Project Information
This is an 18th century corner chair, designed with both Chippendale and Queen Anne aspects. It is the culmination of my 38 years of woodworking, as I used every bit of knowledge and skill I possess…and then some. The "and then some" mostly refers to the carving required to complete the project. I had never carved before and had to learn/practice a bit before starting on the actual legs. It took 50 hours to carve the four ball and claw (b&c) feet! With the feet under my belt, the knee shell, though daunting, wasn't nearly as difficult to carve.
My first exposure to this chair was when its creator, Mickey Callahan, brought it to a RI Woodworkers Guild meeting around 2011. Mickey had made the chair for an article presented in Fine Woodworking magazine (#215, Nov/Dec 2010). That night, I contemplated challenging myself to make the chair and I made it an item on my "woodworking bucket list". On May 1, 2017 the task began. 270 hours later, the chair is done! I took a break from the build here and there, including a full month after carving the b&c feet.
The chair is made from African mahogany and it is finished with clear shellac, tinted with Transfast dark walnut dye, followed by a spray application of satin lacquer. I made the wooden slip seat but had it upholstered professionally. I purchased the full size plans alluded to in the Fine Woodworking article. They were quite necessary for making the chair period correct. Lumber-wise, it took a honking piece of mahogany that measured 12 feet long by 10 inches wide by 4 inches thick! (picture #6) While there are other usable cutoffs, all that remains from the original plank is a piece about 16 inches long.
This was indeed a challenge and I feel good (nay, great) having met it. I'd like to give a shout out to a few folks. First, thank you to Mickey Callahan. Mickey works at my local Woodcraft store. I took his one-day ball and claw carving course at the store. I told him I was taking it with the goal of making the "Mickey chair" as I dubbed it. He made himself available to me for questions and assistance and I certainly took advantage of the offer. Secondly, I want to thank Charles Neil. For those who don't know, Charles has been a spokesman for Woodcraft products. He is also widely known as an expert on finishing. When I struggled with application of the shellac, I reached out to Charles for help. We had a telephone conversation and he offered sage advice that got me to the finish line. Third, I'd like to acknowledge the quality of content found in a series of DVDs on carving the ball and claw foot, put out by Mary May. Again, if you don't know, Mary is an accomplished carver who has appeared on Roy Underhill's show and has several videos on YouTube. I purchased the series online and referred to them often throughout the carving process. Lastly, thank you to my good friend Paul Andrus (Harleysofttaildeuce
on Lumberjocks). It's invaluable to have a woodworking buddy off whom you can bounce issues, questions, complaints, etc. Paul put up with me and provided valuable input quite often.
My first exposure to this chair was when its creator, Mickey Callahan, brought it to a RI Woodworkers Guild meeting around 2011. Mickey had made the chair for an article presented in Fine Woodworking magazine (#215, Nov/Dec 2010). That night, I contemplated challenging myself to make the chair and I made it an item on my "woodworking bucket list". On May 1, 2017 the task began. 270 hours later, the chair is done! I took a break from the build here and there, including a full month after carving the b&c feet.
The chair is made from African mahogany and it is finished with clear shellac, tinted with Transfast dark walnut dye, followed by a spray application of satin lacquer. I made the wooden slip seat but had it upholstered professionally. I purchased the full size plans alluded to in the Fine Woodworking article. They were quite necessary for making the chair period correct. Lumber-wise, it took a honking piece of mahogany that measured 12 feet long by 10 inches wide by 4 inches thick! (picture #6) While there are other usable cutoffs, all that remains from the original plank is a piece about 16 inches long.
This was indeed a challenge and I feel good (nay, great) having met it. I'd like to give a shout out to a few folks. First, thank you to Mickey Callahan. Mickey works at my local Woodcraft store. I took his one-day ball and claw carving course at the store. I told him I was taking it with the goal of making the "Mickey chair" as I dubbed it. He made himself available to me for questions and assistance and I certainly took advantage of the offer. Secondly, I want to thank Charles Neil. For those who don't know, Charles has been a spokesman for Woodcraft products. He is also widely known as an expert on finishing. When I struggled with application of the shellac, I reached out to Charles for help. We had a telephone conversation and he offered sage advice that got me to the finish line. Third, I'd like to acknowledge the quality of content found in a series of DVDs on carving the ball and claw foot, put out by Mary May. Again, if you don't know, Mary is an accomplished carver who has appeared on Roy Underhill's show and has several videos on YouTube. I purchased the series online and referred to them often throughout the carving process. Lastly, thank you to my good friend Paul Andrus (Harleysofttaildeuce
on Lumberjocks). It's invaluable to have a woodworking buddy off whom you can bounce issues, questions, complaints, etc. Paul put up with me and provided valuable input quite often.