstbesideand ntrailsto
l~e~teparaUelsidesasshownb$ow.
Before applying rush to a seat frame. Befo~~Sp~theindividuPl
~swetheglueusedtoasemblethe kogdlsofrushwithuatertokeepthem
Asicnplerurhrea)mngiwa C h a i r h u ~ ~ . T bpliable. e ~ Always
~ pull the rush tightly
chmmingold chair, like theone erect a moderak vwunt of tension to d t h e r a i l s a n d ~ a d j a c e n t m w s
hobovc,anewknsemliJk thejointswhenitishtaUed. asdMrtDgethaas~le

RUSHIN6 A CHAIR SEAT

1If
pu
M4*L#rCoc*rril
thesaatra~IsdonotOtasquare,
will need to use rush to mi?& a square
fame. Measure the difference in length
between the longer and shwter raiW n
this c5se. the fmnt and back rails-and
divide ywr rneasunment in half. Measure
your result along the fmnt rail fmm each
of the front kgs and make a rnak on the
rail. Tack a la-@ of dampened rushing
that rs abwt twice the length of Me fmnt
tail to the inside d a dde rail about 2 inch-
es fmm the front leg. Now loop the rush
ammi the bunt rail horn underneath, then
around the side rail frcin underneath. &I@
the rush acmss the fmnt rail and imp it
armnd the other s~derat1and the front
tall in the same manner fm. Holdingthe
rush but, tsdr it to the side rail oppcsite
the firs4 tack.
SEATS

2 fmhL:tb@-fn*
fist
a length
Fasten
one, tising the
of rush abrrgslde the
technique descrlbad in
step 1. Loop it mund the fmt and side
rails and fasten it to the opposite rail.
Continue adding lengths of rush Eleft)
untllpu rea&theoffsetmarksywmade
on the fmnt rail. Be sure to keep the rush
as tight and straight as possible.

W e a v i ~ a ~ d ~
3 Once you haw squared the sest frame. you can begtn
rushing the seat all around the frame. Waking with an a p p -
chair Uslng the same pattern hboe,right). When you get to
the end of a length of rush, clamp It temporarily to the seat
ImsWy 20-foot length of rush, tack it to the side rail new the frame to keep it taut and attach It to a new piex using a fig-
rear legs and loop it around all the rails ~~, left). Each uresight knot. Locate the knots on the undenide of the seat
complete circuit is kmwn as a bout. Keep working around the so that they will not be asible.
.
SEATS

+fjwih be?gltmi&m&~~tlrs;&
md h i t mk&m.unkilllre t*adda
dl- d .
I!@J y3eq all1P aP!=pun
allolqrmBPueqsmau~~P~
a1999am e uo WP wsdn 1!ew a41
las 'g!W y3eq F"'e lucu) W l w q
d& aql paBp!~qaneq n d mug
+Irllm @L~

w d a Pur
~
'u!& I!W q q a# punere dn awo3
641apun USN ayl ssed ~ ~ mu=
J ayl)

@nWQ uMoP 43eq IPluo4 W ruru)


lees aql lam qsnl aq* Buuq uayl 'l!w
luol) aq$ punwe dn pue 'leas aql lapun
'alum a ~@nu41l u m o ~'I!W q3eq aw
~ q w u a # a u ~ ' a n e a m u r a ~ ~
-arm14e IU!M SUI 4 3 ~ 9pue luoll ayl uo
au!usru aw dpo7 .dea aclt IB q L!%PW
se u ~ o u yanb!uqaq e asn 'unm s!ql
'
~ o ' s l ! ~ ~ p u o w a y a # ~ 4
aro)aq mw J'J JlPP!W JWU! taau,It*
sl!u app aw uo pallew! Su!aq %u!+ru
aqI 'a~aqw q s qeql aq) u! sn 'ap!r
s! I! uew ladaap s! 1sq1 )eas uo
w P*IR4C*O 9
LEGS AND STRETCHERS

L egs and stretchers are a


dmil'srolmdatlaltnrouId
be~aroughifdtairs
Thkduptecwillshowyou
how to make a variety of
sturdy chair legs, including
were ody sat up011; but they pemnid favoritessuch as the
are o h used as makeshift fm
chiole leg 98), tapeRd
skpbkb, or tilted back with kg ( p n ~101), turned
tkuser'sweightshiftedonto lea =I 102).Three tvnes of
theran &~tisthekgs A~tedlegcanbefPrhtonadmthelathewidrarnetkod &&barealsohi&hted:
and &lb.multwith- bnna&-m.%u.*icfimM M(@r03),-(lp
staudtheseandotherabms. truc~centm~tkpmnmrlmrdbaricrytbrdrr 106),andsquue(jwge107).
~ t h e f o c u s i n t h i s d u p me~Then,tkshn-kisfaMuntealwithtkfbot- As you are making legs,
taisontfudesignandstykof e n d o ~ - ~ t o ~ t h e ~ e n d o f t h t - ~ .memberthatpumustalso
L g .
I $ r a a d ~ d ~ m t o w r -~ b l n n k i s r o n o w t a ? d t r u e t o f i n * h ~ ~ m t h e @ ttakecomhrtandstyleinto
hntkthe~pinery. aamunt. As explained in the
a n d q u a l k y o f p i n e r v t b a t ~ t h e ~ a n d treatmentof&dedgnonpage14theheightofachairleg,
~
is key to ensuring a chair's longevity. In Erame fmm floor to stat, ist)rpically 1% ides. But while !hisdimen-
mPirS,Mindandvlglcdm&and-momarethepinbof sionmaysuit~mof~h~tandbuikl,itisdrvi-
choke, as on page 25. Slab-and-stick chairs relyon ouslg not ideal for way individual Keep in mind that chair
Ewnd mortise-and-tenons, teinbrced by wedges, to attach usas should be able to rest the soles oftheir feet on the floor
the legs to theseat (page52). Strachers are crucial in stick when mmformbly seated.
chairs, w a r l y ifyou are using green wood for main- Tke leg style you ch- b r a dwir should also be suited
tpininB the tension in the leg joints as the wood dries and to the chair's eventual fundion and s*ting.A cabtiole leg,for
rhrinEE R$er to the appqrhtc scctioms ofthe Frame Chair example,is an idealchoice for a side chair in a fimnaldining
md~-Stickch.airchaptaaonceyouarenadytopin room,butits~ctivecunnsandhaditiDaalshaped
yourlegstothechair. be out of place on a bar stool or a baby higb chair.

7he c u m of a cabride leg are art on a band saw.Since


the shape @the leg must be oudinedon two adjacent sides of the
blank, short bridges ofsolid wood are leji in the Wswhen the cuts
are made on thefirst side. This way, theoutline on the adjacentface
will not be lost. Once the second side is cut, the bridges are s e d
INVENTORY OF LEGS
INVENTORY OF STRETCHERS
LEGS
Three different leg styles; (from left
to right) a tapered leg, with two
adjncent sides snwn on a table saw;
a cabriole leg cut on a band saw
a d shaped with a spokeshave; and
a turned leg fashioned on a lathe.

1 --la
same
F a a template, cut a piece of dyrvoDl or hardboard to the
lengkh and vrctth as w r leg blanks. To draw the leg,
rowest point, the thickness d the ankle should be abmt tmt
fifths the stodr width. Mwe on to the knee, sketching a gentle
s h t by outliningthe post bkxk. MPlle b length equal b the curve from the pod bkck tothe hmt a@ d Uw template 2 to
width of the rail that will be attached to the leg: the width 3 inches below the bhxk. Then join the knee to the ankk with
should be adequateto accept the temn of We rail (orehalf to a relatively straight line. hmplete the w t l ~ n eat the back of
two-thlrdsthe width of the stock is typical). Next, sketch the the leg, connecting the bottom of the legwrth the back of the
toe; for a leg of the poportiomshown it shauld be abwt ?4 ta ankle. Then sketch a curve fran the ankle to the bottom of
1 inch fmthe bothnn of tha leg Then, using a k n c h curve. the post Modr I&&. Experiment with the outltne unm you
draw the hunt of the leg fmn the toe to the ankle: at its nar- have a sattsfactay design.
LW;S AND STRETCHERS

hrdrrllIbkrblptbhgYHL

andsmdtheedgrasuptothemaloedout-
line. &the template flat on one inside
face of the I* blank. making sure that
the ends d the template and the blank
are slim and that the back of the post
blockis Rush with the imide edge of the
block d d. Trace along the edges of
the template to outline the leg. Turn the
block and repeat the procedure on the
othw inside face f@O. At this point,
sm~wmdmkrsprefertonu*eprepa-
rations fcr the joinery before cutting the
leg. (It k easier to clamp and cut a mu-
tise in a mctangular leg blank. for exam-
ple, than to cany out the same pmce-
I
dues m a leg with prmwnced contours.)
Other woodworkers cut the kg f i i and
then do the jdnery.
I

~lbcll,monefamd~leg remove the workpiece. Then cut alorlg the sane line fmm the
3 Set the leg blank on your band saw table with m e of the
marked outlinesfacing up and the bottom of the leg pointing
opposcte d.To avad detaching the waste p a from the
blank and losing the marked outilne on the adjacent face, stop
away ftwn yw. Aiiilng the saw Msda ]&to the waste side of the cut about Y ~nch fwn the fir4 kerf, leaving a shat bndge
the malred line for the back d the leg, feed the stock into the between the tvPD cuts. Turn off the saw, retract the work-
blade. Turn off the saw about halfway through the cut and piece. then cut along the line fa the frmt d the leg (a).
.
LEGS AND STRETCHERS

4 vrlringUmarrmib~acl(rc
Turn the blank so that the marked outline on ~k adjacent
side is facing up. Cut a h the marked lines, begmmgat the
5Wrn*bw=
Rotate the blank so that the first face you cut faces up.
With the saw off, slide the blank foward to feed the blade
faot (above). This time. complete the cuts, lettingthe wash into the kerf at the back of the leg. Turn on the saw and cut
pieces fall away. tt!fuugh the bridge to release the wade plece lahe). Then ccut
t h m m the bndge between kerfs at the badc of the leg.

Shapiralr rn-b Um1


6 To fin& shaping a cabicole kg and
to remove any blemnhes left by the band
saw blade, smooth l b surfaces with a
spoloeshave.followed by a nsp and sand-
paper. Secure the leg in a bar clamp
and fin the damp to a work surface wlth
a handscrew and C clamp as shown.
Hddinga qdeshae with both hands at
thebopofacwvededgaoftheleg,plll
the lwl doni~ta*rrd you. cutting a thin
shabing and fdlaing the grain (rigtrt).
Repeat until the swfaca IS smoath. Turn
the leg In the bar clamp to clean up the
other edges. Use the rasp to smooth an
area that the spdreshare cannot reach.
The tool waks best when pushed diago-
nally across the mln. F~nishthe p~ wth
sandpaper, using pmgmsWy finer*
papen until the su- k rmooth.
-
e Buy;n aw!) s ! 'a~d w q m ple ap!s )ua3
B!Pa41 w que~qw urn '5dw13 a%8oJ
ay8 aseala ' U W 'apslq aq1 u!m W!l U! s!
pueq w w am r n ! ' ~ a w~ayl
=!dgmn pue I!! W!I~ 'Ma w!l a u
1n301 ~ a oN q d n s e q v t!~-q Pue
'wq ~ e aqa s ol PJWJWW e d w 1 3'w
w ~U!MP w e n avl W m 01 W
40 ap!s ~ a y wa% vsn14mu% du
am w ! v d w e awlq aq) vu!@ vuelq
aql w!m aseq a!! w P aspa ay) una
4rl ryl auuellrl2

a@.u 'W)Jw woy aseq 811aq) )n3 'a! apew-doys e am 'MBS qqe~ m d uo E
aql ot )! pue alpueq e w!w) Ylleu!j .a! aqt 0%w l q lade) aq) w3 01 '(gal '%ope) %JI aq) 40 w o r n ay8 uo au!lro
aq* aJn3as ol umop sdwep a@lo1 aq) s s d pue a ap!nB aqt lade) aq) )e )! pua pue au!l laurwod aql te lade) q3ea vep E
01w!qs aq) M J J ~'w!qs poom pgos e o) sdwel3 a m o l om) ' ~ p u a de pue alnJ e %u!sn quelq aql4o np!s ~ume!peo m
ua-4 uaqt 'aseq aq) o) ~ e ap!na
q aq) MJJX 'q3zou aqt qu! w ~ a d aq) q ylelu 'WN 'uo!)~asagem a q au!)ap 08 sx asn &
h w u s yuen a u P pua 04%au~1!4'I! w!@JMI ap!na poem .aenbs q3u! % lnoqe aq lI!m a a q lo
~ lllouoq w WW 0s yuelq
-hid a w uo!)!sod pue ila~n3asa s g y m aw PIOH -aseqql P W P PUa W q a% UO Jade VI a u ! w UarU 'PaF! aq II? E
&pa w qgm au!l ndq a w &I!d!le 'aseq aw w quelq e W S sl!eJ teas aql q3!4m 01'lawwod JO ' u o ! a~enbs ~ all) w!pp
'syuelq aq) ueq) ~apy pue ~a%uol)!L!yew 'poodld q3u!-!4 08 pua do) aqi leau yuelq Bal aql punole ile au!~ e we^, @
t 311 e &PRY
€ 2

E
LEGS AND STREXHERS

-
TURIMLEGS

I
Mark a line all amund the leg blank
near the top end to define the pommel.
Mount the Mank ktween centers on your
lathe and use a skew chisel to turn a
mndedV-~poweon the wakpiece, start-
ingabout Y inch kJow the pommel line.
The goove will separate the squae pom
mel hum the cylindrical portion of the
leg. Deepen the gmove until it runs com-
pletely amund the wakpiece, then widen
it by cutting with the long point of the
chlsel plnted fciward. Rotate the handle
ftun side to side w the bevel rubs against
theJidesofthe~f~.~SEop*vhen
you reach the panmel line.

bevel of the t&l rubbing on the stock


throunhout. Once the len is smooth and

ekvnems such as beads w mws.


STRETCHERS

T.lkl*c~La
Cut ynur sMcher Mank a IWa ~N@ I than thew h a 1 dlmen- the eentcrline h r d the ends. Support the tapered section with
sim, m n t a blank be(iween centgs on yarr lathe, and position pu free haxl to pnzwnt chatter lakm).Once am satistied
the tcd rest as close to the stack as possible without touching [t with the shaped the sbelcher, dry-astemblethe legs and ~ E S -
Usea~i~~btvrnthablankba~yfindec,thentum umthegapbelwm~thamate~dthe~her.Tnvls
off the lathe and mark the center of the blank with a pencil. fer pu fnmwemnt to the bbnk, remembering that yw musi
Turn on the lathe and use the garge to taper the sbetcha fmn add a temn at each and of theshtdw (step2).
LEGS AND STRETCHERS

2 T u ~ b m m 6
Use a pattingt d to turn a t e r n at
each end of the stretcher W U .To ensure
a snug At, make the diameter of the tenan
equal to that of the bit you will use to bare
thematin?.The~ofthetemnsshould
equal &out one-half the leg thickm. If
the tenom are W long, bim their ends.

3 IcaAwhrtmelml#vlqcs
Cut a V-shaped wedge out of a wood
block, creating a jig that will hold the
turned stretcherr steady as you kerf the
tenons. Cut a kerf about halfway along
thebottomoftheV,thenplscethesb&ch-
erinthejigandchpthe jigtoyowband
swr table so the middle of the tenon is
d m with the bbde. Hddingthe stretch-
er flat in the jig and posMonlng it so the
kerf will be perpendiculw to the gain of
the kg, feed the meteher into the blade.
Stop the cut about Y inch tmm the tenon
shoulder, Lowe the -her in place, butt
a stop block against the lrafed end, and
clmp it to the jig. Kerf the remaining
stratchen the sana way i*U, stoppistopping
when the stock amtaclsthe stop block.
LEGS AND STRETCHERS

A &ambling lhs legx and sbffchers


LEGS AND =HER5

1 Chy-assembletha chaw and cut lmstretchw Manks, mkm


one s l i -I than the d i i beheen diagonally opp&
i a~n
ig the &etcher stoek thiiers. Hdd one stretcher flush winst
the miter gauge with the middle of the half-lap cutline aliied
site &. Waking on a flat s u m set the chai on the longer with the blade and butt the rip f e r n against the stock. Use the
blank and place shims oT the same thickness under the other gauge to feed the stntcher into the blade, then turn the mrk-
@. Thm position the scmd blank btwm the shimmed k?@ piece end-for+nd, s h i i the fence Ward the blade by the thii-
and use a pencil to outline the a a af owlap an both blanks ~dthesrrwW,arid~thewt~(above,~
(abaR. W.Adjust a sliding bevel to the angle of the maks m until you cut to the marked lines. Repeat for the other W h w .
the sbekhem, then bansfsthe angle to y n table
~ saw's miter (ClulPn:Bbde~lad(or~.l
gauge. To saw Um half-bps, set the cutting height to one-half

2 T u n l ~ ~
Outline a s q m section at the middle
of both sbetchen, locating the m a k at
~

least 1 Inch beyMd the shoulders of the


half-laps. Then mount m e of the sbetch-
ersbetrPencmtersmyourbthe. Stat by
using a skew chisel to dehne the square
section 1MI and a rrmghing gcugf
tu tun the m i n i n g pQtnn Into a cylin-
der. Repeat for the h e w her.Once
both sbetchen an turned, place them
under the chsir legs as you did m step 1,
t h s time with the p k e s joined at the
half-laps. Use a by sqwe and a pencil 1-
mark the pointsrvheFe the sbstcherr will
enter the kgs then finish tumlng
the sbetchers. d i n g tenem and k d n g
them far w.- *re the sbetchers in
place i~ 105).
LEGS AND STRETCHERS

I
SQUARE STUETCHERS

1+m*hC-
thelrrtdnrriqr
Because the front and rear legs of a frame
chair are typically set at an angle to one
andhw, and the surfaces of the legs them-
selves may be tapered or curded, you need
to make a compound cut at the ends of
the stretchers. This mll ensure that the
stretchers flt flush aga~nstthe legs. To
measure the angle between the front and
mar legs. set your seat template (w 26)
on a work surface and mark a llne from
the middle of one fmnt leg to the mlddle
of the rear leg d~rectlyoppaute. Adjust a
sltding bevel to the angle between the line
and the fmnt seat r a ~(right).
l

OCy-asmnble the chair, set 1LM a work


surface, and use a semnd sliding bevel to
measure the angle behveen the teMe and
1 the inside face of the front leg (I*.
LEGS AND STRJTCHERS

m p m c a M t n
3 m l l e d l i ~ ~ ~
Transfer the angle from the sliding bevel
you used in step 1to your table saw's
mlter gauge and to the outside face of
the stretcher blanks at the front-leg end.
Lkethe sliding bevel from step 2 to adjust
the table saw blade angle. Also transfer
the angle to the top edge of the stretcher
at the fmnt-leg end (left).Cut the front-
legend of both sbetthers, using the miter
gauge to feed the stock. Then repeat
steps 1and 2 to set up the saw for the
backlegends of the stretchers and cut
the stock to length.

tio on one of thesmhen between the


fmnt and rear legs and mak a line fmm
the middle of the stretcher onto each 4
(right). Repeat for the other stretcher.
then &end the limon the legs to thelr
inside edges.
LEGS AND !ZREXHERS

DrDllillglla d w d id#
5 Fit an e l m dnll mth a kt the
same d~ameteras the dmvels yw wll
use to join the sbelchen to the legs.
8ae a hole Into each leg. The dowel
holes should be sl~ghtlymore than
owhalf as deep as the length of the
dowels. To prepare the stretchers for
the dowels. secure one of them end up
in a bench vtse wcth the cut end ner-
fectly haimntal. Then, holdingihe
drill perpendicular to the end of the
stodr, b m a hole of the proper depth
into the stretcher (M). Repeat at the
other end of the stretcher and at both
ends of the second *her.

*lar~u*swklKS
6 Dab glue in the dowel holes and
ins& thethedawelsinto the sbetchen. Fit
the sbekhes between the legs as yw are
gluing up the chair (page 49). then clamp
the assembly fbeIowI aligning the bar
with the stretchen and using wood pads
to patect the legs. Taper the wood pads
as neceswy so they rest flat cm the kgs.
ARMS AND BACKS

L iLc other annponentb of a


&I,such a seats, taik, and
Lpsthum~nadl-ldsmurtbe~
iategnlpattofthestmcbm,asin
the~uousvmofthepopular
Windsorchair.
hedtotheshapeand~ofthe 'Ibismuptadh~hm
~stlsetBacsusetheyolsocw- options for &ah backs: the cane
tdmtCDbothtbe~andthe badcandpaueIbadL(IkoRRbns
&pmpided$a&I,arms ofthedatbadrmsbavnmpm-
awl~~rraqpably~~de- ow chapten See page 43 for
mawling todsignmdbuild ~nsonbuildirtgavrrtial
dd!zon, &airs need sht~~uitableforaframechair,
bcts;thams~rroptimPlTndi- and page 61 for information on
tioplly, dining &airs with umc makingahorizonealslubactbra
rmrcusod+atthehcsdnndend daband-stidcchait.) Boththecane
ofthetsblrThcsechairsoftenhod bscbandthepanelbackempbya
higherbaaS,endowiagtheuscr a~strailalongthetopandabadc
with a more imposing presence. nilacross the bottom to support
ShuedPirs&amrscm~tbepoli- the paoel or the cane. In building
tioddoscbatabkorsetdose ApPirofdu,irmnokghmnlfnalrondbrg ~theneedforfiqbfdlow
meah41be)r==JdQm=dabog ~beinginrtallal~ingmthe fFuKtionquiddybaoomcsevident
tksidrsoftaMcgHmcc,armless ~qfthedroir,rkcannscnnbe~ It iimportant b posihnthe cmt
cbPhrbeoPmehwnvn~ssidc~ squarrorrhapddwithptkarwnsin dsr,itwiUmtin~withtk
WoodworLers rely on several thepgidannsshmwl- d s head. As well, the back rail
nrlhodrto*radr~bdw~ sbwldMdk*the
a f a d t P i r . A s s h n m o n ~ 1 1 2 , ~ r m ~ c a n b e ~bwabackTheEhapteronFrameCbairs@gc22)indudesa
~-
b l i e s D d d e d t a t h r m a i r & t h e k b ~ q m m a d e ~ deblaedarplaaPtiondthepioayinvohPdm~bdrs.
ARM AND BqCK STYLES
ARMS AND BACKS

P1H#rW
Pand wtn'bc
artb#tha
,bsnd4av
and c a d ,
If&&
(we'20
joined to the bottom o f the anus. If
youareusingthLmethod,ranember
to repare the front leg8 fix the u m ~
& asediqthempir.
IntheseoDndmdhod(k$dpngr
116),~umsaresuppohdbya~-
mtepastwhichisgluedandslaewedat
the bottom to the side seat roils. The
anns arc then doweled to the past and

-ST ARMS

1 PmpIh#.rlmg6krkrr
Turo the lagr on a lethe as you wwld fw a side chaw
(p.ge 1021, but make nraks blank several inches longer. The
the extended-@ segment of the leg to a satisfstocy shape,
use a parting tool to pmduce a round tenon the top end
added length (the section tothe ri@tof the dotted lines in l glued into a hole In
of the leg ( a h ) . The tenon w ~ lbe
Uw ~llmbationabove) will emble the it$ to extend a b w the Uae Wtom of the arm. When both legs are turned, you can
seat and accept the hltoln of the arm Once you haw turned glue up the chair.
ARMS AND BACKS

Mabwll*rrrr
2 Preparetwop~ofsolittadras
ann blanks. Then, hold~ngone of the
pieces in position w i n s t a rear k g and
thefmntkgonthesamesidedthechau,
mark the outline of tha am with a pencil
fleffCDesignthearmtobebdhatnfort-
eMe and visually pleasing; its horiEontal
tsction normelly shwld be 8 to 9 ineheP
abovetheseat. MakewretheWtomof
the outline is centered on the tenon you
turned in step 1. Cut out the a m on your
bandsawanduseitasaternplatetoout-
line and cut the other am.Drill a M e In
the battom end of each arm for the fmnt
kg tenon and another in the top end for a
dawel pining it bthe rear lees. Shape the
amsto suit the design d the chair and sand
theii surfacessmooth. This W of a m
can also be made as a bent lamihation
as you wauld to pmduce mdars fa a
reeking chair 130).

3 Lllrlwll*l*rr
the ams
Test-fit
MI the
on the chair. Their ends shwld lla flush
sand the ends to fit, if necessary. Remember to
the dowel ihh,the w It?&and fit the am in place. Clamp the
Modotothearm,then install a bar clamptosecwethearm
drill dowel holes in the rear legs. When the arms are ready ~thafrontkplac~~onepmthehkdcdthaotherm
to be glued up, cut clamping blocks that will enable you to the~ofthakg.Tiehtenthec~Mtiltheipintissnug
apply pressure squarely on the arms. At e 9 h frmt leg, wt fahe, /em. At the w leg, clamp a single block to the am.
lw bk&, Bdch uv(th acunred etlge to follow the cantows ab then pull the jPint snug with a second clamp, pEng one jw
the a m and a flat edge to accept the clamp jaw. Apply glue on the block and the other on the back e e of the rew leg
to the tenon on the fmnt leg and the hdes in the am, insert fabae, right'.
ARMS AND BACKS
. e=
I
s-
SERARATE-POST ARMS
m1
I
r-ii
I '1i;.
I

i
81
I
y\\ 8 m
81
I
I
*i

MtWgIhrMllr
1 Because separate-postarms curve outward as nell ss davn-
ward, making them requlm hvo templates: one representing
outside face of the rear leg (step 51. Once pel have completed
the outlines, label them and cut them out on your band saw.
the top view of the arm and the other showing the side view. Then trace the outlines on adjacent faces of two arm blanks,
Outline each view on a piece of Mnch plyrvobd a hardboard making sure the back ends of the putllnes are aligned at the
the same length as the a m ( a h , kt?).The shapes should same end of each blank. Als, ensure that the outlines on the
wit the design of the chair, but make sure the im~deback end blank are m i m - i m of each other (&we, MU.Band saw
of the arm is flat so that it can be fastened flush against the the arms as you would a cabriple lag (page 99).

2 YIlar-polEl
Make the p& as yw did the a n +
pmducingtwo tempMs. transfening the
outllnes to twp blanks and cutting them
on the band saw (fi#ttJ. Both ends of each
post should be flat; the bottom K fasted
flush against the wtside face of the side:
seat ail (step 3)and the top is attached
b the underside of the am (step 41. Sand
the arms and pornsmmth.
ARMS AND BACKS

~ l b a ~ C t b e ~ ~ ~
3 To help you position the posts against the side seat rails,
testa the a m and posts in place. Once you ara satisfied with
blodr and the rail. Enlarge the tap of the M e with a lager bt to
receathe saw head and use a smaller bit to bore a pilot hde
the plazment of the pieces, marlr the pwt location on the rail. Into the Imltun end of the past Then, hold~ngthe post in place
In the arampleshcm abtne, each postwlll be fasted to its rail against the rail, xrew it in place. Repeat with the other post
*(th a countersunk screw 4 inches fmm the fmnt end of the all. (afxw). Leave the rrem a little slack fa now so yw can blm
DnH a clearance hok for the screw shank thmrgh the comer the p a t s or adjust their pcdNions later, if if.

4 ~Drillb r a d p otheu s b r dtheI wane&


a M e Into center of
end of each post slightly deeper than
top

half the kw of the -1s yw will be


using. Insert a matching danel center into
the Me, then position the ;rm w i n s t the
rear kg, a l i p the arm wnh the post, and
press the arm w i n s t the center (/em.Its
painted ed will pupuh an mnclemth into
the underdde of the arm, providing you
vnth a starting point for drllllng the dowel
Me. Before mwlng the arm, outline i6
posltion on the rear leg so yw can repose-
tton it pmperly law. Drill the matching
dowel hale In the ann to the same depth
as that in the p05t
.
ARMS AND BACKS C:
I
m;

5 mmchbikamsmmrrrbp
one am
Ted-fit on its l ~ lleg
ssndtheenddthem,if wmmy,so
r and

it lies flat on the kg. Onca you are sat-

C
isfied with the fit, &nte& a clear-
a m hole for a crew through the kg.
llm, holding the arm in place agalnst
Ihskg,dhthescwuntlliktipacans
the am.Remove the arm, &illa pikt hde
at the marked pdnt Pnd fasten the ann
tu the leg (ah?J,learing the senw a
liisbdrsopucan~themonto
the d c d in the post (step 6). Repeat
fvtheotherm.

mII*m(P(I*pm
6 Bab a IWB due into the d a n l hdes
inthepcsbandnnqad insertadowel
inb each post tapping it d m nriah a rub I
BACKS

I C medaodpPoelbPdrretwopop
ularaudatt~veoptidnsfor
frunecblirs.Tomakercanedbadc
groovcscutintotheedgesdtheback
andueatraikGlucisnotuPdt~6xthe
psnelsoitcanmrvrThebottom+
L ~),allyeuoeedissomestockfor ofthecrestnilisoPaallyshnpedt0
t b e & U E d ~ ~ ~ t i d ~ p k O eoocepPthrCUIdlupOfofpd
d
I gnmnm~Y0~am~thebrdr
$ W' born individual sttamis ofcane, M-
id M ~ Z Z""$,mw"
LW
intomortksinthcmuIegspadatthe
atoh Theu~ncdbackonthechair
shownatrightkfromadbyart I
j j emisofl*rn~armpiwitht~
rlitslh~~lufi~inb~~clctillto
andbackm5andaprirofna-
ticalmillbq.lhcpmvolrrn I

i'
'
braits.mdrn*
'IbcpmdforapaudbPdtiscm~r
band sew (page 122), thm fitted into

A W E D BACK

nr(myarutsuJlkAI
1e*the..*lintknYsandmulIb~ona-taML ~fuJo(ltthelocatimofthelllh~mthebwkfaceof
Use a straight bit with a d~amedsreqml to the width of the the rails. Then remove the fmm the rmtsr Mle.
spline yw will use to secure the cane; adjust th cutting height a l i the gmve o(lt on the leadingend d the tail with the bli,
i3 to s l i i mae thsn the t h i i e s of the dine. start vr(th the and clamp a stop bkck to the table fllsh +nst the tiaill~~ end
m u l l W usimthree featherbaidsto support them during the of the stodr. Repeat the sane pwesviiti~the second gmom
3 cub Clamp twa to the fence. one on each side af the b i l and a mak to install a stDp bkxlt thst will limit the hglh d Eut Care;
third to the table, braced by a suOport board. W i m the fence fully lovarthe stodc onto the bit, keapingthe edge flush agdmt
3 wt the fpmW inch fFom the edge of the mullions, then the fence md the trailing end butted against Ule stop block
-3 L
the
the boards with a push stick (&w, MY. Before muting
in the rails, test-fit the rails and mullionstogether
(abae, @U. Once the rail is Ret m the table, feed R
h, r i n g it clear mce the stock tiDvchsthe hcnt stop W.
the

3
3 119

63
.
ARMS AND BACKS

I'
~ ~ k m % a ~ l a d l h
Spread some glue on the tenons on
the mullions and in the mortises in the
rails, then fit the pieces @ether. Use
two bar clamps to secure the joints, a l i i -
ing the bas along the lengthof UE mul-
lions and potecting the rails with wood
pads il& Once the glue has cured, use
a chisel to complete t h e m between
the ails and mullions. (The chisel cuts
are represented by dotted lines in the
'IlustraUon.) Then glue the caning frame
D the chair, fitting the MUI IS m the d l s

3 ~hil;tha glue b curing, soak a slim-


ly Dveniad piece of cane in a budret d
wenn wabar for at least two haws. The
B
'>'<.?@g
sopking will rialre the cane mom pll-
andesJierto wk Many wmdnralters will
also finish the chair befam installingthe
can.Onecywm~,~Etchairon
HsbatkmawPrksufgeandpodtDn
the cane over kiopening. Use wadger at
3todinchin$lwdsbpeostheane11b
the groove In me of the mulllam while
pulling the cane taut on the opposite slde
(MII~. hntlnue all amund theframe.
ARMS AND BACKS

b,
cane to fit in the mitering both
f!ndsofaachpiece,thenvrwkcnpneside
of the frame at a time to fix the cane in
pbce permanently. StaIting with one mul-
Ilm, remove the wedges from its g m
and, tapping a c h f d with a wwden mal-
let, trim the exaegscane flush with the
autsidee& of the channel. Then
smc glue on the undhde of the spline
and pound it in place with the mallet.
Wipe away any glue squeeze out, then
repeat the pazss with the Dpposite mul-
lbn (rieht)and the l - mils.~

A PANEL BACK
1mprWhdl
To make a panel back ba chair, start
by rcutillggmrves in the crest and back
rails to accpt the panel. Install a piloted

I.: 1 three-wing slotting cutter in a muter and


mount the tod tn a table; the c u t k thick-
llgs should equal that of the panel.
Adjust the cutting height by placing the
stock faoe down m the table and a l h -
ing a cutter with the center of the edge.
Fashbn a fence for the stock on the lnfaed
side of the table, cutting a notch at one
end to cover the bit. Screw the fence to
a support board and clamp the pieces to
the table. Mark the start and end of the
gmme on the rails, then press the w k -
piece against the pilot bearing as pu
feed the stock into the bit against the
direction of cutter nitation (left).
.
ARMS AND BACB

length, dry-arrsemble the rails and rear


!egs and damp them Wgether. Center the
arsanbtfatDpthependmaNaksurface,
lhmclampthepaneltothebackmilsothe
bottomofthepanelextendsunfertherail
bJthedf3p4hdnIegmow.ebwtYinch.
Mdtthestartandendofthersilpwes
atboththetapandbuttomofthepanel.
Then, holding the pnel flush against the
undarsidaof the crest rail, trace the curve
dtherdlonthepanel(kftl.Removetb
panelftuntheframeand M a d
line parellel to the first abwt Y Inch
beyond it to allm for the portion of the
panel that wll extend into the g m w .

3 m -p w l
Outline the sides of the panel, using
any pattsm that su% the desrgn of the
chair, but make wra the outlines begin
andendatthemmarksatthetop
and bottom d the panel. To ensure that
the two sides end up identiesl, outline
just one side on a template. Then tnre
the pttmf m the template to one side
ofthepanelandturn~~wer
tc~outl~nethe side. Cut the pa&
myowbandsaw(&W,feediqthewok-
plece acnss the table and icseping pur
hands clear of the blede.
ARMS AND BhCKS

trHsr-rwl
4
tha
Take the panel frame apart and fit
panel into the back and crest rails
(fight).Since the g r m s cut by the
router will be rounded at the ends, it
may be nepessary to trim the caners of
the panel with a chisel a sandpaper to
impwe the fit.

6lnin#qlY*Ddc
Spread some glue on the contacting
sutfaces of the rails and tea legs. Do not
apply any adhesive In the panel gmwes
or the panel; the panel must be free tu
move as humidity changes cause the
wood to swell or wntract. Start assem-
bling the back by fitting the back rail
~nto the legs, then slip the panel into its
g m in the back rail. Fit the aest mil
onto the panel and into the rear legs.
Close up the joints WIUItrvo bar clamps
(/eft), allgning the ban with the mik and
using wmd blacks to pmtert the legs.
ROCKING CHAIRS

E vw;mnsProfbsumma
evm@ondu~~or
a32ywhrter~m~bc
UeJpite the dean linesand bal-
ance a m&ingchrir must porn,
pudomtneedaaah.oncedawse-
f l u e a ~ h t h e ~ m a i r in geometry to make one. Amred
isahvmitc~to&lor~ with a h.vr dimensionsand angles
dddakItishnlmtbbe& ( p a g ~ 1 2 7 h s ~ l l e p ~ ~ ~
bgagwdradcingmPir's~t, ~ u d ~ t o ~ ~ t w
mayhg~Rareiducnmtrg yllucanylplvgmkpai.dples
oottagethatiswithwtonr. tobuildarodriagdmirjust~~eas-
ilyasakameorstickchsic
& Fh&*-
mddqgmair~lppped
in America during the mid-18th
IiLeany chair, a rocldngchair
must . ~ ~ other wight
t ofthepa-
Cmm.The earliestknown d- amsittinginit Butbecauseitah
dmaW~chaironcumd rocks back and hrth, a rodrcr is
slats. By 1840 CMln- cha'u subjecttomaest~ssthankam-
malcer Lumbert Hitchcock bad agcw*btoaafting
Pdspsdtbedesigptoindudea- a solid rocking chair lies in mm-
ciledcreat rail and urn thattd- L /1 I 1 1 t 1I I 1 bhgtherightpinerywithpur
lodducwveoftheseat116s~ SamMabojth+srodingchairm&e$d!y d@p(~126);duchapterW
thcprotalpialaoston-dpt ~ t h e $ e n m r c o f ~ c n n ~ a nlollnvsshavsonebPsicwand
d
was widely idated by many New srhmcr. Thc choir is buiitfmnrfdfkid focuseson making the n&m and
-a ' '
For a time, the rocking chair
mcrpleandlEptumhnrinadEdnwLvrs attecbingthemtothemaiG
Once you have mastered these
proved mote popuk in the New World than the Old, but hrndamental principles, u are fme ta expetiment. But
~ ~ ~ M i d d ~ ~ a l l t ~h ~ a = tk i in gn& m a k e e p ~ , m m f o r t ,
1860witbhisbmtnoodm&athatqukldybemmedrenge andesthetbinbalan~.Earhhui~own~and
in~.Mostroddngrhairsbuihtodayarewiatioasof to s a d c e a little of each to b u i i a
&pwe~-. to the eye, and cadortable.
ANATOMY OF A ROCKING CHAIR
ROCKER DESIGN
" hiktheb;rbncc ofa mckingdmir the chair without &rt For most peo- mak or breaka rocking chair's d e w
W can be tine-tuned at the assan- ple, a seat height ranging between 12
blystage(prrgriZ),rfewlre)rprincipIes and16inchgwillworkd
A well-balanced rocking chair should
mmetorestabout2~inhtof
I ad ' m d notingbefore For a gracdul-hking chair, design the lear legs, tilting the badrrest 20" to
p u ~ & a v n i n t h e i k t r a t i o n aCtolVangIebeiweentheseatand 2S0hthe&ItUm+
'! 3 below, these include the height of the the backst 'Ibis will shift the weight
aoEthekr,theYybetwem&
forward or backward when someone
~horo~tof&norhuldit-~
andcenterofgravitytowadthebackof
1 ' I 3
rurtandthebadawt,andtheshapeand thechair.YoucanmaketheEhairmore
oftheror&ers.
aaosstheBoorwhenithmcked.
annli~rtablebrbeny-set~~~bytrim- Finally, by experimenting with the

'I 3 Zhebeightoftheseatdqmdsonthe mingthebadclegs,whkhwillinaease ~oftherodkasortheshapeoftheir


needs of the chair's user. Sitting mm- the angle of the badmat edges, or by splaying them slightly
1 ~ o n t h e ~ ~ ~ b e a b l e
TheJhapeandarcoftherodrer(pge inwadattheback,ywcanalterthemy
i3 tomtthcirbnontheflmrandmck ii%)arekcyMmhataultimakly M a c h a i ~ m B

I
'I 4
I
I1
I
3
I
1
II 3
I
i 3

I *

I 3
1 3-
I3
I 3
I 3
I 3
I3
14
MAKING THE ROCKERS
of the chair's seat off the Boor and the
D etermining the right &ape for
mckingchairsro&ersako~
as runners, an exec& in
is experimen-
a ~~ ~~-~-~~~~~~-
~

herght dthe person sitting in the chair


The higher off the ground the seat is,
tation and intuition. When designing a and the taller the chair's usa; the l q e r
new cha'i, some chair ~lLlkentry varia- the arc of the rocker should &
timonabaskauveudtheyarriwat Iternember thatthetighter the auve,the
adesignthatisphhgtotheeye. ~&Ehairwillmck.
In addition to the rockm' primary
curve, you can incorporate a reverse
startingpoint, use a radiusof 36 inches c u m at the back end of the rodrer, as
to 40 inches to draw the curve of the shown m the chair on page 127. The
~ ~ a u v e i s d a t e d t o t h e h e i g h t rwasecumsbwldbegentle,~
if the end of the &is not abwe the
bottom of the rock's primary curve,
A laminated rocker is smoothed on an thechair will not rodc pmperly.
o~illotingspin& sander. L a m i n d Rodtns can either be cut from a sin-
&likedreoneshownntleF,i@r gle piece of stock Wmv), or laminated
m * m l a r k a n t a g i 5 ~ m c l m s ~ f m m from !4-inch-widestripsof mawn stock
sdid wmd T7uy mn be madefmm nar- glued tq&er in a bending bnn (page
mwersmck, which minimizes warte 130). Resawing on the table saw with a
TReymn a h be m d e thinnersince sharp, abide-tipped blade will yield
die strength of the glue bonding the preci4eresuhswihouttheneedhsand-
snips to@herpamlleIr hegrain. ing alhwds

USING A TEMPLATE

1owningmbaDlly,erm~
Tomakeatmphtefathemc~wtapleceof
plywcad or hardboard b the length of the rockers--~n
this case, abwt 34 inches. Then cut a thin strip of
spring^ w d to the same length as the template. Usln
a C clamp and a stop block, secure the ship on e d ~
to one end of the template. Then gently bend the strip
intoa u m that I& su~tablefor your tucker, securing
the pige d waod in place with clamps and a slop black
as s h m . (Yw can using an exrdlng mcking chair as a
guide.) If yw are mnclud~nga rewse curve at the b&s
end of the rockers, as s
hm at right, make sure the
bnckentldtheshpsatleastl inchabovethebattDm
of the cuve. Clanping the strip firmly in place, run a
pencil almg &bdefine the mcker's bottom edge.
ROCKING CHAIRS

2 ww-II.lhb
On ywr band saw, cut the template
pu
d q the line marked in stap 1 and
sand the cut edge smooth. To complete
the d i n e of the rockers. mark a line that
kpadleltD#tetheedge,spackthel~ne
fmn the edge accuding to the desired
height of the rockers. Round the outline
at the fmnt end and taper it slightly at
the back. Bevel the back end of Me out-
line bv ioinintz the l~neand the edne of
the t k p l a t e i t h a sttaight line (&t%
Cut alt the temptate on the band =.-
C

3 CI*llytknckarr
Set the template on each of yllur
rocker blanks ln turn, making wre the
template runs along the length of wood
grain m the stack. Outline the tfanplak
m the blank wth a pencil fkff), then cut
amdy most of the waste on the band 6aw.
Shape the rockers to their final aze on a
muter table as yw nrwld for the rear legs
of a hame chair (m311.
.
ROCKING CHAIRS

I LAMINATED STRlPS
BENDM

1 To bend the wwd strips that will


make up the rocket& build a bending
fmn horn two pieces of 1%-inch-thick
stock (right, top). l h e desired shape of
the rocker's top and bottom edges is cut
Into the edges of the pieces of the form.
then the strips are clamped in the form
as they are glued together, bending the
strips to the desired shape. Make the
first piece of the form by marking the
bottom edge of the rocken on it as you
would if using a template (w 128).
Cut the piece along the curve and sand
the cut edge. To make the second, or
fixed, piece of the form, mark the same
:pme along it. then cut the strips-typi-
cally Y inch thick-that will make up
the rocker. Butt the strips face to face
and measure their combined t h i c k ;
this will be the height of Ute rockers.
Mark another line on the second piece.
using your measurement to space the
two lines fright, bottom). Cut the fixed
piece of the fwm along this line and
mnd the cut edge. Apply a thin coat of
wax on the cut edges of both halves of
the form to prevent the stock from stick-
ing to them, then screw the fixed piece
of the form to a base of K-inch plywood
and mark the middle of the curve on it
with a pencil.
ROCKING CHAIRS

with wax paper. Butt the strips for one


mda?rto@her and mark a line aums
their center. Spread glue on one side of
each sbip m d butt them together again.
liningup the center makr Set the str~ps
w i n s t the fixed half of the bending
farm. align~ngthe center m a k on the
fam and the lamination. Butt the other
half of the form against the strip and
pcsh it C bend the stflps slightly. Install
a bsrcbmp acmss the middle of the bend
t h , h i t l g from the middle toward the
ends of the mcker, tend and d the
laminatian with bar clamps, tightening
each one in turn until there are no gaps
along the mcker (right. Let the lamin-
tion cure for 8 to 10 hwrs. then reps
for the other rocket.

O m the lamination IS dry, ramove


i t fmm the form, =ape way any excess
glue, snd joint one edge. Slovrly feed the
workpiece acmss the cutters with push
blocks, applying peswre on the infeed
side of the fence with ywr hands c k a
of the knives (ileft). Once one hand reach-
esthe outfeed table, shift peswreto the
o u W tat&. CDnhnue appfying wsw
just to the outfeed wde of the kniws until
the edge k joint& then pass the n x h
through a thrkness planer to dean up
its ather edge. Cut the ends of the rmker
on the band saw.
ROCKER JOINERY

T h e ~ ~ i n a ~ m
ocauwberethekgsnmtthemck-
err Time join&need to be strong and
a i r
I ance and also permit adjustment of the
~ r h * m . ~ ~ p u r c i m i r l s ~
are tbin,consider phm@the legs, a tra-
sdid,otherwisethe wmhglygentle act ditionaljokyoptioninwhihthe~-
OfmckingwilleventuaUypullthemair red legsstddle the &rs (page 135).
apart.Thereareseveral$fectivemeth- Ifywr chair hasa Sq-
ods for attaching legs to mckers. The
simplest way is to turn a blind or pints that lend an amPaive touch
through tenon in the ends of the legs There is more than one way to
andfit them into m ~ mortises
d bored assemble a rocking chair. If you are
in the rockers (pge 134). The tenons wad% fromplans, you a n complete
canbewedgdfwcrtrastrength. thejoinayonthelegsd~~
D o w r b ~ ~ a r e n o t a s s h u d y a s Butterpy keys me om o f d p i M v d l i n g the chair. But many wood-
mortise-and-tenons,bufheyallow the nadrodsuredmmmdtrackentoa&. worlrasworkingonanewm;lirdesign
legs to be trimmedto fine-tunethe bal- Also bmvn ma dmrMedmrtrriL the prefer to assemble the chair 6nt to see
ance of the chair. Using bridges (pagc bulterPykeybofmrnrtfmmawn- havitsitsonthemdvrsbeforepining
139)enhuloaamckingmaifsappear- tmuingh a n f d j i vdammtivp the legs to the mckers.

1saw
as a
Bahu4YIcl*ir
Align the rakers on a surface as flat as pomlble, such legs slightly and retest. Inspect the contact point between
table. Then position the chair on the rockets so the the legs and the rocken; the legs should sit flush. If there
badc legs sit about 2 inches behind the point where the rockers are any gaps between the legs and roeken, sand the ends of
contact the wrface. Holdingthe assembly steady, gently rock the legs. as necessary. Once you are satisfied with the chair's
the chair. It should m k smoothly with both mkers reach- balance and the fi of the legs and rockers, use a pencil to
ing the end of their forward and backward swings in unixwr. mark a line on the outside edges of the r o c k dimly below
If the chair is pitched tw far forward and will I& rock back- the center of each leg (above). Transfer the lines to the bps
a c o m m problem with straight-back mkers-trim the back of the rockers.
ROCKING CHAIRS

2 rinraamaasl hot-
Frt an electric drill with a lnt the same
dowels are using,
dianeter as the you and
map a strip of masking tape amund the
bit to mark a drilling depth that is Xs inch
mm? than one-half ihe h l length. Hold
thqrocker steady as you bore each hole
(left),stopping when the tape contacts
the dock. On11 matching holes upthmwh
the center of each leg.

3 *IWl@(lcndrrz
Set the chair upside darn on r work surface and use a stick
todab a small m n t of glue in the bottom of each dorvd hole.
Uwn into position. Then fit the tucken in place &bmzh USIW
the mallet with a wood shiking block to tap the mckes flush
Insert the dowels into the legs. using a d e n mallet to tap with kg%Cbmp the joints until the glue ktured.
ROCKING CHAIRS
.
orill@ hDkr br tbe h a m
1 If you are usingwedged teno~~s to jorn
the legs to the rocken, you w~llneed to
turn a kmi~ at the bottom of each leg as
yw would on a s&etcher (page 104). F a
a thrrmgh tenon, make the tanon equal in
length to the height of the rockers fw a
blind tenon, make it one-half as long.
Mark the locat~onof the leg^ on the m k -
ers ipapps 132),then install a bit in your
drill press the same d i m as the tenon.
To bore each hole, set the rocker on a
saw panel on the machine table, align
tk leg mark under the bit, and clemp the
mcker h place, usinga shim to hold the
workpiece flat (fight).Drill the hole com-
pletely through the mker for a thrcugh
tenon a Ks inch p s t the halfway point fa
a Mind tenon.

3 J o ~ ~ l e p t D I b n d g l
Inset?the wedges into their kerfs,
then apply glue to the tenons and in
their holes. Sat the rockera on a work
surface, bhen seat the lqp into position
(gbwe13Tap the rockers ard WWW-
er with a mallet and a sttlkihg Mock; the
2 I(n(ilmmwhrr4a
To bath C for a m, the
the tenon
ing the middle of blade.
with thb
hold leg flat on your band saw table, align-
W t i o n the leg so the kerf--end the
wedges will push the tenons tightly
w i n s t the insldes of the holes. If you
wed@-wtlbe perpendicular to the grain of the rocker. Feetl the stock into the are usingt h m h tenons, insert ert llep
W& lsLm&, ?ibpphBthe cut Pbwt I( InchRam the tenon shoulder. Out the Wdg& in the moker m d hammer thp wedge in
horn a d e w h a d W d sllghtly thikker then Ule k&. M a k sure the gra/n of the p l m fmn the bottom. Clamp the)dnln
wedm runs Ish&thwise. Rthw than *toss Wir width. dlmthe UVES.
ROCKING CHAIRS

1m * I m
If p u choose to pin the leg5 to the
r o c k prepare the kgs before gluing UP
the M r . You can notch the k@quidrb
ndd y with a commercial tenming
jig on your table saw. The model at r i i
in the miter stot. Outline a notch
on the lnmum end of each leg, making its
wldlhequaltothethkkesofthemdrecs.
Set the cutting height to abwt me-half
thehe@tofthedand.usingawml
pad to protect the stock, clamp the leg
&up in the j i i Adjust the jig sideways
to lllione of the notch marks with the
bkdc Mak the fkst cut by pushingthe jig
fawatd, feeding the leg Into the Made. then
turn the leg a w n d to cut the other side
of the m h . To clsar the waste between
the two cuts, adjust the jig si@ and
malQaslnan~passesasnecessary(ri@~
Ifyau will be turning the legs, mark the
center of the .notch (step 2);otherwire,
pepara the @s fw plnning (step 31.

2 rnpvcnl-hrm-
TO mount the lees on your lathe, you
need to w ide the dfm center in the
headstock w tatlstak vrith a d i d surface
to butt Mnst at the notched end. Cut a
wood plug for each leg slightly thicker
than the width of the notch. hbthe Plug
into ths ndch with a vrnoden mallet ( l a ,
then turn the leg f&i? 1021.
.
ROCKING CHAIRS

3 m=bhmft-
Cut a V-shaped wedge out of a wmd
block, creating a jig that will hold the
turned legs steady as your bwe the dowel
holes. Install a %inch brad-point M in
yaur drill pres and clamp the jig to the
machine table m the bottom of the V a
centered under the bit. Then place the leg
In the r i a l i i the middle of the notch
with the bit, and clamp a length of dowel
to the jig against the leg. The d d WII
e m that the holes in each kgare pop
edy positioned. Holdingthe leg with one
hand, bae the dwel through both sides
dthe notch f/efi'J.Once you have pepared
all fwr @,glue up the chair.

4 mqr*prt~~r-
Balance the chair on the rockers
13211 then m k the matchi- dowel
holes on the sides d the mcken, using
theholsinthemaraplde.Remave
thechairanddrlllhnksatBachrnark Then
repositkn the chair an the rockers and
cut a kn@ of k n c h dowel for Bad, M e
s l i i kr(ger than the full thidmesdthe
kgrSpreadsome$ueintheholesinthe
rockem and legs and insert the dowels.
tapping each me in place with a hammer
fm.Pare the ends of the dowels flush
using a chisat, then sand them wnwth.
ROCKING CHAIRS

BUTTERFLY KEYS

1 -*rn
If you are connecting rocken to a
chair with butterfly keys, stat by making
the keys, using hardwed that contrasts
with the I$and mcker stock. Uslng
a Kinch-thiisMp, rip the stock W inch
narmwer than the width of the legs.
Outline bro keys for each leg on the strip.
making them slightly longer than the
height of the meken. Angle the sides of
the keys at 10'. Once the keys are out-
lined, cut them from the strip on your
band saw (right).

- I $1
wimirrmmwskrnmtw
If the chair has been glued up, you
need to balance it on t h rockers to
determine the location of the jdnts. In
the example shown here, the chair will be
assemMedafterthemekenand mare
p~ned.In either case, poslion t b leg
against the mckar, center the butterfly
key on the joint and use a pencil to out-
line its shape on the s~desd the leg and
mdGer(fef0.Repeatontheotherddeof
the pint and on both sides of the remain-
ing legs and mdrers.
.
ROCKING CHAIRS

1 d&. Cut the recess with a bweC


4dssd'chibel no w i d a than the narc&
wt af the outline. Holding the c
hd ha-
i
imntal, flat-side dorm, s h the waste
rwmdmayinthiniqyenlkdiY. Workcam
fully bo cut only within the d i n e and to
a depth s l i i y less than the thickness of
tlie iceys.R m for the nm*ning outliner

4 kvr-korr-
Test-fitthekqsinthenncesesand
the undasides of any t
bevel WM poaly.
Then'spegl nmeghre in t h e m and
lRsecttheksys,tsppirgtheminplacervith
armoden mallet W .Laya wid pad
-thp?panel,uringclamps&Ltsends
to hold the key in place while the glue
wnrt.Sandthekqcsfkshwiththesuface
I
ofthelegsmdmkas,thendrivaacwn-
kmnk~fromtheundemideofthe
d w r into each Iqto rei- the joint
ROCKING CHAIRS

1 ~mwpsmumrackms
u using dowels w mund tenons to idn the legs to the mkers,yar
If' y ~ are
ten add brldges batwean the t w for decorative effect and for flne-tuning the
2 mwlllrrar
Once the glue secwlng the b rm
i
has cured, reposition the chair on the
balance of the chair. Mark the icints betweenfhe lees and tuckers b i ~ 1321. rockenend use a milto marlc c u m on
then glue a bridge to the top &e of the rock^^ i e a c h mark (A). Cut ' each Wdge near h e ends to enhance the
the bridgg tb the same width as the redrenand abwt one-half as thick from the visual flow fmm rocker to leg labe). Cut
stock used to build the chair. If the meken are leminated, you can use the same away the M e on the band saw.
technique to make the bridges.

3 ~ a r * r y l r O f ~ ~
To further enhance the visual appeal of the rockers,
rwnd wer their top edges. Install a X-inch piloted rwnd-
o w bit in a muter end mount the tool in a tW. To pmvlde a
bearingsurface for the mckm, fash~ma guard for the bit and
a fanes fa the stak to ride w i n s t the infeedsided the table
SUPY the guard and fence tclgether and clamp them to the
.table. Rest the rvorkpiece aga!Rd the pilot M n g as you feed
each tucker acmg the table, then turn o w the stock and rwt
the other edge f M . Use a push stick to awnplete each pas.
Once both mdGers have been rounded a ~ r attach, them to the
legsmeansptownooththepintandfamammh
hnsitwm ktem ths b r i m and the legs fphdD. p;yp 124).
A-B-C C a n a ~ T ~ w o o Fnune d ~Ehpir: A chaii made of legs
Air-dried wood: Lumber that has screwed to the inside corners of a and rails to which a seat is a t t a w
been dried to a specifk moisture Erame chair's seat rails to strengthen the seat adds no struchd strmgth
wntent by exposure to the air;see the chair and support a drop-in seat to the chair (seedabd-& chair).
kiln-dried wwd
Countash& To drill a hole so the Fmch A marking tool used
Angled tenon:A tenon sawn at an head of a screw will lie Bush with or to draw curved lines.
angle to the edges and ends of the slightly below the wood surface
workpiece: typically cut at the ends Gmin:The arrangement and direc-
of the side rails of a frame chair that bA rounded, concave decora- tionof the Gbers that make up wood.
is wider at the h n t than at the back. tive profile cut in wood.
Green wwd:Freshly felled, unsea-
Be& rPjl:A horizontal frame piece crest roil-Ahorizontal frame piece soned wood with its fibers still satu-
near the bottom of a thair ba& at the top of a chair ba& tenons at rated by moisture.
joined to the rear legs with tenons. its ends pin the rail to the rear legs.
SeerrstraiL See back rail Groove A redangular cut along the
grain of a workpiece.
B e d A munded, conwx shape cut Crossa&Asawcutmadeacrossthe
in wood, usually for decoration. grain of a workpiece. W-lapjoink A joint in which
both matingboardsare dadoed to
BLPnlc A piece of solid or glued-up Q t t h gliFt:A list of lumber pieces in one-half the thickness of the stock,
lumber used to mate a chaii part. the s k needed for a furniture poject allowing the surfaces of the pieces
sucb as a tumed leg. to lie Bush with one another when
D-E-FG-H-I the joint is assembled.
Blind tgoa.A tenon that is wm- Dowel pineA butt joint reinforced
pletely hidden in the mortise work- and aligned by dowels. J-K-L-M-N-0-P-Q
piece; see thmugh tenon J i iA device for guidmg a tool or
ErgonomicsThe science of mea- holding a workpiece in position.
Brad-paint bit: A drill bit featuring suring and fitting the human anato-
a sharpened centerpoint and two cut- my to furniture decign KerkThecutinawrkpiecemade
ting spurs on its circumferene, pro- by a saw blade.
duces deaner holes than a twist bit Face gl* Bonding several boards
together face to €iceto form a thick- Kerfed tenon: A tenon in which a
Buttertlykeypint:A butt p i t er workpiece. saw cut is made lengthwise to accept
~S&rced by a wing-shapedk q a wedge.
that is often made of a contrasting h i r i qShaping
~ and smoothinga
hardwood for dewdecve effact;typi- joint between Eurwd chair parts, Kiln-dried ruood:Lumber that has
dlyusedtojointherocke~~tothe usually with a rasp. been oven-dried to a specific mois-
legsofarockingchair. ture content; see air-driPd wood
FePthaboud:A piace of wood with
CrbriokLegrAtypeoflegdurac- thin, springy "finp"at one end; U-b.drd~&Atypeofstidc
terized by rounded contours design- used in conjunction with damps to chair with a back made up of hori-
ed to imitate the graahl leg of a hold a woilcpii s ~ l r ragainst the zontal rows of slats monised into
leaping a n i d
Clar The outer bark of the rattan
.
fence or table of a power tool

Fma:An adjustable guide desiied


the back posts.
LumbPr~?heLowerliVeveI-
plant; strands of this strong, bible to keep the edge or face of a work- tebrae of the spine,also known as
material can be woven into hair piece a fixed distance from the cut- the s d of the back requiresthe
seats and backs. ting edge of a tool most support by a chair.
hlmtkArrcmgdu,rnImd.or Rrsowing: Ripping a large board Splay Mgte:The angle at which a
oval hole cut into a piece of wood to into narmwer pieces, often for lami- chair leg or post deviates from the
rrccivcamatchhgtaton. nate bending. vertical when viewed h m the fmnt
of thechair.
hrtbadgaoa& A joinery Rip a6A saw cut that f o h the
techniqw ic which a bmon on one grain of a workpi-usually made Spline: A --shaped piece of
board fits into a mortire in another. along its length r d i q from the core of the rattan
palm; used to anchor prewoven cane
Nomiarlsize: The dimensions to -The technique of splitting in a groove in a chair seat or back
whkhlumberissawnbeforedrying woodhmafreshlyf$ledlogwith
orphning;woodissoldaurording a sledgehanunuand wedges to sep Steam bendinsThe technique of
to nominal size. arate the wood along the 6bers. softeningwood for bending by sub-
jecting it to steam and heat and then
Pilot baring:A cylindrical metal -The Eurved runnersof a bending it around a curved form.
collar either above or below the mckingchairwnedto themair
muter bit's cutting edge that rides 1 s can be laminated fxum strips T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z
abw the wockpiecc or a template, of r e ~ w stock
n or bandsawn from Tan* A pattern cut h m ply-
gukJing the workpiece during a cut. a sold piece of wood wood, hardwood, or partideboard
to produce multiple copies of a
-
A wooden bridge poai- mAturnedspindkjoii chair part.
t i o d between the leg and rockas and reinforcing the legs of a stool
ofa 4 c i q Ehir,used to fine-tune or chair. Tenon: A pmjecting member on the
budnir'sbahlce. endofawxkpkqfitsintoarmrdre
Rusk A natural Gber made from
)rmmcEA rounded shoulder pm- the,twisred leaves of cattailr used Thmugb henon:A tenon that passes
duad on the lathe; serves to sepa- for seating material in stidc chairs. completely through the mortise
naegtuan:andcyiindricalsectiolls pi-, see blind tenon
ofah,
Wedged tenon: A tenon that is
b l h e vertical members of a secured by a wedge.
slab-and-stick chaifsback assembly. Slsbmd-dckchakA chair in
which the legs and back posts are Windsor rhrir. A style of stick chair
PashsticE.Adeviceusedtofceda joined directly to the seat, which ppular in the 18th Century made
mrtrpiece into the blade or bit of a provides integral support to the of a solid, sculpted seat into which
tool tb protect the operator's chair (seefmme chair). the legs and back spindles are mor-
tised; often uses steam-bent parts.
R-S &A vertical member in a fhair
A horizontal frame joined to backascemblybetweentherrarlegs Wood movemmt: The shrinkage
thelegsofaframechairbymortise- or posts, often turned and niomsed or s w e h of wood in reaction to
and-tinon joints; suppork the chair into the back and crest &,also
seat in a frame chair. known as a mdion.

Uakc&eTaevlgleatwhicha SIidingbevekAmas~and
chair leg or post deviates from the marking tool used to measure the
d d when viewed from the side angle between two adjoining wwk-
of the &air. piecgorthefencedtableofa
stationary power t d
INDEX
~re6amasinimlia~an S F 4 Joimrv, 95
illustrationof subject maw.Page rd- Wnded-post anaa 11%112 MhePives,wntdpoper
amminboldindLatcaBuildIt 114115 Rocking chair rodrcrs, 126
Yausdfpl'oish fbrhm,Mirhael: b d y keys, 126,132,137-138
Mncarsarcbonyarmchair,18 dowels, 126,132-133
A-BCD FIWIIC chairs 23-24 pinned legs. 126,135136
-buk@qm Arms. 11C118 wedged tenons. 1-26134
~ ~ d r a i r 4 2 1 Assembly, 47-49 wood bridges, 126,139
M a n Sheratonside chllirs, 19 hk~,32-35,112,113 Slab-pnd-siidr chairs,59,131
Arms, 111,112-113 Cuttiagl i 27 Slats
Fxteded-postanns,114 112, Decorative details. 22 securing dab tD posts,68-69
114115 ldi,25.36-37,41,42-43 h n s
Separale-postums, 112,116118
MNoweauchairs,2f-
pllglCdtmons.38-40
D*
~~ wedges, 58-58 73
green wood tcnom in hot
blind tenow, 36-37
Backs, 111,112-113 jighmmtidngcnrvedr&,44 sand (Shop Tip), 59
Cad, 112 llP121 mortisingjiihrhairlegs,U Sce dm Mortise-and-tenonjoints
Panel, 113,121-123 tenoningjigs, 37 Jointstools, 18
SardwSLass Iqp,28-31.48 Klhoschairs, 18
BuildItYburrclE prrpentionfa-
BeodingLonaforslatsbl =ts. 8.2 GM-N-0
Jigfor mottising c u d frnme Scab 26-27,& 49 Ldder-backchairs, Za 50.51
dcairnils.44 rcolpted. 71, n-n Slats,61-66
MortisingjiiforfamcChPir u p h o h d , 72 7882 bending hms.64
slats,34-35 jig for bending slats, 51
T h n i a g jigs, 37 mortise-boringjigs, 23 sec~ring slats to ~OSIS,68-69
W o k k g s , 95,%,95lW smoothing, 45 steamingj i i for slats, 63
Canslmairr: PrankLlOydWrightspindle legs:
Back%112,1z9-121 chairs20 Cebride, 95,96,9&100
calle~84 h - S h a i d a n , Carolyn, 1011.13 Frame chairs,2631.46
Cvlisg pattans, 89 h - S W . Joha,10-11.13 prepamtion for
Seats, 74 71,7283-89 seals,82
Sar also Rnsb ycata H-I-J-K Saber. %
Chippddechainr. 19,113 H strctchrrs, 97 slab-and-stick chairs, 56-57.105
cmsstrrlrhaa97.1M Jiw Mortise&54-55
Custom-fitting, 11.15 Adjustable chair-fittingjigs, 13 Tppered,9698, I01
Adjustable chair-fittingjii. 13 Beodingforms for hioared ~ 9 6 , 9 8 1 0 2
CuUbgLirts.16 mdprs,130-131 ~ofwood.17
Franvduirr,27 Bendingladder-back chair slats, 51 Maloof, Sam, 6-7
Slab-and& chairs,53 Chhgframes,83 Rocking chairs, 21,125
m a s Jigfor mortising cnrved frame M i i n anmhairs. 20
Castom-lining, 11.13.15 ChPirnils.44 Mitchell, Arthur, 8-9
Framechairs, 26-29,32 Mortise-boringj i i for slats,23
Roddogchain,128 Mortising j i i for fimc chair
Standard dimm&m, 14 kgsu
D' g14 vlgle j
iw 54
lbdhgchain, 128 s ~ h f r o n t e n d g r r p r63
,
Topa jigs, 101
Tenoniagjigs 37
Mortised-taronpints: Sea4 71 S d e r s , 97
Frame mairg 36,4442-43 Cane, 70.71.72 83-89 Boring mortises for W e r
4 3 8 4 0 L Frame dmirs,2627,649 tenons on the dtii prss
Miad tenons. 3637 sculpted. 71.72-77 (ShopTP). 105
j
ig for mortising curved rails, 44 upholstered, 7278-82 Cross s t r c t c b . 97.106
mortisingjiiforcbaitlegs.42 Rush, 71,72,9093 Slab-and-stick chairs,M57
tenoningjigs, 37 Sculpted, 54-5571.72-77 Sguate ntetchgs, 107-109
s1Pb-and-stidC chairs Slab-and-stick 54-55 W e d , 97,103-105
pmt and leg monises, 54-55 l).pcofwood, 17 meof wood, 17
wedged teuous, 5859 Separate-post anns, 112,116118 styles,18-21
Mullanbrrdrg 112,113 Shakes rockers, 19 see aLro wmdsor chairs
Shratoncbairs.19 T a p e d legs, % 98,101
P4-R Shop Tips, 59,105 TeIl011s
Rn$hdcr, 113,121-123 Slaband-stick chairs, 50,5 1-52 Contrastingwedges, 58-59
posh: Badrs, 112 Drying green wood tenom in hot
Shb-and-stick cbaits. 6268-69 mstallation, 67 sand (Shop Tip), 59
mortises,54-55 securing dats to posts, 68-69 Took
Queeni\nnedmirs,19 slats, 51.61-66.64 safetv7tiOmfrmrt-
Rpilr: Cuttinglists, 53 ~ ~ % 9 8 , 1 0 2
Framechaim Legs and ~~ 5657,5660, %ned stewhers, 97.103-105
badt Ids,32, a-43,44 105
crest Ids,32-33, hs&62 ' u-v-w-x-Y-z
rrcesded seats, 81-82 Mortise&54-55 ~ ~ c h a i ~ s
*38-4u seMingslatstopaas.6869 Backs, 112
kgmcychairg 19 seats.54-5558-60 Seats 72,78-82
RieheldcbPirs.21 sculpted, 75-76 Vichain.20
Rivinsgrecnwood,~~~ &61-66 Wedged tenom.
Roddagchairs, 125-126 Frsme chairs,34-35 Rodringdmirs, 134
Balm&& 124 mortise-boring j i i 23 Slab-and& Chairs, 59
Desipn, 128 Ladder-back chairs W&r chairs, 12, I8
Dhedons. 128 bendingforms, 64 Wood, 16-17
Maloof rockingchain,21.125 jig for beoding slats, 51 Board feet, 16
Radars. 128-131 Senuing&tstopmts,68-69 Green, back endpap, 51.53
beading h m s for laminated steunbo=%lsmrte4wer.a7 Drying green wood tenons in
rodprs. 130131 Spindlechair4 20 hot sand (Shop Tip). 59
johecy, 1& 132-139 spindles: Riving qualities, back endpapa
Shnlarroclringcbairs.19 lLpeof417 Woven seats:
l\macdrtetrhers,97,103-105 square stramers, 107-109 Cane, 70,71,83-89
RushseaW,71,72.90-93 Standard dimensions, 14 Rush, 71.72.9093
Steam bouesfmnte4wer
ST stook 53
*4%%
*vtion5.Font-
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

CHAIR-BUILDING BASICS
M i Fortune, Toronto, Ont; Cmlp and John Grew-Sbrridan,
sen Frpncisco,,CA;DrnrLPO&UYl,M,NC
FllAMBCHAIBS
M j d k Clump Co., Chicago, Jb Amaican Tools Cos, L i I n , NE;Black and DeckerlElu Power Took, Hunt Valley, MD;
Dclta lntrmational M a c h i I P o r t e r Cable. Gudph, Ont; F d Wfstmore Took, Mkkeugd, Out; G c d T w k
Co., New Yo* NY;Irc V a k y Tools L@., Ottawa, Ont;Ryobi America Corp., Anderson, SC; Tool Trend, Conw-
S L A & ~ C K ~
Adj& Clamp Co, Chi a:MeanTook Cos.,Lincoln, NE; Blackand De&r/Elu PowerToo1.s. Hunt Valley, MD,
Delta ~nternatioyl porter Cable, G d p h , Ont; hi& ~unbnr,~ortmouth.NH; Lee
Ottawa, Ont; SandnLSaws and Took Co, Saanton, PA; Staaly Tools, Division ofthe Stanley
Twl T 4 Concord Ont; The Woodworkms Stom Rogna MN
SEATS
MjustrMe Clamp Co., Chicago, 11; A m e h To& Cos. Lincdn, NE; Delta lntanatiod M h i n q I P o r t c r C&,
Gudph, Ont; G m t Neck Sm Mfrh lnc. (BuckBror Division), Millbury, MA; H.H. Perkins, Wood- CT;
htennam TrPding Co, Lindmhurst, NY; k Vdky Took Ltd. Ottawa Ont; Tool T m d Concord,O n t

LEGS AND STPelCWRS


Mjustabk C h v Co., Chi-. U:Delta lntaoptiond MachineryIPomr Cabk, Gudph. Om.; Record Tmlr Inc, Pickti& O~L;
Sesra Roebuck and Co, Olicyo,11: Woodcrah Supply Corp., Parkemburg, W,Wwdmer's World Gabrioh, B.C
-AND BACKS
Took Coa,Lincdn,NE;Dclta InternationalMadhq-IPorter Cable,
a~N%k~BwkBnr* Division). Millbuty, M& H.H. Per);ins, Woodbridge, CT;
htermwTnd(ng Co.. Lindenhurst, NY;Lee Valky Tools Ud,Ottawa Ont,TwlTrend Concord, Ont
ROClWGCHAIBS
Clamp Ca. Chfcrgo,Jb Ddta Interndional M s c h i m O r t e r Cabk,Guelph Ont;
Ltd,Oanwa,Ont; Sam Maloof, Alto Loma, CA:R i America Corp, A8denon. SC;
Sears.Rocbuck and&., Chi- Jb Tod TAaa,rd, Ont

PICTURE CREDITS
Cora Robert Chnrtier
6.7 Gaty Moss
49SteveLewis
10,IJ S h n Beds
12 Martin Fox
13ShvonBeals
18Michael C. Fortune Studio
125Gary Moss
WORKSHOP GUIDE

=-&- k%a W l n d w (wnlty el chr(n. can be


mdaJmc*1antimhhom~*aodacppowdtor
~qJIlbclmnlr.blhmh,~klkr,thd
tlbardm#uo ~ p m r m J ( I m r t r l l l
a r ~ ~ ~ n d r l d r m o d . m m-tomb
em~ aonmm,qar.- b r k g d ~ t ~ ~
B e c m a e t h e d in8lmshCldbdkgis#dbnrrith A ~ - a h . t r v r r ~ i ~ u a n - ~ J Z

You might also like