# Reclaimed Pine All-Weather Morris Chair



## TimBridge (Feb 4, 2014)

*Introduction*

Hi all,

I've been working on this Morris chair for the past 3 weeks and keeping pictures and my "blog entries" on imgur but I just realized that LumberJocks is a great place to keep the journey.

I will be moving over a few entries at a time whenever I find the time.

This is my first piece of furniture that is not a shop piece and it's my first project that I'm finishing with something other than mineral oil and wax.

These are the plans I'm using/used: http://d2amilv9vi9flo.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/All-weather-Morris-Chair3.pdf. If I recall correctly the only thing I've done differently is the finish.

Well, thanks for reading! The project will start in the next blog entry.

Part Two - From Library to Leisure - Layout, Ripping, and Cutting
Part Three - Check Out Those Gams!
Part Four - Stretching Keeps One Limber & Slat Attack
Part Five - Seat Slats & Arm Rest Dry Fit
Part Six - Round Overs, Arm Rests, and Fixing A Mistake
Part Seven - Back rest
Part Eight - Plugging & Drilling
Part Nine - Finish Test Palette
Part Ten - Staining the Back Rest
Part Eleven - Staining The Seat
Part Twelve - Finishing? More Like Starting a Whole New Project
Part Thirteen - Do not go gentle into that good chair,


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## Ken90712 (Sep 2, 2009)

TimBridge said:


> *Introduction*
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> ...


Interesting , was reading the plans as well.


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## TimBridge (Feb 4, 2014)

*From Library to Leisure - Layout, Ripping, and Cutting*

I got the wood for this project for free from a friend of a friend's old bookshelves.

Some of it is badly warped, there are a few screw holes in it a bunch of places that I'll have to plug, and it's discolored from years of use so I am pre-sanding everything with 80 grit. Beggars can't be choosers!

All in all, there were four 6'x10" boards and eight 3'x10" boards.

I laid everything out with my drywall square and speed square, making sure to leave at least 1/8" between each piece, following the cutlist from the plans.

Once everything was laid out and labeled correctly, I took to the table saw, ripped, and cut to my heart's content until I had a pile of shorts ready to go.














































Click Here For Part Three


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## Ken90712 (Sep 2, 2009)

TimBridge said:


> *From Library to Leisure - Layout, Ripping, and Cutting*
> 
> I got the wood for this project for free from a friend of a friend's old bookshelves.
> 
> ...


Nice use of relaim lumber…. Cut away.


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## TimBridge (Feb 4, 2014)

*Check Out Those Gams!*

First, a chair needs legs, right? If the chair were to ever come to life, legs would allow it mobility. How would you feel if you were a chair who was, against all reason and precedent, granted consciousness and life. I know I'd feel great! Amazing, perhaps.

Now imagine your first few minutes: First, staggering confusion asking yourself

"How can wood be conscious?"

then your next few minutes would be acute bliss while you internally exclaim:

"Well, who cares FOR I AM ALIVE! I THINK THEREFORE I AM."

Finally, and unfortunately, you then try to take a step forwards towards the unknown expanse of world which awaits your mental consumption and physical interaction.

"Egads!" you'd think. "I have no legs! My journey has come to an end before it had a chance to begin. Alas, what kind of cruel creator would build a chair without legs?!"

Not I, I say, not I.

-------------

The legs have a 5 degree bevel across the entire plane. This allows for the slanted arm rests which define the quintessential Morris Chair.




























Click Here For Part Four


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## Ken90712 (Sep 2, 2009)

TimBridge said:


> *Check Out Those Gams!*
> 
> First, a chair needs legs, right? If the chair were to ever come to life, legs would allow it mobility. How would you feel if you were a chair who was, against all reason and precedent, granted consciousness and life. I know I'd feel great! Amazing, perhaps.
> 
> ...


It's alive now.


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## TimBridge (Feb 4, 2014)

*Stretching Keeps One Limber & Slat Attack*

Stretching is important. It increases circulation, increases flexibility, increases one's range of motion, has been proven to reduce stress, has been known to reduce lower back pain, and holds chairs together.

Here I've added the front and back stretcher and the left and right stretcher. I made my first mistake of the project here. It's probably not noticeable in this pictures but it will be revealed in a later blog entry. Can you spot it?

The upper side stretchers have the same 5 degree bevel as the legs. To make this cut, I dry fit the full board 7-1/2" above the lower side stretcher and marked the board at the top of the each leg. I then connected the dots and made the cut on the band saw, screwed and glued them in place.

I also installed the side slats today. The cut list calls for four different sizes since they are larger near the front and shorter near the back thanks to the 5 degree bevel. The slats also have a 5 degree bevel but the way the plan's cutlist has the measurements for them slightly longer than the final length. This is because the best way to ensure proper fit is to clamp the slats flush with the lower side stretcher, marking the bevel against the top stretcher, and cutting the waste off at the bandsaw.

Once all the measuring and marking was done, I cut the waste off at the band saw, screwed and glued all the slats into place.

All screws used in this project are countersunk for plugging later.





































Click Here for Part Five


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## Ken90712 (Sep 2, 2009)

TimBridge said:


> *Stretching Keeps One Limber & Slat Attack*
> 
> Stretching is important. It increases circulation, increases flexibility, increases one's range of motion, has been proven to reduce stress, has been known to reduce lower back pain, and holds chairs together.
> 
> ...


Coming along nicely…. I love that you'll be plugging the holes. Not sure why, but when I see them on here w/o that I think it would look so much better with plugs. Even if they use contrasting wood and used it as a highlight. Just looks so much better.


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## TimBridge (Feb 4, 2014)

TimBridge said:


> *Stretching Keeps One Limber & Slat Attack*
> 
> Stretching is important. It increases circulation, increases flexibility, increases one's range of motion, has been proven to reduce stress, has been known to reduce lower back pain, and holds chairs together.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Ken.

I totally agree that plugged screw holes add a whole different look to a project. To me, they make the project just looke less like a "thrown together weekend project". Those projects, by all means, have a place but I love that "all corners tucked in" look. It wouldn't, by any stretch of imagination, behoove me to say it makes the project seem more "professional" since I am far from professional, but it makes it seem more "complete".

I actually wanted a high contrast between the plugs and the rest of the wood because I didn't want it to seem as if I was trying to hide my lack of traditional joinery. I'd love to build a morris chair in the future with traditional mortise and tenon joinery but alas, not right now.


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## TimBridge (Feb 4, 2014)

*Seat Slats & Arm Rest Dry Fit*

Here I've added the seat supports, seat slats, and back support to which the back rest will be hinged. Again, all screws countersunk.

The seat supports aren't pictured too well but you can slightly see them holding up the seat slats. They too have a 5 degree bevel on the top as well as 7 degree bevel on the bottom.

Here you can see my previously mentioned mistake. Unfortunately, I put the front stretcher 3 inches too low. It should be 10-1/2" from the floor but I put it 7" from the floor like the rear stretcher is.

Since I stupidly glued the front stretcher already, I planned to cut another piece and slip it in under the first seat support. This will do three things: (1) Close that gap in the front, (2) Extend the front skirt to be level with the side skirt (which I think looks better anyway), and (3) give further support to the first seat slat which will be taking a lot of use by people sitting on the edge and getting on and off.

Oh, and notice the missing slat? During a earlier dry fit test, I tried to sit on it with only 2 slats placed. One of them snapped right in the middle where a huge knot was. I suppose better to find that out in testing than after finishing! I had to cut another one.

As for the arm rests, I laid them into place to see what they'd look like. The left arm rest was pretty badly warped. I got the wood for free from a friend of a friend's old bookshelf so beggars can't be choosers.

At this point, I wasn't sure if I was going to replace it or see if screw and glue will be enough to straighten it out.














































Click Here for Park Six


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## Ken90712 (Sep 2, 2009)

TimBridge said:


> *Seat Slats & Arm Rest Dry Fit*
> 
> Here I've added the seat supports, seat slats, and back support to which the back rest will be hinged. Again, all screws countersunk.
> 
> ...


Opps , we all do it….. Nice recovery though. I'm making a cabinet for Blondie and the face frame warped. Not sure why, as I have had the wood for a while and let it rest after milling. Today it gets scrapped. Can't live with it. I'm guessing a little pine from the store won't be that much and it will look so much better.


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## TimBridge (Feb 4, 2014)

*Round Overs, Arm Rests, and Fixing A Mistake*

Here I've added the additional front stretecher to span the gap created by my previous mistake. I actually think it looks better this way so all went well. Now it gives the front seat slat something against which to anchor. I forgot to mention that the front seat slat has notches cut into the sides so it fits snuggly against the lets and sits a bit proud from the front plane of the chair.

I then realized that I forgot to route the 1/4" round overs on all the tops of the seat slats so I took them all off and ran them through the router table. I also routed a 1/4" roundover on both sides of the arm rests.

As I mentioned before, the warping was presenting an issue. I couldn't get the arm rests to rest flat against the legs with the 1-1/4" screws I was using. So I drilled pilot holes for 3 " deck screws and put them in a few strategically placed spots to pull the wood straight.

I noticed that three of the slats seem pretty weak. I don't think they'd break unless someone either purposely tried to snap em or accidentally put all their weight on the weak ones.

Thus, I plan to cut another Seat Support like I have on the sides against the legs and install it directly in the center underneath of the slats. It will be anchored with pocket holes to the front stretcher and rear support bar.

1/2 way there now (w/ assembly, at least)! Next is building the Back/ Then plugging all the screw holes (I'm thinking of using Oak, Maple, or Walnut. Finally, finishing and mounting the back with a piano hinge.


















































































Click Here for Part Seven


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## TimBridge (Feb 4, 2014)

*Back rest*

Now that the seat was all set. It was tie to begin on the back rest. I mde a few more mistakes in this portion by drilling the pilot holes first. Some of them I drilled misaligned (I have since purchased a drill press so the next time I do something like this, I'll be 100% sure my pilot holes will be lined up.

What happened was the back rest box was a little misaligned at the corners. I cleaned it up with my sander and block plane. Not everything lined up perfectly, but I was happy with the result.

Again, all screws countersunk for plugs. It's starting to come together!

I rounded over all the back slats and assembled everything up.
































































Click Here for Part Eight


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

TimBridge said:


> *Back rest*
> 
> Now that the seat was all set. It was tie to begin on the back rest. I mde a few more mistakes in this portion by drilling the pilot holes first. Some of them I drilled misaligned (I have since purchased a drill press so the next time I do something like this, I'll be 100% sure my pilot holes will be lined up.
> 
> ...


Coming together nicely. In time for the weekend!


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## TimBridge (Feb 4, 2014)

*Plugging & Drilling*

Next on the list was plugging all the screw holes and drilling holes for the recliner bar.

I was considering making the plugs out of oak with a plug cutter but after making a test board with the stain and poly I planned to use on the project, I really liked the contrast between regular dowels and the rest of the chair so I opted to go that route. All the plugs were glued in and cut flush to the surface. Thanks much to my fiancee, Dani, for all her help plugging! I know she has a lot of experienced with plugged holes, so I thought she'd be a great help.

I also cut the 45 degree cut outs on the bottom of the back rest. This allows for the backrest to recline further back than 90 degrees.

I also made the second mistake of my project here. The front-most hole in the armrest was drilled about an 1/8" too far to the right. I later fixed that by clamping a thin piece of scrap over the whole thing, redrawing my center lines, and drilling straight through again. This left a little crescent shaped "pocket" to the right of the final hole, but I filled it in with wood putty. It will hardly be seen anyway since the recliner support bar will cover it 66% of the time (unless it;s set into place in the furthest back location.


















































































Click Here for Part Nine


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## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TimBridge said:


> *Plugging & Drilling*
> 
> Next on the list was plugging all the screw holes and drilling holes for the recliner bar.
> 
> ...


Just found this blog. Looks like she's coming along nicely! Looking forward to seeing the finished chair!


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## TimBridge (Feb 4, 2014)

TimBridge said:


> *Plugging & Drilling*
> 
> Next on the list was plugging all the screw holes and drilling holes for the recliner bar.
> 
> ...


Dean,

Thanks for the kind words! I too cannot wait to finish this project up. The finishing step (stain, wiping poly) is taking a lot of time. I think the next time I build an outdoor project, I'm going to opt for a danish oil finish rather than varnish.

My father, however, saw this project and immediately wanted to build one as well so it seems as soon as I wrap this one up, I;m going to be building another one along side him. I've learned a lot though on this project so far so I;m excited to utilize those new skills right away in "version 2".

Tim


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## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TimBridge said:


> *Plugging & Drilling*
> 
> Next on the list was plugging all the screw holes and drilling holes for the recliner bar.
> 
> ...


Tim,

You'll find that once you've built one, the next one goes a lot easier, and you've already made the mistakes on the first one. I always find myself saying "if I ever make another one of these, it will be a lot better!"

As for the Danish oil, you may want to re-think that. Danish oil isn't going to hold up to the elements, like varnish. But if you use varnish, be sure it's outdoor Spar varnish. Spar varnish is a little flexible, so it'll move when the wood expands and contracts due to the elements. I just refinished all of my outdoor furniture and used a recipe I learned from Tom Silva of This Old House. He recommends a mix of a penetrating oil (like Penofin) and spar varnish, mixed at 8oz varnish to 1 gallon penetrating oil. I used this recipe on my decks last summer, and they came through the winter without fading, and without the usual mildew. The Penofin has UV inhibitors to keep the wood from fading, and the spar varnish has mildewcide which keeps the mildew from growing.

And you're right, it's a bit of work! It took two weeks to get my outdoor furniture ready for Memorial Day weekend. I have 4 Adirondack chairs, 2 bistro chairs, 1 bistro table, and 2 side tables. But they look great year after year!

Anyway, good luck, and keep us posted!


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## TimBridge (Feb 4, 2014)

TimBridge said:


> *Plugging & Drilling*
> 
> Next on the list was plugging all the screw holes and drilling holes for the recliner bar.
> 
> ...


Mean_Dean,

Thanks for the advice! I've read that all finishes fall on a spectrum between film and oil. Film finishes provide the most protection but are much more complex/long to apply and much more difficult to fix a mistake or refinish in the future. Oil finishes provide no protection but are easy to apply and easy to re-finish in the future.

From what I've read, Danish Oil, as a mixture of an oil (tung or BLO), a varnish (urethane, Alkyd, or phenolic), and a thinner (naphtha, mineral spirits, paint thinner), is a compromise. It is a finish that provides some protection but is also somewhat easy to apply and re-apply.

So, with a full on "film" style finish like I've used in this project of a Spar Varnish, the finish may last up to 5 years before it needs to be refinished but when the time comes, it will be a large® endeavor because it entails stripping the whole thing down and starting fresh. However, with a Danish Oil finish, it will be absolutely necessary to re-finish every year but may only take 1-2 coats yearly instead of 10 coats of pure varnish at once.

All my sources for this information has been from the The Wood Whisperer's articles and videos about finishing such as:
http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/articles/pondering-outdoor-finishes/
http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/articles/a-better-way-to-apply-spar-urethane/
http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/articles/the-difference-a-film-makes/
http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/oil-based-finish-basics/
http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/desert-outdoor-finish/

Rest assured that I have used a spar varnish for this project and have applied 10 coats, wiped on after diluting with 50% naphtha. I'm confident I will not have to refinish this chair for at least 3 years but, for all the time and effort (and pausing of other projects I've had going on (since I wanted to keep the dust to a minimum in the shop)), Danish oil + refinishing yearly seems like a pretty attractive alternative.

Although I understand that Danish Oil will not provide nearly as much protection as varnish, the yearly re-finishing will help to combat that.

I am a HUGE fan on Tommy Silva though so I must say I am terribly intrigued by his recommendation and am about to scour the interwebs for more information about that.

Thanks again for the advice and taking the time to read!


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## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TimBridge said:


> *Plugging & Drilling*
> 
> Next on the list was plugging all the screw holes and drilling holes for the recliner bar.
> 
> ...


Tim,

Sounds like you've thought this through!

Speaking of Tom Silva, I thought I'd pass along a link to the video which contains the recipe I mentioned earlier. It's about refinishing a deck, and the recipe is at the end of the video.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/video/0,,20282692,00.html

I noticed that you have newer blogs, so I'll catch up with you there!


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## TimBridge (Feb 4, 2014)

*Finish Test Palette *

Since this was my first foray into a proper finish ( the most I've done before is a spray lacquer finish ), I decided to make a test board.

I put a bunch of test dowel plugs into it and broke it out into a bunch of different sections. I used Varathane Dark Walnut Gel Stain and Minwax Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner. Top row is 80 grit, middle row is 150 grit, bottom row is 220 grit. Left to right columns are 2 minute rest time, 4 minute rest time, 6 minute rest time, 8 minute rest time, and 10 minute rest time, respectively. I was disappointed and confused as to how similar all the samples were. The thin rectangular test piece to the left is a 4 minute wait without the pre-stain wood conditioner. THIS is what I was aiming for. "What gives?" I thought.

I took to the Reddit.com subreddit for woodworking (http://www.reddit/com/r/woodworking) and asked some of the fellas there to enlighten me on the ways of the stain. I found out that there is no need for wood conditioner when using gel stain. Because of the way gel stain works, it naturally controls blotching/splotching.














































Click Here for Part Ten


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## TimBridge (Feb 4, 2014)

*Staining the Back Rest*

Based on discussion with some of the woodworkers on /r/woodworking, I opted to forego the pre-stain conditioner.

I went again and stained the entire back rest with the dark walnut gel stain.

Doesn't look like Dark Walnut on most of the pieces though, eh? This is because, as I mentioned before, all the wood was second-hard from a friend of a friend's bookshelf. I'm not sure if he had stained it previously or it was just the natural aging of the wood, but the color of most of it wood was significantly darker and had a bit of an orange hue versus fresh pine. I do like the way the dowels absorbed more stain and are contrasting nicely.

Even after liberal (and I mean liberal, most of this project has been spent sanding) with 80 grit, I was unable to completely get rid of all traces of whatever was applying that orangey hue. This is where a thickness planer would have come in handy!

Oh well. I think it looks alright so far. Next step, stain the seat. Then 4-5 coats of poly, sanding with 400 grit in between coats.























































Click Here for Part Eleven


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

TimBridge said:


> *Staining the Back Rest*
> 
> Based on discussion with some of the woodworkers on /r/woodworking, I opted to forego the pre-stain conditioner.
> 
> ...


Looking good. You'll be sitting in it soon.


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## TimBridge (Feb 4, 2014)

TimBridge said:


> *Staining the Back Rest*
> 
> Based on discussion with some of the woodworkers on /r/woodworking, I opted to forego the pre-stain conditioner.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Monte! I get more and more anxious as the days go by. I've already picked up another set of lumber for two more since my father now wants to build one as well. I figured I would show him how as I built another one with him.

He'll get to take his home and I'll have two at my house: one for me and one for the fiancee.

Next project on the list is ottomans for them!


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## TimBridge (Feb 4, 2014)

*Staining The Seat*

Staining the seat. As mentioned, I'm using a dark walnut gel stain. This is what it looks like before wiping it off.I actually really like the way this looks. If for some reason the finish turns out horribly, at least I know I can resort to a paint to get it to look like this.




























....annnndd this is what it looks like after wiping it off. Once gain, I'm satisfied but by no means ecstatic. I opted not to use wood conditioner since it is a gel stain and gel stain should control blotching, but, alas, I still got a bit of blotching and uneven color. I think in the future, if I am coloring pine, I will opt for dye instead of stain.




























Regardless, the seat is almost done. Just have 2-3 more sides to do, the bottom/underneath and the right side. I also have the internal sides of the side slats which I've saved for last. Once that's done, it'll be time for polyurethane. I'm going to dilute my poly with 50% mineral spirits or naptha (haven't decided which yet) and wipe on 7-8 coats.

And here is the rest of the seat all fully stained and cured for 24hrs.





































I also fixed my previous error with the misaligned back rest support bar hole and stained that support bar as well.










Click Here for Part Twelve


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## TimBridge (Feb 4, 2014)

*Finishing? More Like Starting a Whole New Project*

I had read many times before about the three pillars of a craft: Design, Construction, and Finishing. Let me tell me you, after this experience, I truly realize now and appreciate the amount of effort and knowledge and true craftsmanship that goes into finishing.

I posted on multiple forums, read many an article, and watched a veritable slew of finishing videos. Videos about outdoor finishing, videos about varnish finishes, articles about the pros and cons of diluting your polurethane.

I finally decided to go with The Wood Whisperer's recommended method of A Better Way To Apply Spar Polyurethane. It's basically to dilute your poly with 50% mineral spirits, naptha, or paint thinner. I opted for naptha because of the higher flash time so I could try to get 2-3 coats a day in when possible.

All in all, I've "gone over" each and every surface of the chair 14 times so far and plan two more before calling it done.

- 1 initial sanding at 80 grit (not needed with new lumber but since this was reclaimed from a bookshelf, I had to get rid of the dirt and stain and discoloring of age). This was done pre-assembly after I had all the cuts made.
- 1 initial sanding of 150 grit for mechanical tooth for which the varnish to bind
- 2 initial 50/50 poly/naphtha for the base coat
- 1 light sanding with 400 to knock down the unavoidable particulates
- 8 more coats of the 50/50 ply/naptha mix with another round of light 400 grit sanding anytime there was >= 24hrs since the previous coat (with diligence, i was able to keep that down to only once) thus,
- 1 more light sanding in the middle because I let a ~30hr cure after the 4th coat

This weekend or maybe Monday, I plan to finish it up with:
- 1 more light sanding with 400, and
- 1 more light sanding with 0000 steel wool

I did use a brush and 100% un-cut poly for the underside of the chair since I didn't care if there were brush strokes and/or bubbles there. I just wanted the protection that the poly provided there so I put 4 coats of full strength poly on the unseen undercarriage.

This finishing endeavor was quite a learning process. I think it came out great as, thanks to wiping, there are neither any brush strokes nor any bubbles. However, due to all the 'intricacies' in the little hard to get to spaces between slats and all the corners and the like, it truly became a tedious journey. I am all about the mentality of "it's about the journey more than the destination" but when the finishing section takes even longer than the whole rest of the project combined, I can't deny that I was really hankering to have a seat in this thing!

It'll surely make me appreciate it a lot more though!

I don't have many pics of the polyurethane process because it was pretty much the same thing over and over again.

I'm thinking the next intricate outdoor project I build is going to be finished simply with danish oil or something. Sure, it'll need to be re-applied annually but I think I'd prefer one or two coats a year instead of 14-16 once. Especially on something like a chair that is going to get used and abraded a lot.

The next blog entry will show the fully finished surface with the piano hinge installed. The last blog entry after that will be my "Hall of Shame" post where I point out my mistakes and flaws so I can better learn from them and avoid them in the future. Stay tuned!




























Click here for the last and final Part Thirteen


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

TimBridge said:


> *Finishing? More Like Starting a Whole New Project*
> 
> I had read many times before about the three pillars of a craft: Design, Construction, and Finishing. Let me tell me you, after this experience, I truly realize now and appreciate the amount of effort and knowledge and true craftsmanship that goes into finishing.
> 
> ...


Finishing can easily take as much time as construction. It's a test of patience.

Doing great sir.


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## mtalley (May 12, 2014)

TimBridge said:


> *Finishing? More Like Starting a Whole New Project*
> 
> I had read many times before about the three pillars of a craft: Design, Construction, and Finishing. Let me tell me you, after this experience, I truly realize now and appreciate the amount of effort and knowledge and true craftsmanship that goes into finishing.
> 
> ...


Very nice for having coffee on the porch in the morning, watching the kids in the yard or enjoying a little port or single malt before turning in


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## camps764 (Dec 9, 2011)

TimBridge said:


> *Finishing? More Like Starting a Whole New Project*
> 
> I had read many times before about the three pillars of a craft: Design, Construction, and Finishing. Let me tell me you, after this experience, I truly realize now and appreciate the amount of effort and knowledge and true craftsmanship that goes into finishing.
> 
> ...


The results look really good so far IMHO.

It is definitely a test in patience, endurance and discipline…especially when working with a wipe on poly and having to put a zillion coats on to get a good film build. I really dig the 50/50-ish mix and thinks is helps with self-level quite a bit.

I usually will do 2 or 3 coats of blend to seal and start to build a film, and then finish her up with 2 coats of full strength poly brushed on with a nice brush.

I've got an ash live edge table on my bench right now that has been the exception to the rule…the ash took about 7 wipe on coats just to seal it and get it to stop soaking up all the finish.


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## TimBridge (Feb 4, 2014)

*Do not go gentle into that good chair,*

Old pine should burn and gray at the close of day;
Measure, measure, and check for square.

Though wise woodworkers at their end know dark walnut stain is fair,
Because their sanders had left no pigtails they
Do not go gentle into that good chair.

Good woodworkers, the last coat by, cry 'Varathane'
Their dilute poly might protect this day,
Measure, measure, and check for square.

Wild woodworkers who cut and saw while half aware,
And learn, too late, to measure once is to pray,
Do not go gentle into that good chair.

Grave woodworkers, near death, who rout without restrain,
Band saws cut like scroll saws and would not stray
Measure, measure, and check for square.

And you, Norm Abram, there with safety gear,
Curse, bless, me now with your glasses clear, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good chair.
Measure, measure, and check for square.





















































































































































































The chair is finally done! I'm going to give it a few days to cure completely then give it a buffing with 0000 steel wool and a T-shirt.

Thanks for following along with me on this, my first "real" project. It was a great time.

For more and/or better quality build pics than I posted here, you can check this album:


http://imgur.com/xijV3


For more and/or better quality completed pics than I posted here, you can check this album:


http://imgur.com/xVgIG


There will be one more blog entry in this series sometime this week which calls out and explains any mistakes I made and flaws I notice. My goal is to make myself hyper-aware of them so I can learn from them for future projects. I already know that most of my mistakes in this project were during the finish phase (which makes sense since this was literally the first time I've used anything other than mineral oil or spray lacquer). Stay tuned for that!


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## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TimBridge said:


> *Do not go gentle into that good chair,*
> 
> Old pine should burn and gray at the close of day;
> Measure, measure, and check for square.
> ...


Am interested in seeing the new blog entry. But don't be too hard on yourself-it's not a mistake unless you repeat it!


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