# Help with rake and splay



## dfox52 (Oct 6, 2013)

Can anyone point me to a good, detailed idiots guide to constructing rake and splayed chairs? Particularly I need help with determining and cutting the angles on the front and back skirts. I am attempting to make a high chair and so far I have built two identical side assemblies (each with two legs and a skirt raked at 80 degrees. They look like the letter "A"). But my brain starts to melt when I try to connect the side assemblies together with front and back skirts cut to the same angle for the splay. There is something peculiar going on with the four angles and my brain is melting trying to figure it out. It is almost as though a square is not a square! I am willing to pay for some good educational material.

Thanks!


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

I may misunderstand but, from what I can tell, the rake of the side assemblies shouldn't have any effect on the angle of the skirts that sets the splay. Seems like it would just be a 5 degree cut on the ends of the skirts.


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## dfox52 (Oct 6, 2013)

> I may misunderstand but, from what I can tell, the rake of the side assemblies shouldn t have any effect on the angle of the skirts that sets the splay. Seems like it would just be a 5 degree cut on the ends of the skirts.
> 
> - HokieKen


Thanks! Why only 5 degrees?

I have them cut at 80 degrees (10 degrees off 90) to match the rake. But when I try to clamp it all together for a test fit, I can't seem to make the four legs form a square at the top.


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## jerryminer (Jun 15, 2014)

If you are splaying the legs in two directions, you have compound angles to deal with--the joints will need to be cut a little off square .

Here is an on-line calculator that will do the math for you: Calculator

Or, you can lay out the cuts empirically.


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## dfox52 (Oct 6, 2013)

> If you are splaying the legs in two directions, you have compound angles to deal with--the joints will need to be cut a little off square .
> 
> Here is an on-line calculator that will do the math for you: Calculator
> 
> ...


Thanks jerry… I figured there is something funny going on with the angles. I apologize but my geometry skills are limited. I've looked over the link you posted and basically it confirms my suspicion that I need to do more than simply cut all four aprons at 80 degrees on my miter scale. I am having trouble though relating this calculator to my specific application.

By "Empirically" do you mean "trial and error?"


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## jerryminer (Jun 15, 2014)

Finding the angles empirically: If you put two opposite sides together with square, 80-degree rails, then prop the parts up to their intended positions, you can temporarily clamp the other rails in position and mark the angles directly from the parts they are intended to meet.

Hard to describe. Here is a crude drawing of the concept:


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## dfox52 (Oct 6, 2013)

> Finding the angles empirically: If you put two opposite sides together with square, 80-degree rails, then prop the parts up to their intended positions, you can temporarily clamp the other rails in position and mark the angles directly from the parts they are intended to meet.
> 
> - jerryminer


Thanks so much… I just did like you said and marked the angles "empirically." I used some scrap pine and fine tuned with test cuts. Appreciate your help


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