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A new dining room set for my wife!

171K views 556 replies 109 participants last post by  SATXmarine1 
#1 ·
I begin at the begining. Where else?

Well, I had a couple more things I wanted to make first, but my wife kind of changed my priorities for me.

She started out by commenting on how the new ones looked in the store, and then started with how nice a new one would look in our dining room. I took the hint.

So, where to start? Well, I asked her what she wanted and I got, "I don't know, just make something. I trust you."

Hmm… No restrictions! That's nice. Now what do I want?

Chairs would be the main attraction for me so I looked at everything I could find. I like something around a Queen Ann and the Chippendale style.

I wanted something not too complex, after all I would be making 6 to 8 of them. I like cabriole legs so I'll use them for the front legs. Complex but not overly so.

For the back legs and back I wanted something very comfortable, so I am going to add some complexity by making a curved back with lumbar support. Something you can lean back in after eating and be very comfortable.

I was thinking about doing a carved splat for the back but thought that would be a little too much so I decided to upholster the back and seat for more comfort.

Here's my plan:

Brown Wood Floor Flooring Rectangle


I know that you can see it too well but it's the entire thing in full scale.

Off to the left edge you can see some templates I used to find the right shape for the back. On the right is a set of "ships curves" I used for the curved part of the drawing.

Next time I'll be starting the back legs.
 

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#2 ·
I begin at the begining. Where else?

Well, I had a couple more things I wanted to make first, but my wife kind of changed my priorities for me.

She started out by commenting on how the new ones looked in the store, and then started with how nice a new one would look in our dining room. I took the hint.

So, where to start? Well, I asked her what she wanted and I got, "I don't know, just make something. I trust you."

Hmm… No restrictions! That's nice. Now what do I want?

Chairs would be the main attraction for me so I looked at everything I could find. I like something around a Queen Ann and the Chippendale style.

I wanted something not too complex, after all I would be making 6 to 8 of them. I like cabriole legs so I'll use them for the front legs. Complex but not overly so.

For the back legs and back I wanted something very comfortable, so I am going to add some complexity by making a curved back with lumbar support. Something you can lean back in after eating and be very comfortable.

I was thinking about doing a carved splat for the back but thought that would be a little too much so I decided to upholster the back and seat for more comfort.

Here's my plan:

Brown Wood Floor Flooring Rectangle


I know that you can see it too well but it's the entire thing in full scale.

Off to the left edge you can see some templates I used to find the right shape for the back. On the right is a set of "ships curves" I used for the curved part of the drawing.

Next time I'll be starting the back legs.
Oh my gosh, this will be a treat to watch.
I can just imagine.

Steve
 

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#3 ·
I begin at the begining. Where else?

Well, I had a couple more things I wanted to make first, but my wife kind of changed my priorities for me.

She started out by commenting on how the new ones looked in the store, and then started with how nice a new one would look in our dining room. I took the hint.

So, where to start? Well, I asked her what she wanted and I got, "I don't know, just make something. I trust you."

Hmm… No restrictions! That's nice. Now what do I want?

Chairs would be the main attraction for me so I looked at everything I could find. I like something around a Queen Ann and the Chippendale style.

I wanted something not too complex, after all I would be making 6 to 8 of them. I like cabriole legs so I'll use them for the front legs. Complex but not overly so.

For the back legs and back I wanted something very comfortable, so I am going to add some complexity by making a curved back with lumbar support. Something you can lean back in after eating and be very comfortable.

I was thinking about doing a carved splat for the back but thought that would be a little too much so I decided to upholster the back and seat for more comfort.

Here's my plan:

Brown Wood Floor Flooring Rectangle


I know that you can see it too well but it's the entire thing in full scale.

Off to the left edge you can see some templates I used to find the right shape for the back. On the right is a set of "ships curves" I used for the curved part of the drawing.

Next time I'll be starting the back legs.
With the work you do Gary I know anything you make will be great. I look forward to more updates.
 

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#4 ·
I begin at the begining. Where else?

Well, I had a couple more things I wanted to make first, but my wife kind of changed my priorities for me.

She started out by commenting on how the new ones looked in the store, and then started with how nice a new one would look in our dining room. I took the hint.

So, where to start? Well, I asked her what she wanted and I got, "I don't know, just make something. I trust you."

Hmm… No restrictions! That's nice. Now what do I want?

Chairs would be the main attraction for me so I looked at everything I could find. I like something around a Queen Ann and the Chippendale style.

I wanted something not too complex, after all I would be making 6 to 8 of them. I like cabriole legs so I'll use them for the front legs. Complex but not overly so.

For the back legs and back I wanted something very comfortable, so I am going to add some complexity by making a curved back with lumbar support. Something you can lean back in after eating and be very comfortable.

I was thinking about doing a carved splat for the back but thought that would be a little too much so I decided to upholster the back and seat for more comfort.

Here's my plan:

Brown Wood Floor Flooring Rectangle


I know that you can see it too well but it's the entire thing in full scale.

Off to the left edge you can see some templates I used to find the right shape for the back. On the right is a set of "ships curves" I used for the curved part of the drawing.

Next time I'll be starting the back legs.
Sounds like a nice project.
 

Attachments

#5 ·
I begin at the begining. Where else?

Well, I had a couple more things I wanted to make first, but my wife kind of changed my priorities for me.

She started out by commenting on how the new ones looked in the store, and then started with how nice a new one would look in our dining room. I took the hint.

So, where to start? Well, I asked her what she wanted and I got, "I don't know, just make something. I trust you."

Hmm… No restrictions! That's nice. Now what do I want?

Chairs would be the main attraction for me so I looked at everything I could find. I like something around a Queen Ann and the Chippendale style.

I wanted something not too complex, after all I would be making 6 to 8 of them. I like cabriole legs so I'll use them for the front legs. Complex but not overly so.

For the back legs and back I wanted something very comfortable, so I am going to add some complexity by making a curved back with lumbar support. Something you can lean back in after eating and be very comfortable.

I was thinking about doing a carved splat for the back but thought that would be a little too much so I decided to upholster the back and seat for more comfort.

Here's my plan:

Brown Wood Floor Flooring Rectangle


I know that you can see it too well but it's the entire thing in full scale.

Off to the left edge you can see some templates I used to find the right shape for the back. On the right is a set of "ships curves" I used for the curved part of the drawing.

Next time I'll be starting the back legs.
I'll be very interested to see how this develops. I also didn't know about ships curves. I want those now :)
 

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#6 ·
I begin at the begining. Where else?

Well, I had a couple more things I wanted to make first, but my wife kind of changed my priorities for me.

She started out by commenting on how the new ones looked in the store, and then started with how nice a new one would look in our dining room. I took the hint.

So, where to start? Well, I asked her what she wanted and I got, "I don't know, just make something. I trust you."

Hmm… No restrictions! That's nice. Now what do I want?

Chairs would be the main attraction for me so I looked at everything I could find. I like something around a Queen Ann and the Chippendale style.

I wanted something not too complex, after all I would be making 6 to 8 of them. I like cabriole legs so I'll use them for the front legs. Complex but not overly so.

For the back legs and back I wanted something very comfortable, so I am going to add some complexity by making a curved back with lumbar support. Something you can lean back in after eating and be very comfortable.

I was thinking about doing a carved splat for the back but thought that would be a little too much so I decided to upholster the back and seat for more comfort.

Here's my plan:

Brown Wood Floor Flooring Rectangle


I know that you can see it too well but it's the entire thing in full scale.

Off to the left edge you can see some templates I used to find the right shape for the back. On the right is a set of "ships curves" I used for the curved part of the drawing.

Next time I'll be starting the back legs.
I will be watching you on this… Cabriole leg hah and 6 or 8×2 pieces for the chairs and 4 for the table. Wow. I am excited about it specialy with your skills. Thanks for making a series on this. Mabuhay sa iyo at sa pamilya.. God Bless.
 

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#7 ·
I begin at the begining. Where else?

Well, I had a couple more things I wanted to make first, but my wife kind of changed my priorities for me.

She started out by commenting on how the new ones looked in the store, and then started with how nice a new one would look in our dining room. I took the hint.

So, where to start? Well, I asked her what she wanted and I got, "I don't know, just make something. I trust you."

Hmm… No restrictions! That's nice. Now what do I want?

Chairs would be the main attraction for me so I looked at everything I could find. I like something around a Queen Ann and the Chippendale style.

I wanted something not too complex, after all I would be making 6 to 8 of them. I like cabriole legs so I'll use them for the front legs. Complex but not overly so.

For the back legs and back I wanted something very comfortable, so I am going to add some complexity by making a curved back with lumbar support. Something you can lean back in after eating and be very comfortable.

I was thinking about doing a carved splat for the back but thought that would be a little too much so I decided to upholster the back and seat for more comfort.

Here's my plan:

Brown Wood Floor Flooring Rectangle


I know that you can see it too well but it's the entire thing in full scale.

Off to the left edge you can see some templates I used to find the right shape for the back. On the right is a set of "ships curves" I used for the curved part of the drawing.

Next time I'll be starting the back legs.
Getting myself all braced for THIS one…
... s/b really GOOD… as usual.
 

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#8 ·
I begin at the begining. Where else?

Well, I had a couple more things I wanted to make first, but my wife kind of changed my priorities for me.

She started out by commenting on how the new ones looked in the store, and then started with how nice a new one would look in our dining room. I took the hint.

So, where to start? Well, I asked her what she wanted and I got, "I don't know, just make something. I trust you."

Hmm… No restrictions! That's nice. Now what do I want?

Chairs would be the main attraction for me so I looked at everything I could find. I like something around a Queen Ann and the Chippendale style.

I wanted something not too complex, after all I would be making 6 to 8 of them. I like cabriole legs so I'll use them for the front legs. Complex but not overly so.

For the back legs and back I wanted something very comfortable, so I am going to add some complexity by making a curved back with lumbar support. Something you can lean back in after eating and be very comfortable.

I was thinking about doing a carved splat for the back but thought that would be a little too much so I decided to upholster the back and seat for more comfort.

Here's my plan:

Brown Wood Floor Flooring Rectangle


I know that you can see it too well but it's the entire thing in full scale.

Off to the left edge you can see some templates I used to find the right shape for the back. On the right is a set of "ships curves" I used for the curved part of the drawing.

Next time I'll be starting the back legs.
Can't wait to follow this, Gary!!!!

Lew
 

Attachments

#9 ·
I begin at the begining. Where else?

Well, I had a couple more things I wanted to make first, but my wife kind of changed my priorities for me.

She started out by commenting on how the new ones looked in the store, and then started with how nice a new one would look in our dining room. I took the hint.

So, where to start? Well, I asked her what she wanted and I got, "I don't know, just make something. I trust you."

Hmm… No restrictions! That's nice. Now what do I want?

Chairs would be the main attraction for me so I looked at everything I could find. I like something around a Queen Ann and the Chippendale style.

I wanted something not too complex, after all I would be making 6 to 8 of them. I like cabriole legs so I'll use them for the front legs. Complex but not overly so.

For the back legs and back I wanted something very comfortable, so I am going to add some complexity by making a curved back with lumbar support. Something you can lean back in after eating and be very comfortable.

I was thinking about doing a carved splat for the back but thought that would be a little too much so I decided to upholster the back and seat for more comfort.

Here's my plan:

Brown Wood Floor Flooring Rectangle


I know that you can see it too well but it's the entire thing in full scale.

Off to the left edge you can see some templates I used to find the right shape for the back. On the right is a set of "ships curves" I used for the curved part of the drawing.

Next time I'll be starting the back legs.
I'm in can't wait to watch this blog…. Go for it Gary! One going str8 to my Watchlist!!!!!
 

Attachments

#10 ·
I begin at the begining. Where else?

Well, I had a couple more things I wanted to make first, but my wife kind of changed my priorities for me.

She started out by commenting on how the new ones looked in the store, and then started with how nice a new one would look in our dining room. I took the hint.

So, where to start? Well, I asked her what she wanted and I got, "I don't know, just make something. I trust you."

Hmm… No restrictions! That's nice. Now what do I want?

Chairs would be the main attraction for me so I looked at everything I could find. I like something around a Queen Ann and the Chippendale style.

I wanted something not too complex, after all I would be making 6 to 8 of them. I like cabriole legs so I'll use them for the front legs. Complex but not overly so.

For the back legs and back I wanted something very comfortable, so I am going to add some complexity by making a curved back with lumbar support. Something you can lean back in after eating and be very comfortable.

I was thinking about doing a carved splat for the back but thought that would be a little too much so I decided to upholster the back and seat for more comfort.

Here's my plan:

Brown Wood Floor Flooring Rectangle


I know that you can see it too well but it's the entire thing in full scale.

Off to the left edge you can see some templates I used to find the right shape for the back. On the right is a set of "ships curves" I used for the curved part of the drawing.

Next time I'll be starting the back legs.
I had a couple more things I wanted to make first, but my wife kind of changed my priorities for me.

NNNNAAAAAAAA. you have to be kidding. LOL LOL

Been there done that, lol again

OK, I will follow seriously now.
 

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#11 ·
I begin at the begining. Where else?

Well, I had a couple more things I wanted to make first, but my wife kind of changed my priorities for me.

She started out by commenting on how the new ones looked in the store, and then started with how nice a new one would look in our dining room. I took the hint.

So, where to start? Well, I asked her what she wanted and I got, "I don't know, just make something. I trust you."

Hmm… No restrictions! That's nice. Now what do I want?

Chairs would be the main attraction for me so I looked at everything I could find. I like something around a Queen Ann and the Chippendale style.

I wanted something not too complex, after all I would be making 6 to 8 of them. I like cabriole legs so I'll use them for the front legs. Complex but not overly so.

For the back legs and back I wanted something very comfortable, so I am going to add some complexity by making a curved back with lumbar support. Something you can lean back in after eating and be very comfortable.

I was thinking about doing a carved splat for the back but thought that would be a little too much so I decided to upholster the back and seat for more comfort.

Here's my plan:

Brown Wood Floor Flooring Rectangle


I know that you can see it too well but it's the entire thing in full scale.

Off to the left edge you can see some templates I used to find the right shape for the back. On the right is a set of "ships curves" I used for the curved part of the drawing.

Next time I'll be starting the back legs.
You're a lucky man to have such an understanding wife. Flip side is she's lucky to have a husband that is such a good woodworker. Your project will be interesting I'm sure. Has anything here on the LJ site caught your eye?
 

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#12 ·
I begin at the begining. Where else?

Well, I had a couple more things I wanted to make first, but my wife kind of changed my priorities for me.

She started out by commenting on how the new ones looked in the store, and then started with how nice a new one would look in our dining room. I took the hint.

So, where to start? Well, I asked her what she wanted and I got, "I don't know, just make something. I trust you."

Hmm… No restrictions! That's nice. Now what do I want?

Chairs would be the main attraction for me so I looked at everything I could find. I like something around a Queen Ann and the Chippendale style.

I wanted something not too complex, after all I would be making 6 to 8 of them. I like cabriole legs so I'll use them for the front legs. Complex but not overly so.

For the back legs and back I wanted something very comfortable, so I am going to add some complexity by making a curved back with lumbar support. Something you can lean back in after eating and be very comfortable.

I was thinking about doing a carved splat for the back but thought that would be a little too much so I decided to upholster the back and seat for more comfort.

Here's my plan:

Brown Wood Floor Flooring Rectangle


I know that you can see it too well but it's the entire thing in full scale.

Off to the left edge you can see some templates I used to find the right shape for the back. On the right is a set of "ships curves" I used for the curved part of the drawing.

Next time I'll be starting the back legs.
It's nice you didn't get too far ahead of what she thought was important.

Good luck.
 

Attachments

#13 ·
I begin at the begining. Where else?

Well, I had a couple more things I wanted to make first, but my wife kind of changed my priorities for me.

She started out by commenting on how the new ones looked in the store, and then started with how nice a new one would look in our dining room. I took the hint.

So, where to start? Well, I asked her what she wanted and I got, "I don't know, just make something. I trust you."

Hmm… No restrictions! That's nice. Now what do I want?

Chairs would be the main attraction for me so I looked at everything I could find. I like something around a Queen Ann and the Chippendale style.

I wanted something not too complex, after all I would be making 6 to 8 of them. I like cabriole legs so I'll use them for the front legs. Complex but not overly so.

For the back legs and back I wanted something very comfortable, so I am going to add some complexity by making a curved back with lumbar support. Something you can lean back in after eating and be very comfortable.

I was thinking about doing a carved splat for the back but thought that would be a little too much so I decided to upholster the back and seat for more comfort.

Here's my plan:

Brown Wood Floor Flooring Rectangle


I know that you can see it too well but it's the entire thing in full scale.

Off to the left edge you can see some templates I used to find the right shape for the back. On the right is a set of "ships curves" I used for the curved part of the drawing.

Next time I'll be starting the back legs.
Can't wait to see how it turns out. I'll be adding this to my watchlist.
 

Attachments

#14 ·
I begin at the begining. Where else?

Well, I had a couple more things I wanted to make first, but my wife kind of changed my priorities for me.

She started out by commenting on how the new ones looked in the store, and then started with how nice a new one would look in our dining room. I took the hint.

So, where to start? Well, I asked her what she wanted and I got, "I don't know, just make something. I trust you."

Hmm… No restrictions! That's nice. Now what do I want?

Chairs would be the main attraction for me so I looked at everything I could find. I like something around a Queen Ann and the Chippendale style.

I wanted something not too complex, after all I would be making 6 to 8 of them. I like cabriole legs so I'll use them for the front legs. Complex but not overly so.

For the back legs and back I wanted something very comfortable, so I am going to add some complexity by making a curved back with lumbar support. Something you can lean back in after eating and be very comfortable.

I was thinking about doing a carved splat for the back but thought that would be a little too much so I decided to upholster the back and seat for more comfort.

Here's my plan:

Brown Wood Floor Flooring Rectangle


I know that you can see it too well but it's the entire thing in full scale.

Off to the left edge you can see some templates I used to find the right shape for the back. On the right is a set of "ships curves" I used for the curved part of the drawing.

Next time I'll be starting the back legs.
Oh yeah, I'll definitrly be watching every episode (and as they said in famous TV show fron the 60's; same bat time same bat channel)
 

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#15 ·
The back legs. Throwing a curve at them.

Looking at all my other projects, you all probably know that I like the look and working with mahogany. So It should not come as a surprise to anyone what I will be making this project from.

Making the chairs will be something new for me. I have never made one before, let alone 6-8 of them.
After studying my current chairs and plans for others, it shouldn't be too hard.

Making so many of something as complex as a chair I will be making templates for everything.

I want all the pieces to be as close as I can make them to each other. This is where templates and jigs come in to play.

Here's what I made for the back leg.

Wood Flooring Creative arts Floor Hardwood


Since I am throwing it away after I am done with it, I didn't put too much time and effort into it.

I started on the left side and did one side and the ends. Then I used to other side for the opposite side of the leg. I just moved the clamps when I switched sides.

You can see a leg in the jig with the template resting on top of it. You will notice some blocks glued to the top of the right side. These are to line up the previously cut side with the template. The part and the template both butt against them.

The template is 1/2" MDF which is clamped to the top of the leg blank. Then it's cut using a bearing guided router bit.

Here's the bit and a little bit of mess:

Wood Flooring Rectangle Chair Hardwood


And some more of the mess. Sitting on the floor is a test piece I made the check out the curve of the back. It was very comfortable.

Wood Flooring Floor Gas Hardwood


Here are all the legs I made. Enough for 8 chairs. I really only need 6 but I have two extra in case I screw something up along the way. If not I get two extra chairs.

Wood Hardwood Wood stain Flooring Varnish


Next I will start on the front cabriole legs. They will be the most time consuming part of the entire project.

I started this blog after having already made the back legs so it will be a little while before I get back for the next installment.
 

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#16 ·
The back legs. Throwing a curve at them.

Looking at all my other projects, you all probably know that I like the look and working with mahogany. So It should not come as a surprise to anyone what I will be making this project from.

Making the chairs will be something new for me. I have never made one before, let alone 6-8 of them.
After studying my current chairs and plans for others, it shouldn't be too hard.

Making so many of something as complex as a chair I will be making templates for everything.

I want all the pieces to be as close as I can make them to each other. This is where templates and jigs come in to play.

Here's what I made for the back leg.

Wood Flooring Creative arts Floor Hardwood


Since I am throwing it away after I am done with it, I didn't put too much time and effort into it.

I started on the left side and did one side and the ends. Then I used to other side for the opposite side of the leg. I just moved the clamps when I switched sides.

You can see a leg in the jig with the template resting on top of it. You will notice some blocks glued to the top of the right side. These are to line up the previously cut side with the template. The part and the template both butt against them.

The template is 1/2" MDF which is clamped to the top of the leg blank. Then it's cut using a bearing guided router bit.

Here's the bit and a little bit of mess:

Wood Flooring Rectangle Chair Hardwood


And some more of the mess. Sitting on the floor is a test piece I made the check out the curve of the back. It was very comfortable.

Wood Flooring Floor Gas Hardwood


Here are all the legs I made. Enough for 8 chairs. I really only need 6 but I have two extra in case I screw something up along the way. If not I get two extra chairs.

Wood Hardwood Wood stain Flooring Varnish


Next I will start on the front cabriole legs. They will be the most time consuming part of the entire project.

I started this blog after having already made the back legs so it will be a little while before I get back for the next installment.
Gary, I have never made one either, but would not hesitate if I decide i wanted to, so you should be able to crank them out in your sleep ;-)
 

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#38 ·
Gluing up the front legs, bummer!

Well, I planned on using this solid 3" thick lumber for the front legs:

Wood Rectangle Wood stain Hardwood Flooring


But it turns out to have too many defects and splits to get all of the 16 pieces out of it. Bummer!

Since I have no place local to get more, I have to go with plan 2. Gluing up smaller pieces from this stack:

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Flooring Lumber


I bought stack this with the intention of using some for this project and saving the rest for the future.
Guess I'll just have to use more for this project than I thought.

Since I bought the lumber rough, I could have it milled to any thickness I wanted. I had these planed to 7/8".
That means gluing up 3 pieces will give me exactly the 2 5/8" thickness I need. It also meant that all the lumber wouldn't cleanup both sides. No big deal since I can just run it through my planer at 3/4" for another project.

All the pieces that were glued together were from the same board so that the color and texture of the wood will be the same.

Gave me a chance to use all my narrow width stock at the same time. Now not all the pieces were perfectly flat, but since I was going to glue them any way that wouldn't really matter much as long as I glued them flat.

To make sure I did that they were glued up flat I glued them using my nice flat bench top as a reference.

Wood Floor Flooring Hardwood Wood stain


Gluing them against my bench top made sure that all the pieces were flat as the glue dried.

Wood Flooring Floor Hardwood Tool


The C-clamps on the sides were to keep the pieces from sliding around as I clamped them together.

This part of the blog was supposed to be about cutting and shaping the legs, so I'll do that in the next part.

Besides, it gives me something to do while the glue dries.
 

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#39 ·
Gluing up the front legs, bummer!

Well, I planned on using this solid 3" thick lumber for the front legs:

Wood Rectangle Wood stain Hardwood Flooring


But it turns out to have too many defects and splits to get all of the 16 pieces out of it. Bummer!

Since I have no place local to get more, I have to go with plan 2. Gluing up smaller pieces from this stack:

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Flooring Lumber


I bought stack this with the intention of using some for this project and saving the rest for the future.
Guess I'll just have to use more for this project than I thought.

Since I bought the lumber rough, I could have it milled to any thickness I wanted. I had these planed to 7/8".
That means gluing up 3 pieces will give me exactly the 2 5/8" thickness I need. It also meant that all the lumber wouldn't cleanup both sides. No big deal since I can just run it through my planer at 3/4" for another project.

All the pieces that were glued together were from the same board so that the color and texture of the wood will be the same.

Gave me a chance to use all my narrow width stock at the same time. Now not all the pieces were perfectly flat, but since I was going to glue them any way that wouldn't really matter much as long as I glued them flat.

To make sure I did that they were glued up flat I glued them using my nice flat bench top as a reference.

Wood Floor Flooring Hardwood Wood stain


Gluing them against my bench top made sure that all the pieces were flat as the glue dried.

Wood Flooring Floor Hardwood Tool


The C-clamps on the sides were to keep the pieces from sliding around as I clamped them together.

This part of the blog was supposed to be about cutting and shaping the legs, so I'll do that in the next part.

Besides, it gives me something to do while the glue dries.
No question Gary, you're a master. Hope you post the finished product.
Jack
 

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#56 ·
The back legs - A flashback!

Looking back I noticed there was something that I should have gone into a little more detail with.

How I made the template.

I started with the full sized drawing and using tracing paper I traced the outline of the back leg.

Then using some spray adhesive, I glued the tracing paper to a 1/8" thick of MDF. Using a band saw and spindle sander I shaped it real close to the lines. Then using a thin piece of wood with a piece of sandpaper glued to it. I faired the curved edges smooth, leaving the two straight areas for last.

The two straight areas are where the the sides and back get attached. I wanted these to be perfect since I was going to use this template on all the legs. It's just about impossible to sand two perfectly straight and parallel surfaces so I did it a different way.

There are other ways to do this but this was fast, easy and foolproof.

Here are three templates. The top two have the tracing paper attached.

Wood Beige Wood stain Hardwood Tints and shades


The top one was a first design that I didn't use but you can see how the middle one started out.

The middle one has the straight sided insert I added.

The bottom is the final master 1/2" thick template that I used to cut the legs.

What I did was to cut out a piece of wood the exact width and length I wanted. Then glued it into the place where I wanted it.

Wood Rectangle Table Wood stain Tints and shades


On the underside you can see that I notched the template and dadoed small piece of wood to get them to fit. Then it was just a matter of the final sanding of the MDF flush with the wood.

After all that was done I used some double sided tape to stick it to the 1/2" MDF and then used the router table to create the master template.

That's how I made the master template.

Now the bearing on the router bit will have two perfectly straight surfaces to ride along.

NOTE: I really didn't have to make both sides parallel since I was only going to attach the rails to one side. Having the opposite side parallel will give me a nice flat surface to sit it on while creating the mortises. You will see more or that later.
 

Attachments

#57 ·
The back legs - A flashback!

Looking back I noticed there was something that I should have gone into a little more detail with.

How I made the template.

I started with the full sized drawing and using tracing paper I traced the outline of the back leg.

Then using some spray adhesive, I glued the tracing paper to a 1/8" thick of MDF. Using a band saw and spindle sander I shaped it real close to the lines. Then using a thin piece of wood with a piece of sandpaper glued to it. I faired the curved edges smooth, leaving the two straight areas for last.

The two straight areas are where the the sides and back get attached. I wanted these to be perfect since I was going to use this template on all the legs. It's just about impossible to sand two perfectly straight and parallel surfaces so I did it a different way.

There are other ways to do this but this was fast, easy and foolproof.

Here are three templates. The top two have the tracing paper attached.

Wood Beige Wood stain Hardwood Tints and shades


The top one was a first design that I didn't use but you can see how the middle one started out.

The middle one has the straight sided insert I added.

The bottom is the final master 1/2" thick template that I used to cut the legs.

What I did was to cut out a piece of wood the exact width and length I wanted. Then glued it into the place where I wanted it.

Wood Rectangle Table Wood stain Tints and shades


On the underside you can see that I notched the template and dadoed small piece of wood to get them to fit. Then it was just a matter of the final sanding of the MDF flush with the wood.

After all that was done I used some double sided tape to stick it to the 1/2" MDF and then used the router table to create the master template.

That's how I made the master template.

Now the bearing on the router bit will have two perfectly straight surfaces to ride along.

NOTE: I really didn't have to make both sides parallel since I was only going to attach the rails to one side. Having the opposite side parallel will give me a nice flat surface to sit it on while creating the mortises. You will see more or that later.
Nice detail gary.

Thanks.
 

Attachments

#60 ·
The front legs continued. Not bad for a days work!

Well, I got all the leg blanks all cut to same length and squared up.

Then using a template I made from the full sized drawing I marked up all the blanks.

Wood Table Flooring Wood stain Floor


Then centered for a spur bit

Wood Wooden block Rectangle Toy block Hardwood


And here I am about half way through trimming them on the bandsaw.

Wood Flooring Hardwood Wood stain Varnish


At about this point, fellow Lumberjock Chips stopped by for a visit. A great guy and we had a good visit.

After they were all roughed out on the bandsaw it was time for some turning. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate the lathe. I don't know what it is about it but I do.

So I turned to my to my Legacy ornamental mill to shape the feet. It will do it more reliably and make each part exactly the same.

Wood Gas Tool Machine tool Hardwood


Here's what I have done so far:

Rounded the end:

Wood Art Hardwood Wood stain Creative arts


Added a groove at the top of the foot. It will end up being a step.

Wood Sleeve Glove Human leg Hardwood


Added a step toward the bottom of the foot.

Wood Gesture Wrist Sleeve Art


And finally Rounded the bottom. The part below the center of the radius will be trimmed off

Human body Wood Wrist Human leg Knee


The plan was to round off the large diameter, but that would mean I would have to use the lathe so I'm going to try and figure out something else that would look nice.

At this point I got called into the house to babysit my daughter while my wife goes to work.

I will probably finish these in the next part.
 

Attachments

#61 ·
The front legs continued. Not bad for a days work!

Well, I got all the leg blanks all cut to same length and squared up.

Then using a template I made from the full sized drawing I marked up all the blanks.

Wood Table Flooring Wood stain Floor


Then centered for a spur bit

Wood Wooden block Rectangle Toy block Hardwood


And here I am about half way through trimming them on the bandsaw.

Wood Flooring Hardwood Wood stain Varnish


At about this point, fellow Lumberjock Chips stopped by for a visit. A great guy and we had a good visit.

After they were all roughed out on the bandsaw it was time for some turning. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate the lathe. I don't know what it is about it but I do.

So I turned to my to my Legacy ornamental mill to shape the feet. It will do it more reliably and make each part exactly the same.

Wood Gas Tool Machine tool Hardwood


Here's what I have done so far:

Rounded the end:

Wood Art Hardwood Wood stain Creative arts


Added a groove at the top of the foot. It will end up being a step.

Wood Sleeve Glove Human leg Hardwood


Added a step toward the bottom of the foot.

Wood Gesture Wrist Sleeve Art


And finally Rounded the bottom. The part below the center of the radius will be trimmed off

Human body Wood Wrist Human leg Knee


The plan was to round off the large diameter, but that would mean I would have to use the lathe so I'm going to try and figure out something else that would look nice.

At this point I got called into the house to babysit my daughter while my wife goes to work.

I will probably finish these in the next part.
Very nice Gary:

The Legacy did a great job.
 

Attachments

#70 ·
More work on the front legs.

Well, It's been a while, huh? I've been doing the "not too much fun" part of the job. Shaping the legs.
I basically worked on four legs a day, sometimes taking a day off in between. Once I get over this hump it will be downhill. I think :)

I last left off using the Legacy mill. Here's what I came up with.

Arm Human body Gesture Wrist Tints and shades


Not too bad.
Now for the next step I had to use a lathe. (bummer!) It's the only way (other than doing it by hand) to shape the transition from the round part to the bottom of the curved "foot" part. I left the part long on both ends so that I could hold it in the lathe for shaping. I will trim both ends as the last step. I used a rasp to rough off a lot of the material from the legs. Mostly the square corners left over from the bandsaw cutting.

Wood Hardwood Wood stain Auto part Plywood


Then I used my cheap belt sander. The brand name is Reliant. I got it about 10-12 years ago. It looks like what they sell at Harbor Freight, but it has always worked for me.

Textile Wood Gas Tints and shades Flooring


The diameter at the end works perfectly for shaping the "instep" of the foot. After that I basically just smoothed out the surface from using the rasp. I'm not even trying to get the final shape here. Just kinda close. I will finish shaping and sanding as one of the last steps. I still have to glue the knee extensions on, which I will need before I can do the final shaping.

Wood Gas Vehicle door Wood stain Audio equipment


Next I get to use my square chisel mortiser (also called hollow chisel mortiser) to make some mortises. I set up a stop at one end with a small clamp. The other I just scribed and eye-balled.

Wood Milling Gas Machine Machine tool


You can get tired of doing 16 of everything. I got one mortise in each leg. This is the first one with both.

Wood Hardwood Tints and shades Art Wood stain


I think I will wait until tomorrow to finish the rest. That unless I get ambitious tonight to finish the rest:

Wood Hardwood Flooring Wood stain Varnish


Until next time!
 

Attachments

#71 ·
More work on the front legs.

Well, It's been a while, huh? I've been doing the "not too much fun" part of the job. Shaping the legs.
I basically worked on four legs a day, sometimes taking a day off in between. Once I get over this hump it will be downhill. I think :)

I last left off using the Legacy mill. Here's what I came up with.

Arm Human body Gesture Wrist Tints and shades


Not too bad.
Now for the next step I had to use a lathe. (bummer!) It's the only way (other than doing it by hand) to shape the transition from the round part to the bottom of the curved "foot" part. I left the part long on both ends so that I could hold it in the lathe for shaping. I will trim both ends as the last step. I used a rasp to rough off a lot of the material from the legs. Mostly the square corners left over from the bandsaw cutting.

Wood Hardwood Wood stain Auto part Plywood


Then I used my cheap belt sander. The brand name is Reliant. I got it about 10-12 years ago. It looks like what they sell at Harbor Freight, but it has always worked for me.

Textile Wood Gas Tints and shades Flooring


The diameter at the end works perfectly for shaping the "instep" of the foot. After that I basically just smoothed out the surface from using the rasp. I'm not even trying to get the final shape here. Just kinda close. I will finish shaping and sanding as one of the last steps. I still have to glue the knee extensions on, which I will need before I can do the final shaping.

Wood Gas Vehicle door Wood stain Audio equipment


Next I get to use my square chisel mortiser (also called hollow chisel mortiser) to make some mortises. I set up a stop at one end with a small clamp. The other I just scribed and eye-balled.

Wood Milling Gas Machine Machine tool


You can get tired of doing 16 of everything. I got one mortise in each leg. This is the first one with both.

Wood Hardwood Tints and shades Art Wood stain


I think I will wait until tomorrow to finish the rest. That unless I get ambitious tonight to finish the rest:

Wood Hardwood Flooring Wood stain Varnish


Until next time!
Another handy tools for the job… mortiser chisel… sanding belt rounded edge… plus the legacy mill featured from last blog. However without the skills and knowledge of you Gary, this will not be easy. That was a quick one. Last time I remember for making a short cabriole leg (4 inches for the jewelry box), it took me a lot of cutting, chiseling and sanding and finished one piece for 2 days… thanks for posting.
 

Attachments

#85 ·
On to the sides! Get the inSIDE scoop.

For the time being the legs are all done. Both mortises are in all 16 legs.

Wood Hardwood Wooden block Plywood Lumber


Now I'm just gluing up some material for the knee blocks to glue to the legs. You'll see more about this later.

Wood Flooring Varnish Hardwood Wood stain


I cut up the material for the chair sides (apron). I need something to attach the legs together, right?
Here are the 32 pieces for the job. Three different lengths. The front of the chair is wider than the back so a long piece for the front and a shorter piece for the back. Then two pieces for the sides.

Doesn't look like 48 linear feet of lumber does it?

Wood Table Rectangle Wood stain Flooring


Here is my plan showing the top view of the seat from the side. The front is on the right and the back is to the left.
There is an 8 degree angle from front to back.

The sides will have to have an 8 degree tenon on both ends.

Wood Grey Floor Flooring Rectangle


That's where a tenoning jig comes in handy. I got this a long time ago also. About the same time as the sander.

If I didn't happen to have a tenoning jig, I would have just made something to do the job. I have it. so I'm using it.

Wood Gas Automotive exterior Hardwood Auto part


I set the angle to 8 degrees and made a test piece

Wood Floor Flooring Gas Hardwood


Got lucky the first time on the angle. It was perfect.

Wood Flooring Wood stain Wooden block Hardwood


Now it's just a matter of figuring out how to make sure all the pieces are all the correct lengths. This is the first time for me cutting angles tenons, so I'll have to think about it for a while before I start cutting for real.
 

Attachments

#86 ·
On to the sides! Get the inSIDE scoop.

For the time being the legs are all done. Both mortises are in all 16 legs.

Wood Hardwood Wooden block Plywood Lumber


Now I'm just gluing up some material for the knee blocks to glue to the legs. You'll see more about this later.

Wood Flooring Varnish Hardwood Wood stain


I cut up the material for the chair sides (apron). I need something to attach the legs together, right?
Here are the 32 pieces for the job. Three different lengths. The front of the chair is wider than the back so a long piece for the front and a shorter piece for the back. Then two pieces for the sides.

Doesn't look like 48 linear feet of lumber does it?

Wood Table Rectangle Wood stain Flooring


Here is my plan showing the top view of the seat from the side. The front is on the right and the back is to the left.
There is an 8 degree angle from front to back.

The sides will have to have an 8 degree tenon on both ends.

Wood Grey Floor Flooring Rectangle


That's where a tenoning jig comes in handy. I got this a long time ago also. About the same time as the sander.

If I didn't happen to have a tenoning jig, I would have just made something to do the job. I have it. so I'm using it.

Wood Gas Automotive exterior Hardwood Auto part


I set the angle to 8 degrees and made a test piece

Wood Floor Flooring Gas Hardwood


Got lucky the first time on the angle. It was perfect.

Wood Flooring Wood stain Wooden block Hardwood


Now it's just a matter of figuring out how to make sure all the pieces are all the correct lengths. This is the first time for me cutting angles tenons, so I'll have to think about it for a while before I start cutting for real.
Wow that's what I call having a great eye hitting it the first time. Good logical work sequence super blog Gary.
 

Attachments

#105 ·
Sides again - Time to put on my APRON and get back to work.

On to the side aprons!

After thinking about it for a while I figured that cutting the shoulders would be best since it gives me something to cut to. Somewhere I should cut no further, and the material would fall off when I was done.

Before I start I make sure that all the pieces are the exact same length. I do this because I'll use a stop on the fence and I will know that everything will end up in the same place.

I also looked at all the parts and decided which surface would look best facing out, and made a mark.

The blade was set to 8 degrees, the same as the tenons will be cut at. You can see that I like to sneak up to the line.

Wood Flooring Floor Rectangle Hardwood


Then I set the fence to the other side of the blade. I reset the stop and the depth and cut the other side.

Wood Flooring Floor Wood stain Rectangle


Then I proceeded with the cheek cut to one side of the tenon on each end of the part. I really had to be careful here. I double checked that every piece was in the jig in the correct orientation. With these angled tenons you really need to be careful.

Wood Flooring Floor Gas Hardwood


Usually with straight tenons you just cut one side and then flip the part over and cut again. This will center the tenon so you don't really give it much thought. The problem with that is if the thickness the part varies so will the tenon.

Angled tenon are different. Both sides are cut with the same setup. You can see from the picture that I added a spacer. This was because the blade would have hit the jig. Since I reference the same side of the part all the tenons will be exactly the same size.

Wood Machine tool Milling Gas Machine


You can probably see that tenon was made long so one side isn't cut all the way. This doesn't matter because I will cut a 45 on the end of the tenon. This will allow me to keep the tenon as long as I can. Since each leg has two mortises, the tenons would interfere with each other. Cutting a 45 on both of them fixes this. More about it later.

You can see in the picture that I left some material on what will be the short side, leaving the tenon a little thick. This is so that I can use a rabbet plane to fit the tenon perfectly to the mortise. With all the wear and tear a chair takes I want things to fit as best as I can make them.

Wood Rectangle Art Hardwood Wood stain


Then with the blade set back to 90 degrees and the fence set to 8 degrees I cut the shoulder cuts on the ends.
After one side was done I rotated the fence 8 degrees on the other side of 90 to cut the other side.

Wood Flooring Floor Wood stain Hardwood


Then I removed the material on the bandsaw. I set up a stop block so I would cut too deeply.

Wood Rectangle Floor Flooring Hardwood


Well, here they are all done. Not really that hard. You just need to be careful. I took it real slow.

Table Wood Hardwood Flooring Wood stain


Next I will add 2 mortises to each back leg.
 

Attachments

#106 ·
Sides again - Time to put on my APRON and get back to work.

On to the side aprons!

After thinking about it for a while I figured that cutting the shoulders would be best since it gives me something to cut to. Somewhere I should cut no further, and the material would fall off when I was done.

Before I start I make sure that all the pieces are the exact same length. I do this because I'll use a stop on the fence and I will know that everything will end up in the same place.

I also looked at all the parts and decided which surface would look best facing out, and made a mark.

The blade was set to 8 degrees, the same as the tenons will be cut at. You can see that I like to sneak up to the line.

Wood Flooring Floor Rectangle Hardwood


Then I set the fence to the other side of the blade. I reset the stop and the depth and cut the other side.

Wood Flooring Floor Wood stain Rectangle


Then I proceeded with the cheek cut to one side of the tenon on each end of the part. I really had to be careful here. I double checked that every piece was in the jig in the correct orientation. With these angled tenons you really need to be careful.

Wood Flooring Floor Gas Hardwood


Usually with straight tenons you just cut one side and then flip the part over and cut again. This will center the tenon so you don't really give it much thought. The problem with that is if the thickness the part varies so will the tenon.

Angled tenon are different. Both sides are cut with the same setup. You can see from the picture that I added a spacer. This was because the blade would have hit the jig. Since I reference the same side of the part all the tenons will be exactly the same size.

Wood Machine tool Milling Gas Machine


You can probably see that tenon was made long so one side isn't cut all the way. This doesn't matter because I will cut a 45 on the end of the tenon. This will allow me to keep the tenon as long as I can. Since each leg has two mortises, the tenons would interfere with each other. Cutting a 45 on both of them fixes this. More about it later.

You can see in the picture that I left some material on what will be the short side, leaving the tenon a little thick. This is so that I can use a rabbet plane to fit the tenon perfectly to the mortise. With all the wear and tear a chair takes I want things to fit as best as I can make them.

Wood Rectangle Art Hardwood Wood stain


Then with the blade set back to 90 degrees and the fence set to 8 degrees I cut the shoulder cuts on the ends.
After one side was done I rotated the fence 8 degrees on the other side of 90 to cut the other side.

Wood Flooring Floor Wood stain Hardwood


Then I removed the material on the bandsaw. I set up a stop block so I would cut too deeply.

Wood Rectangle Floor Flooring Hardwood


Well, here they are all done. Not really that hard. You just need to be careful. I took it real slow.

Table Wood Hardwood Flooring Wood stain


Next I will add 2 mortises to each back leg.
Thanx Gary, I'm enjoying every post.
Jack
 

Attachments

#118 ·
Back legs. DĂ©jĂ  vu all over again

As a rule I generally like to make mortises first and then fit the tenons to them, but in this case I am using a machine to make the mortises so I know that they will all come out the same width. That's why I waited to finish the mortises in the back legs until now.

I wanted to make sure that I had the side aprons out of the way. I fit those tenons to the front legs which will be the same as the back.

Here's all my legs, set out for left and right. I selected the best sides for the outside where they will show.

Wood Flooring Floor Hardwood Wood stain


Then I went back to the template I used to cut the back legs. I drew the start and end of the mortises on it to transfer it to each leg. I used the full sized drawing to mark the template first.

Wood Floor Wood stain Flooring Plank


Here's a closeup of what I'm talking about:

Brown Rectangle Wood Flooring Floor


Then just to be certain that I put the mortises in the correct place I made a small mark with ink where they will go.

Brown Wood Floor Beige Flooring


I setup the mortise machine to put the mortise the same distance from the edge as the front legs. Since the legs didn't lie flat. I just used two scrap pieces to space them away from the back and the surface. I used these for both sides to keep the position and depth of the mortises the same.

Remember that when I made the template, I made sure that the section where the mortises went, was perfectly square allowing me used a flat spacer to do this.

Wood Gas Sewing Office equipment Machine


Wood Hardwood Gas Wood stain Machine


Finally they are all done:

Furniture Table Wood Desk Floor


Next time I will have it easy. Making the front and back aprons.
 

Attachments

#119 ·
Back legs. DĂ©jĂ  vu all over again

As a rule I generally like to make mortises first and then fit the tenons to them, but in this case I am using a machine to make the mortises so I know that they will all come out the same width. That's why I waited to finish the mortises in the back legs until now.

I wanted to make sure that I had the side aprons out of the way. I fit those tenons to the front legs which will be the same as the back.

Here's all my legs, set out for left and right. I selected the best sides for the outside where they will show.

Wood Flooring Floor Hardwood Wood stain


Then I went back to the template I used to cut the back legs. I drew the start and end of the mortises on it to transfer it to each leg. I used the full sized drawing to mark the template first.

Wood Floor Wood stain Flooring Plank


Here's a closeup of what I'm talking about:

Brown Rectangle Wood Flooring Floor


Then just to be certain that I put the mortises in the correct place I made a small mark with ink where they will go.

Brown Wood Floor Beige Flooring


I setup the mortise machine to put the mortise the same distance from the edge as the front legs. Since the legs didn't lie flat. I just used two scrap pieces to space them away from the back and the surface. I used these for both sides to keep the position and depth of the mortises the same.

Remember that when I made the template, I made sure that the section where the mortises went, was perfectly square allowing me used a flat spacer to do this.

Wood Gas Sewing Office equipment Machine


Wood Hardwood Gas Wood stain Machine


Finally they are all done:

Furniture Table Wood Desk Floor


Next time I will have it easy. Making the front and back aprons.
Super work Gary great blog.
 

Attachments

#135 ·
Will these side aprons ever end? The end is in sight!

This will be a quick entry. Cutting some straight tenons is a breeze. Well, not any more as we shall see.

First I did the shoulder cut on all 4 sides:

Wood Wood stain Plank Hardwood Flooring


Then back to the tenoning jig. No problem.

Wood Machine tool Gas Milling Lathe


Then to the band saw to trim the ends to the shoulder. Couldn't be simpler.

Wood Rectangle Flooring Floor Wood stain


Simple as pie until you screw things up. I got complacent going so simple a job and made 2 mistakes.
On the same part no less. One on each end!

Here I started to make a cut and realized that it wasn't right. The fix is easy though. Just take a piece of cut off material from the cheek cuts and glue it in. I just cut it correctly after the glue dried.

Hand tool Wood Tool Hardwood Wood stain


Same thing here except I didn't realize it until I had finished the cut. Luckily it was just as simple to fix. I just glued another piece of cut off material and cut it again.

Automotive tire Tire Bumper Wood Automotive wheel system


This just goes to show you that you have to pay attention even on the simplest of tasks.

I'll never do that again. Yea, right. In my dreams!

In the next blog I'll finish up these aprons finally.
 

Attachments

#136 ·
Will these side aprons ever end? The end is in sight!

This will be a quick entry. Cutting some straight tenons is a breeze. Well, not any more as we shall see.

First I did the shoulder cut on all 4 sides:

Wood Wood stain Plank Hardwood Flooring


Then back to the tenoning jig. No problem.

Wood Machine tool Gas Milling Lathe


Then to the band saw to trim the ends to the shoulder. Couldn't be simpler.

Wood Rectangle Flooring Floor Wood stain


Simple as pie until you screw things up. I got complacent going so simple a job and made 2 mistakes.
On the same part no less. One on each end!

Here I started to make a cut and realized that it wasn't right. The fix is easy though. Just take a piece of cut off material from the cheek cuts and glue it in. I just cut it correctly after the glue dried.

Hand tool Wood Tool Hardwood Wood stain


Same thing here except I didn't realize it until I had finished the cut. Luckily it was just as simple to fix. I just glued another piece of cut off material and cut it again.

Automotive tire Tire Bumper Wood Automotive wheel system


This just goes to show you that you have to pay attention even on the simplest of tasks.

I'll never do that again. Yea, right. In my dreams!

In the next blog I'll finish up these aprons finally.
Not only that you do it right but you also right what went wrong. It is proven that accident happens most of the time in easy job when we are lax and confident in what we are doing. Anyway, this is a good reminder for us that every human being commit mistake and I agree that you always do right in dreams.
 

Attachments

#146 ·
Good news. The aprons are finally done!

These aprons seem to take forever. 32 pieces. 8 fronts, and backs each a different length and 8 sides each for the left and right side of the chair. Also those sides each have a different length and angle of tenon..

If you remember, I told you that I left the tenons long. I want as much glue surface on them as I can get. I could have one tenon long and the other short to that they don't collide in the mortise, or do what I did in the following picture. Miter them. That will give them both the same glue surface and one of the faces the full length of the tenon.

Wood Rectangle Composite material Flooring Tints and shades


I'm not trying to get the mitered ends to meet up perfectly since that would just be a weak end grain joint. So precision isn't that critical. I just use the band saw to cut the angles at 45 degrees. For the angles tenons I just add or subtracted 8 degrees to get the 45. That's a total of 64 cuts!

Wood Gas Hardwood Wood stain Flooring


To add an nice feature the the aprons I added an profile to the bottom edge. Here you can see the templates for the front, back and sides sitting on the top of the stack. I have already traced the pattern on the sides and did a rough cut on the bandsaw.

Wood Rectangle Flooring Hardwood Wood stain


Then I made a simple little jig to clamp the parts for machining. I just line up the bottom edges on each end of the template to the stock and clamp it. Using my cool compression flush trim router bit again.

Wood Floor Flooring Wood stain Gas


Here you see the fruits of my labor. All the aprons finally done!

Wood Rectangle Wooden block Hardwood Wood stain


Lastly I couldn't resist putting together some pieces!

It's nice to see a project coming together as you envisioned it.

Wood Table Wood stain Flooring Floor


Next there will be some hand fitting work.
 

Attachments

#147 ·
Good news. The aprons are finally done!

These aprons seem to take forever. 32 pieces. 8 fronts, and backs each a different length and 8 sides each for the left and right side of the chair. Also those sides each have a different length and angle of tenon..

If you remember, I told you that I left the tenons long. I want as much glue surface on them as I can get. I could have one tenon long and the other short to that they don't collide in the mortise, or do what I did in the following picture. Miter them. That will give them both the same glue surface and one of the faces the full length of the tenon.

Wood Rectangle Composite material Flooring Tints and shades


I'm not trying to get the mitered ends to meet up perfectly since that would just be a weak end grain joint. So precision isn't that critical. I just use the band saw to cut the angles at 45 degrees. For the angles tenons I just add or subtracted 8 degrees to get the 45. That's a total of 64 cuts!

Wood Gas Hardwood Wood stain Flooring


To add an nice feature the the aprons I added an profile to the bottom edge. Here you can see the templates for the front, back and sides sitting on the top of the stack. I have already traced the pattern on the sides and did a rough cut on the bandsaw.

Wood Rectangle Flooring Hardwood Wood stain


Then I made a simple little jig to clamp the parts for machining. I just line up the bottom edges on each end of the template to the stock and clamp it. Using my cool compression flush trim router bit again.

Wood Floor Flooring Wood stain Gas


Here you see the fruits of my labor. All the aprons finally done!

Wood Rectangle Wooden block Hardwood Wood stain


Lastly I couldn't resist putting together some pieces!

It's nice to see a project coming together as you envisioned it.

Wood Table Wood stain Flooring Floor


Next there will be some hand fitting work.
Your planning is impeccable, your execution is excellent and your progress is very good indeed. Well done. Now take a break and have a beer.

Seriously, Just sweet.
 

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#158 ·
Trimming and hand fitting. Some relaxing fun.

Time for some actual hand work.

When I traced the pattern on the front legs I always used the top of the leg as my reference. I made a little spacer that I rested the template against to space it from the end. That way every leg would be the same. I left the parts long to I could cut off the part of the legs with the marks from the spur drive and center that I used to hold it in the ornamental mill and lathe.

I clamped a square piece of wood, taller than my leg and long enough to clamp to my fence. Then I trimmed the end square. This edge serves two purposes. First it gives me a nice straight edge to line up the mark I made on the legs. This will tell me exactly where the saw will cut it.

Secondly it makes sure that I get a nice clean cut on the leg with no splintered edge.

Here you can see the leg with the line about 1/4" from the end of the spacer block. It's as simple as lining up the line with the end of the block and cut.

I will cut the bottom of the legs to length as one of the last operations. This way I will be certain the chair will sit flat and not rock.

Wood Flooring Creative arts Hardwood Art


Now it's time for matching up parts. With this much wood you will get variations in color and texture. At this point I match up the front legs, the front and side aprons for color and texture. Once everything is matched up every part will be numbered.

I have 16 legs so I give them numbers from 1 to 16. For the front and side apron that fits the leg I mark tenon with the same number. It really makes it a no brainer after doing that. Tenon #4 goes into mortise on leg #4. The front apron for example will have a #1 and one end and a #2 on the other. These fit legs #1 and #2. I don't have to re-think everything every time I take it apart.

Wood Packing materials Rectangle Hardwood Tints and shades


At this point I use just use a chisel to clean up everything and make things fit exactly like I want them to. Basically every tenon is custom fit to a particular mortise.

Wood Creative arts Natural material Art Hardwood


Other than the setting how tight the fit was, I made sure that the top of the aprons fit perfectly flush to the top of the legs. I left the tenons a little oversized just for this reason.

Here you can see the fit as well as all the other assemblies in the background.

Wood Wood stain Floor Flooring Hardwood


At this point all the work is going into the front part of the chair.

Next is adding the knee blocks.
 

Attachments

#159 ·
Trimming and hand fitting. Some relaxing fun.

Time for some actual hand work.

When I traced the pattern on the front legs I always used the top of the leg as my reference. I made a little spacer that I rested the template against to space it from the end. That way every leg would be the same. I left the parts long to I could cut off the part of the legs with the marks from the spur drive and center that I used to hold it in the ornamental mill and lathe.

I clamped a square piece of wood, taller than my leg and long enough to clamp to my fence. Then I trimmed the end square. This edge serves two purposes. First it gives me a nice straight edge to line up the mark I made on the legs. This will tell me exactly where the saw will cut it.

Secondly it makes sure that I get a nice clean cut on the leg with no splintered edge.

Here you can see the leg with the line about 1/4" from the end of the spacer block. It's as simple as lining up the line with the end of the block and cut.

I will cut the bottom of the legs to length as one of the last operations. This way I will be certain the chair will sit flat and not rock.

Wood Flooring Creative arts Hardwood Art


Now it's time for matching up parts. With this much wood you will get variations in color and texture. At this point I match up the front legs, the front and side aprons for color and texture. Once everything is matched up every part will be numbered.

I have 16 legs so I give them numbers from 1 to 16. For the front and side apron that fits the leg I mark tenon with the same number. It really makes it a no brainer after doing that. Tenon #4 goes into mortise on leg #4. The front apron for example will have a #1 and one end and a #2 on the other. These fit legs #1 and #2. I don't have to re-think everything every time I take it apart.

Wood Packing materials Rectangle Hardwood Tints and shades


At this point I use just use a chisel to clean up everything and make things fit exactly like I want them to. Basically every tenon is custom fit to a particular mortise.

Wood Creative arts Natural material Art Hardwood


Other than the setting how tight the fit was, I made sure that the top of the aprons fit perfectly flush to the top of the legs. I left the tenons a little oversized just for this reason.

Here you can see the fit as well as all the other assemblies in the background.

Wood Wood stain Floor Flooring Hardwood


At this point all the work is going into the front part of the chair.

Next is adding the knee blocks.
Looking Great Gary! Looks like your really having some fun!
 

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#171 ·
More work on the front legs. It's the bees knees!

Now for a tedious but necessary job for the front legs. The knee blocks. It's a fairly straightforward job.

These are the glued up blanks that I first showed you being glued up in episode #7.

Wood Wood stain Floor Flooring Hardwood


They are cut up into little blocks. You can see the design for them in the drawing.

Rectangle Wood Flooring Hardwood Beige


The first thing I do is to match the color and texture of the block with the leg and then mark the number of the leg on the block. Then with the block being held into it's final position I mark the block with the profile of the leg. You can see the line I traced on the block.

Brown Wood Rectangle Comfort Flooring


I made a little template for the other face of the knee block. It was taken from the plan. I hold it in place and trace the pattern on it also. Then it's on the the band saw and make a lot of dust. 32 blocks in total with two faces on each to cut.

Wood Rectangle Beige Art Hardwood


Here you can see an uncut block on the left and a cut one on the right. It's really make the leg stand out, huh?

Wood Floor Flooring Hardwood Gas


The only thing different from the front and the side blocks is that 8 degree angle of the aprons. Before marking the side blocks I cut the mating face at 8 degrees to match.

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Tints and shades Art


Here you can see the first set glued up. Looks pretty cool, huh?

Wood Creative arts Art Tints and shades Hardwood


Now I only have 31 more to go. This will take a while so I may be a few days before I get to the next blog!
 

Attachments

#172 ·
More work on the front legs. It's the bees knees!

Now for a tedious but necessary job for the front legs. The knee blocks. It's a fairly straightforward job.

These are the glued up blanks that I first showed you being glued up in episode #7.

Wood Wood stain Floor Flooring Hardwood


They are cut up into little blocks. You can see the design for them in the drawing.

Rectangle Wood Flooring Hardwood Beige


The first thing I do is to match the color and texture of the block with the leg and then mark the number of the leg on the block. Then with the block being held into it's final position I mark the block with the profile of the leg. You can see the line I traced on the block.

Brown Wood Rectangle Comfort Flooring


I made a little template for the other face of the knee block. It was taken from the plan. I hold it in place and trace the pattern on it also. Then it's on the the band saw and make a lot of dust. 32 blocks in total with two faces on each to cut.

Wood Rectangle Beige Art Hardwood


Here you can see an uncut block on the left and a cut one on the right. It's really make the leg stand out, huh?

Wood Floor Flooring Hardwood Gas


The only thing different from the front and the side blocks is that 8 degree angle of the aprons. Before marking the side blocks I cut the mating face at 8 degrees to match.

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Tints and shades Art


Here you can see the first set glued up. Looks pretty cool, huh?

Wood Creative arts Art Tints and shades Hardwood


Now I only have 31 more to go. This will take a while so I may be a few days before I get to the next blog!
That looks great, very cool.
 

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