Dinning Room Chair

[Richard D.]

First post on the FOG! I thought I'd share a chair build I recently completed. A set of four from my own design to go with a table which I'll post later. It is for my home like all the first pieces I buildof a new design, I would like to make another set for a local gallery which sells for me occasionally.

I started with a traced patter from a chair that felt comfortable and then did a simple layout on my bench. I added 1-1/2 degrees to the ends of the side aprons to give the seat a little angle back.


After I cut out the parts I clamped them together so I could make lines for the Dominos. This could have, and probably should have, been done before cutting the curve but I did leave a square face where the apron lands on the back leg.



Using the Domino made the joinery of the legs very simple, probably the easiest part of the entire build.



I cold laminated the back splats with four layers of shop sawn veneer on a buck made from layers of MDF.



I coopered the crest rail so the grain would run vertically, a technique I learned from building Hal Taylor rocking chairs.



Using the Domino I made a long mortise to accept the splat. This was done while I still had a flat surface to register the tool and afterward I cut the curves on the band saw.





I could have used Dominos to attach the crest rail but it was much easier to use screws and plugs.



I had an Upholsterer cover the seat bottoms with recycled leather in a color my wife picked out, I think it looks better than the black I would have chose.







Thanks for looking. Any questions or comments are welcome.

 

[nanook]

great job! 

 

[peter halle]

Richard,  [welcome] [welcome] to the FOG!

Great first Post!

GREAT CHAIRS!  Can't wait to see the table and more.

Peter

 

[Guilliaume woodworks]

I love it...super cool...like the orange leather color against the wood( walnut?.)... whatever species , it's beautiful . What finish did you use? Thanks for an amazing first post!

 

[NYC Tiny Shop]

Terrific!  How did you determine what slope you would use for the back?

 

[ScotF]

Wow, wow, wow!  Great job and great first post!  Welcome to the FOG!  I cannot wait to see more from you and really looking forward to the table. 

Thanks!!

Scot [thumbs up]

 

[Sparktrician]

Just beautiful!!! 

 

[dltflt]

That is beautiful. Great job.

 

[barnowl]

Welcome Richard.

Good to see you here.

As always, beautiful work!

Gents, you should see his rocking chairs!!!!

Absolutely exquisite.

 

[Richard D.]

Thanks guys. The chair is walnut except for the splat which is Zebra to match the table. Sanded with a Ceros to 320 and then a 500 Abralon pad before the Deft Danish Oil clear. To get the slope/curve I copied another chair that felt comfortable by tracing the curve of the back leg onto foam core poster board.

 

[ScotF]

Richard,

Did you make the seat cushion, etc...?

Scot

 

[NYC Tiny Shop]

What degree did you laminate/join the the pieces for the top back rest? I assume you used the Domino XL...do you remember which tenon size and how close to each other? Thanks.

 

[woodguy7]

Welcome to the FOG.  Love the chair.  The leather is not a colour i would have picked but the more i look at it the more i like it.
Now that you have teased us you have to show us the table & the rocking chair !

 

[nclemmons]

Excellent lines.  Great work.  Welcome!

Neil

 

[butzla]

Great execution!  Don't you love the Domino for chair building?  I love the wood choices and you're spot on, the seat cushion color.  I think it adds a modern flair to it.
The design however, seems a tad out of proportion.  The back sits too low for my eye and the seat bottom seems a tad wide.  I hope I'm not over stepping by bounds by my critique, it's meant to be constructive, not critical.

 

[Richard D.]

Jim, I think your observations are very astute. The lumbar curve did end up being lower than I expected due to the insistance of my upholsterer to use 2 inch foam. Every upholsterer I spoke with agreed on the thickness. In use the seat width is good but the asthetic of a square seat gives it a wide look. I wanted to keep the build simple so I kept the seat square to avoid compound angles on the aprons and the back legs parallel. My next set may change the back legs although I think it gives it a very contemporary look. As for the seat color, I dont know if it is the most marketable color choice but for someone with Mid Century taste I think it works well. My wife loves it.

Thanks for the critique.

P.S. I may need to post a picture of myself wearing my Nick Offerman Woodshop shirt!

 

[Cort]

Nice work.  For me as a woodworker, somehow building chairs is one of the most difficult tasks.  You make it look easy.

 

[David cross]

Hi.  The walnut chair you made looks fantastic. And the images of it look really professional.

Couple of questions... How did you finish the walnut and also how did you bend the curved back?

Thanks David cross

 

[Richard D.]

Thanks. The chairs are finished with clear Deft Danish Oil after sanding to 320 and then burnishing with a 500 Abralon pad. If you look at the fourth pic I posted you can see the back in a vacuum bag. It was 4 layers of shop sawn veneer on an MDF form.

 

[dltflt]

Chairs look great. I like the design.