Morris inspired chair #1: The chair becomes real...

Bob, your design is coming alive and I love the look of it in real wood. The Sketchup picture looked good, but there is nothing like seeing it being made. I can’t wait to see more. Excellent work!

-- Jesus is Lord!

this is WONDERFUL.
You’ve taken great photos for the blog. Thank you for sharing the step by step

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

A beautifully designed chair, & a very ambitious project.

Now it’s nice to watch it come together, piece by piece.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

Hi Bob…Everything is looking good. I love the curved design and like your just go for it attitude.

To avoid the blow out you really have to work in from both sides.. first carefully marking on both faces of the stock.

I have cut many through mortices….. you should think about getting a shoulder plane if you don’t already.. then you can cut your tenons snugly and plane them to fit perfectly. It is my favorite handtool.

Keep up the good work.

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne

Thanks for the kind comments all.

AHAA!....a shoulder plane…..now I know what to put on my Father’s day list. I have to laugh at your “just go for it attitude” comment Gizmo….it’s called stupidity. My father in law (a fairly accomplished 85 yr old woodworker) just smiled when I showed him the design and said ” challenging yourself?

Nobody could have been more surprised as I was when the back went together fairly smoothly. The combination of all those joints having to fit together tightly was scaring me. A few minutes of pairing with a chisel and some small touches with rasp or file and it went together so tight it was difficult to get apart. I think I was just lucky

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org

Bob! Outstanding. A dead blow hammer and a stanley chisel? You are the MAN! Your design is classic and clean, and your execution to date is equal to the task. I look forward to your next entry!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Very nice. I think you should add making it rock, swivel and recline just so you dont get caught up anytime soon..hehe

-- miles125, Alabama.."Architecture is frozen music""

Looks great! Don’t sweat the blow out too much. We alll do things that don’t turn out quite the way we planned or expected. Part of the process is dealing with that and working around the problem. Most times, no else will ever notice anyways. Everything looks really well done to me. Should be a comfortable and beatuiful chair to enjoy for many, many years when you finish it. I can’t quite make out what type of wood you are using.

-- RonR, Massachusetts

This is looking great!, I ‘m really looking forward to seeing the finished product!

-- The Gnarly Wood Shoppe

Wow, heavy duty – that’s going to be a solid heavy chair! Looking great!

-- Paul, Texas

The chair is all mahogany except for the two posts on the back. They are lyptus, I wanted the added strength for the pivot. I chose the individual boards based on color. I’m hoping for contrast similar to the design. I was thinking of adding some stain but I’m not sure yet. I’ll test with mineral spirits 1st.

My wife is going to try and reclaim the leather and the cushions from my previously store bought expensive but cheaply made recliner. I admit that I am hard on chairs….but it was supposed to be a big man’s chair. Fell apart after only a few years like a cheap suit. Reclaiming the leather will change the design of the upholstery a bit because of how the leather is put together. I may like it or I may toss it and go with a microfiber….actually none of that will actually be my decision….a higher power than myself will decide.

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org

leather…. I see a lot of projects waiting to be made, if it doesn’t become a chair again

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

It will definitely get recycled in some way Deb. We should know this weekend if it will be OK for the chair or not.

Hehe….Paul ….it has to be heavy duty. This recliner was falling apart after just a few years…but all chairs that I use frequently seem to share the same fate eventually. Sometimes it’s nice being a big guy…sometimes a pain. One of my best friends calls me BAM!...short for big ass man….of course the two of us look like Danny Devito and Arnold Schwarzenegger (sp?) in Twins so I give him grief as well.

I want this to be the last chair I need to make for myself.

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org