# Jensen-style Z-Chair



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Introduction*

Like a handful of other folks here, I've been bitten by the bug to build a chair modeled after the Selig Z-chair designed by Poul Jensen back in the 1950's. I'm a fan of Danish design in general, and for some time this chair in particular has been stuck in my head.

The Z-chair projects shared here were definitely an inspiration, and they provided the nudge I needed to make that crucial first step - deciding to get started. Most notably, I'd like to thank Jamie Skinner (CRUDESKINNYB) for his Z-Chair project and for sharing the detailed photo-journal of his entire build. That was the final straw.

I'm a long-time hobbyist woodworker, but this will be my first chair project. This design is perhaps not the obvious choice for a chair newbie, but the idea's taken root, so there's nothing I can do about it now. Plus, I'm already mid-project and I'm feeling hopeful for a successful end. Mores posts to follow to bring the series up-to-date.

Here's a scavenged photo of an original set of these chairs. My goal is to replicate the design as close as possible.










*Authentic Poul Jensen Z-chair examples*


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

RossL said:


> *Introduction*
> 
> Like a handful of other folks here, I've been bitten by the bug to build a chair modeled after the Selig Z-chair designed by Poul Jensen back in the 1950's. I'm a fan of Danish design in general, and for some time this chair in particular has been stuck in my head.
> 
> ...


Awesome! I will be following this project as I have a stack of walnut waiting to be Z-ed. It has to wait for some home improvement projects but after that. For me I think the most challenging part is the back slats. Best of luck, I'll be watching.


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Introduction*
> 
> Like a handful of other folks here, I've been bitten by the bug to build a chair modeled after the Selig Z-chair designed by Poul Jensen back in the 1950's. I'm a fan of Danish design in general, and for some time this chair in particular has been stuck in my head.
> 
> ...


I'll be using some cherry that I've had sitting around for years. Not particularly pretty, but it was free so it's perfect for my first-time attempt at a chair. I've progressed past the slats at this time, and I'm pleased with how they turned out. The semi-question-mark for me are the arms. That little curved-up edge is such a small details, but takes some head-scratching to figure out how to implement. I have a scheme, but haven't tried it out yet.


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

RossL said:


> *Introduction*
> 
> Like a handful of other folks here, I've been bitten by the bug to build a chair modeled after the Selig Z-chair designed by Poul Jensen back in the 1950's. I'm a fan of Danish design in general, and for some time this chair in particular has been stuck in my head.
> 
> ...


I agree about the arms. I only have the view of the chair you showed, never the arm shown in the link. That's what's fun, trying to figure it out. A few try's on scrap and you'll get it.


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## Tango (Sep 2, 2008)

RossL said:


> *Introduction*
> 
> Like a handful of other folks here, I've been bitten by the bug to build a chair modeled after the Selig Z-chair designed by Poul Jensen back in the 1950's. I'm a fan of Danish design in general, and for some time this chair in particular has been stuck in my head.
> 
> ...


Hi Ross,
Sorry that I chimed in too late but I own one original Poul Jensen Z chair that I restored for my daughter about a year ago. The chair has been in the family since the early 60's.
I can help your project with measurements if you need it.
Great project!


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Introduction*
> 
> Like a handful of other folks here, I've been bitten by the bug to build a chair modeled after the Selig Z-chair designed by Poul Jensen back in the 1950's. I'm a fan of Danish design in general, and for some time this chair in particular has been stuck in my head.
> 
> ...





> Hi Ross,
> Sorry that I chimed in too late but I own one original Poul Jensen Z chair that I restored for my daughter about a year ago. The chair has been in the family since the early 60 s.
> I can help your project with measurements if you need it.
> Great project!
> ...


Tango - wow, what a generous offer, thank you! That would be fantastic. If I'm off in my guestimates, I can adjust for the next one. I do want to build another in the original teak or walnut after I work out the kinks in the process with this first build.

Would you be able to post the measurements here so the next guy in line to build this chair could benefit? Let me put together a list of dimensions that would be helpful and I'll PM you. Once again, thanks a lot!


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## Tango (Sep 2, 2008)

RossL said:


> *Introduction*
> 
> Like a handful of other folks here, I've been bitten by the bug to build a chair modeled after the Selig Z-chair designed by Poul Jensen back in the 1950's. I'm a fan of Danish design in general, and for some time this chair in particular has been stuck in my head.
> 
> ...


I researched a little bit about the Z-Chair before starting the restoration and surprisingly discovered that not many chairs were built using Walnut or Teak. Most of the pieces sold by Selig were stained European Beech (I guess because of the cost). The one I restored was indeed Beechwood.
I was tempted to leave the wood unstained but then I decided to try to replicate the original look.


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## jimbobmad (Mar 2, 2020)

RossL said:


> *Introduction*
> 
> Like a handful of other folks here, I've been bitten by the bug to build a chair modeled after the Selig Z-chair designed by Poul Jensen back in the 1950's. I'm a fan of Danish design in general, and for some time this chair in particular has been stuck in my head.
> 
> ...


Hey Ross
Your chair looks really good. Im in the process now of building one myself, I think Ive got most of my measurements pretty close to right but Id be keen to bounce them off you. What thickness did you start on? Im using 22mm but its looking a bit skinny. Also my first (actually fourth) attempt at an arm came out pretty well, but I think my stock is too thin there as well. 
Jim


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Introduction*
> 
> Like a handful of other folks here, I've been bitten by the bug to build a chair modeled after the Selig Z-chair designed by Poul Jensen back in the 1950's. I'm a fan of Danish design in general, and for some time this chair in particular has been stuck in my head.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Jim. I started with some rough-cut cherry that I'd been gifted years ago. After surfacing, it was right around an inch thick, so 25mm-26mm - that range.



> Hey Ross
> Your chair looks really good. Im in the process now of building one myself, I think Ive got most of my measurements pretty close to right but Id be keen to bounce them off you. What thickness did you start on? Im using 22mm but its looking a bit skinny. Also my first (actually fourth) attempt at an arm came out pretty well, but I think my stock is too thin there as well.
> Jim
> 
> - jimbobmad


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## jimbobmad (Mar 2, 2020)

RossL said:


> *Introduction*
> 
> Like a handful of other folks here, I've been bitten by the bug to build a chair modeled after the Selig Z-chair designed by Poul Jensen back in the 1950's. I'm a fan of Danish design in general, and for some time this chair in particular has been stuck in my head.
> 
> ...


Thanks Ross. Can you read Sketchup files? If you have time Id love for you to take a look at my drawing and tell me if it seems accurate. Its based on guesswork and the odd bits Ive found on this site .. The arm stock I started out with today was 25mm but even that was too thin, I think it should be closer to 30 .


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Introduction*
> 
> Like a handful of other folks here, I've been bitten by the bug to build a chair modeled after the Selig Z-chair designed by Poul Jensen back in the 1950's. I'm a fan of Danish design in general, and for some time this chair in particular has been stuck in my head.
> 
> ...


Hi Jim,

I have a version of Sketchup installed, but I'm not skilled at using it. But I'm happy to give it a try. Keep in mind, though, that I built mine without direct access to a chair. My chair is not going to exactly match the original.



> Thanks Ross. Can you read Sketchup files? If you have time Id love for you to take a look at my drawing and tell me if it seems accurate. Its based on guesswork and the odd bits Ive found on this site .. The arm stock I started out with today was 25mm but even that was too thin, I think it should be closer to 30 .
> 
> - jimbobmad


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## jimbobmad (Mar 2, 2020)

RossL said:


> *Introduction*
> 
> Like a handful of other folks here, I've been bitten by the bug to build a chair modeled after the Selig Z-chair designed by Poul Jensen back in the 1950's. I'm a fan of Danish design in general, and for some time this chair in particular has been stuck in my head.
> 
> ...


Thanks again, Im going to finish my current prototype and see how it looks, then make adjustments.

As i mentioned I think Ive made everything a few mm too thin, but Ive done one side already so I may as well keep going. The way it is now I think a heavy person carelessly sitting on the arm would break it .. it's only 18mm thick at the thinnest part.


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## jimbobmad (Mar 2, 2020)

RossL said:


> *Introduction*
> 
> Like a handful of other folks here, I've been bitten by the bug to build a chair modeled after the Selig Z-chair designed by Poul Jensen back in the 1950's. I'm a fan of Danish design in general, and for some time this chair in particular has been stuck in my head.
> 
> ...


Also, I have the arm as a flat bottomed piece, there's no extra thick bit on the underside that's shaped to meet the long diagonal … if that makes sense ?? I see on yours the arm is actually even more complex than I had guessed. I don't have a band saw at the moment so thats going to be interesting …

PS Im using some B-grade Kiaat (a local hardwood) for this version, just until Im happy with the design. If I keep this one Ill stain it dark.


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Introduction*
> 
> Like a handful of other folks here, I've been bitten by the bug to build a chair modeled after the Selig Z-chair designed by Poul Jensen back in the 1950's. I'm a fan of Danish design in general, and for some time this chair in particular has been stuck in my head.
> 
> ...


Looking good, Jim. Best of luck with the rest of your build. Consider creating a blog post to share your progress!


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## RyanMaly (Oct 28, 2021)

RossL said:


> *Introduction*
> 
> Like a handful of other folks here, I've been bitten by the bug to build a chair modeled after the Selig Z-chair designed by Poul Jensen back in the 1950's. I'm a fan of Danish design in general, and for some time this chair in particular has been stuck in my head.
> 
> ...


Beautiful work Ross! I'm interested in building one myself. I've spent countless hours scouring for dimensions but haven't been able to find anything that comes close to your accuracy of the original.

Would you be willing to share the 3d model or template files? I know you put a ton of work into designing, so Id pay for them.


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Introduction*
> 
> Like a handful of other folks here, I've been bitten by the bug to build a chair modeled after the Selig Z-chair designed by Poul Jensen back in the 1950's. I'm a fan of Danish design in general, and for some time this chair in particular has been stuck in my head.
> 
> ...


Sorry, I double posted. Response below.


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Introduction*
> 
> Like a handful of other folks here, I've been bitten by the bug to build a chair modeled after the Selig Z-chair designed by Poul Jensen back in the 1950's. I'm a fan of Danish design in general, and for some time this chair in particular has been stuck in my head.
> 
> ...





> Beautiful work Ross! I m interested in building one myself. I ve spent countless hours scouring for dimensions but haven t been able to find anything that comes close to your accuracy of the original.
> 
> Would you be willing to share the 3d model or template files? I know you put a ton of work into designing, so Id pay for them.
> 
> - RyanMaly


Hi Ryan,

Thanks for the kind words. I too found little online on the dimensions for this chair. I did not create a 3D model, but used CAM software to create 2D representation of the side (primarily) and from that created outlines of the individual components. It would take a bit of time to clean-up what I have, but I could generate an EPS vector file of the component outlines that could be used for making templates. If that sounds like something that would work for you, PM me and we'll discuss it.


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## RyanMaly (Oct 28, 2021)

RossL said:


> *Introduction*
> 
> Like a handful of other folks here, I've been bitten by the bug to build a chair modeled after the Selig Z-chair designed by Poul Jensen back in the 1950's. I'm a fan of Danish design in general, and for some time this chair in particular has been stuck in my head.
> 
> ...


I'm interested. We can chat. I can't PM you until I have 5 new posts apparently. Maybe if you PM me first?


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## jimbobmad (Mar 2, 2020)

RossL said:


> *Introduction*
> 
> Like a handful of other folks here, I've been bitten by the bug to build a chair modeled after the Selig Z-chair designed by Poul Jensen back in the 1950's. I'm a fan of Danish design in general, and for some time this chair in particular has been stuck in my head.
> 
> ...





> Beautiful work Ross! I m interested in building one myself. I ve spent countless hours scouring for dimensions but haven t been able to find anything that comes close to your accuracy of the original.
> 
> Would you be willing to share the 3d model or template files? I know you put a ton of work into designing, so Id pay for them.
> 
> - RyanMaly


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## jimbobmad (Mar 2, 2020)

RossL said:


> *Introduction*
> 
> Like a handful of other folks here, I've been bitten by the bug to build a chair modeled after the Selig Z-chair designed by Poul Jensen back in the 1950's. I'm a fan of Danish design in general, and for some time this chair in particular has been stuck in my head.
> 
> ...


Hey Ryan, I have drawn up a pretty accurate Sketchup model of the z-chair. I can't post yet either but email is jimbobmad at yahoo dot co dot uk


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Planning and Prototyping*

My first thought was that I would try to find some plans for this chair on the internet. Nope. All I found were some plans for a really atrocious mockery of the design. Not even close to the proportions and style of the original. So, armed with some basic dimensions that I found here and there, a decent side-view photo that I could scale and trace to get the angles right (or close), and hours of google searches studying images of this chair for telling details, I set to work.

I have a CNC machine, and I'll be using it to cut out many of the pieces. I loaded the chair side-view image into Vectric's CAM program, scaled the image to make the height of the back 28", and then started working on vectors to outline the side assembly. I was prepared to deviate from the original's MT joinery by using puzzle-piece joints as shown below (I know, sacrilege). Primarily because I wanted to try it, but also because at the time I wasn't setup to cut mortises for floating tenons. Ultimately, I abandoned this approach for aesthetic reasons and because I was concerned that the back-to-leg joint might be too weak. But, I used them for a plywood prototype that let me play around with proportions of the rails and seat before committing to real wood.










Plywood front leg and back stile:









Testing the fit of the joint with a scrap piece prior to cutting the long rear leg:









The long rear leg exceeds the bed size of the CNC, so here I'm "tiling" the cut, where as section of the leg is cut, then re-positioned to cut the next section. It takes 3 tiles to complete the leg.









This is the final tile. The dowels are used to index the piece as it's re-positioned for each subsequent tile.









A good dry fit.









This was as far as I took the prototype. It helped me tweak the dimensions of some of the remaining pieces. I used dowels to attach the rails to the sides, which made me realize that I didn't want use dowels. They were too fiddly for me with the drilling jig that I had. This is when I started seriously considering floating tenons and how I could make the mortises.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

RossL said:


> *Planning and Prototyping*
> 
> My first thought was that I would try to find some plans for this chair on the internet. Nope. All I found were some plans for a really atrocious mockery of the design. Not even close to the proportions and style of the original. So, armed with some basic dimensions that I found here and there, a decent side-view photo that I could scale and trace to get the angles right (or close), and hours of google searches studying images of this chair for telling details, I set to work.
> 
> ...


Truly an inspiration.
Love the way you use the CNC.
Cobining the old and new.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Planning and Prototyping*
> 
> My first thought was that I would try to find some plans for this chair on the internet. Nope. All I found were some plans for a really atrocious mockery of the design. Not even close to the proportions and style of the original. So, armed with some basic dimensions that I found here and there, a decent side-view photo that I could scale and trace to get the angles right (or close), and hours of google searches studying images of this chair for telling details, I set to work.
> 
> ...


The CNC definitely exercises different skills - modeling, toolpath planning, creative hold-downs. I promise that all the slat sanding was done by hand, though.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

RossL said:


> *Planning and Prototyping*
> 
> My first thought was that I would try to find some plans for this chair on the internet. Nope. All I found were some plans for a really atrocious mockery of the design. Not even close to the proportions and style of the original. So, armed with some basic dimensions that I found here and there, a decent side-view photo that I could scale and trace to get the angles right (or close), and hours of google searches studying images of this chair for telling details, I set to work.
> 
> ...


Ha ha ha, I have never worked with a CNC, but would love to one fine day.
Woodworking don't have rules, just ways, CNC is one of them.


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*A Jig Interlude*

Since I was switching gears to use butt joints with floating tenons instead of the puzzle joints, I started looking at various router jigs for cutting the mortises. I found a lot of helpful videos on homemade jigs, and eventually I modeled mine largely on the Morely Mortising Jig However, for mine I wanted to use interchangeable templates for repeatability and ease-of-use, rather than use the siding side stops that Morely uses. Other than that, the structure of mine is like the Morely jig.

It's all 3/4" baltic birch ply, cut out on the CNC, with some cocobolo runners on the subtop.


















The Microjig dovetail clamps work very well. I like that they can be positioned in the vertical dovetails loose and they don't slide out.










The top slides on the runners and adjusts to set the distance away from the side of the material for the mortise. The recessed area accommodates the sight insert and the plexi templates (cut on the CNC). I added some magnets to hold the templates securely.



















The cross-hair sight insert allows me to precisely position the material in the center of the opening. 


















I just used some nuts for the magnet strikers in the templates. They're recessed into the template and super-glued in place.









The first trial run:


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

RossL said:


> *A Jig Interlude*
> 
> Since I was switching gears to use butt joints with floating tenons instead of the puzzle joints, I started looking at various router jigs for cutting the mortises. I found a lot of helpful videos on homemade jigs, and eventually I modeled mine largely on the Morely Mortising Jig However, for mine I wanted to use interchangeable templates for repeatability and ease-of-use, rather than use the siding side stops that Morely uses. Other than that, the structure of mine is like the Morely jig.
> 
> ...


That is one cool jig!
Really fine work on that one.
Love your sense of detail, really impressed, look forward to see what you are up to.
First time I see you here, so a hi also.
Best of my thoughts,
Mads


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *A Jig Interlude*
> 
> Since I was switching gears to use butt joints with floating tenons instead of the puzzle joints, I started looking at various router jigs for cutting the mortises. I found a lot of helpful videos on homemade jigs, and eventually I modeled mine largely on the Morely Mortising Jig However, for mine I wanted to use interchangeable templates for repeatability and ease-of-use, rather than use the siding side stops that Morely uses. Other than that, the structure of mine is like the Morely jig.
> 
> ...


Mads,
Thanks for the kind words. I've benefited from this site over the years, so it's high time I try to contribute back. I'm having a blast with this project, and am happy to share the experience.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

RossL said:


> *A Jig Interlude*
> 
> Since I was switching gears to use butt joints with floating tenons instead of the puzzle joints, I started looking at various router jigs for cutting the mortises. I found a lot of helpful videos on homemade jigs, and eventually I modeled mine largely on the Morely Mortising Jig However, for mine I wanted to use interchangeable templates for repeatability and ease-of-use, rather than use the siding side stops that Morely uses. Other than that, the structure of mine is like the Morely jig.
> 
> ...


;-) Look forward to follow as you go on.


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

RossL said:


> *A Jig Interlude*
> 
> Since I was switching gears to use butt joints with floating tenons instead of the puzzle joints, I started looking at various router jigs for cutting the mortises. I found a lot of helpful videos on homemade jigs, and eventually I modeled mine largely on the Morely Mortising Jig However, for mine I wanted to use interchangeable templates for repeatability and ease-of-use, rather than use the siding side stops that Morely uses. Other than that, the structure of mine is like the Morely jig.
> 
> ...


That is a nice jig. Very clean looking.


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Slats*

With the mortising jig ready, I could get back to the chair project. I had some rough-sawn cherry that was gifted to me by my brother-in-law years back, and I thought I'd use it for this project. It's not particularly nice looking wood - kind of mottled - but it was free, so perfect.

For the slats, I re-sawed and drum sanded some pieces to 3/4" thick. The slats were to be 3/4" deep at each end, 1-1/2" deep at the peak, and 17" long. Cutting them with square edges and then trying to round-over with a 3/8" bit would have been hard to do, even with a router table. As an edge was rounded, there would be little flat surface left to stabilize the piece on the table.

Instead, I used 2-sided machining on the CNC, where half of the profile is cut on one side of the material, then it's flipped and the remaining side is cut out. Dowel indexing pins ensure that the wood is located exactly where it needs to be for the sides to align.

I used a point cutting round-over bit, with the final pass depth not quite to the center of the plank. This leaves a thin skin in the center that helps keep the piece from shifting on that last pass. 









I was able to fit 4 slats on one plank, so running this job twice gave me the 7 slats I needed plus an extra.









A utility knife freed the slats, and then it was a matter of sanding-off the ridge on straight side to get it ready for cutting the dowel holes in the end.



















The mortising jig works great for cutting the dowel holes. I setup a temporary fence to align first slat in the right spot, and then knocked out all the holes in a few minutes.


















All done with the holes. I didn't realize until looking at this photo that the trim on the edge of the workbench came from the same stack of cherry.









After sanding down all the slats, I set them aside until later.


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## Tango (Sep 2, 2008)

RossL said:


> *Slats*
> 
> With the mortising jig ready, I could get back to the chair project. I had some rough-sawn cherry that was gifted to me by my brother-in-law years back, and I thought I'd use it for this project. It's not particularly nice looking wood - kind of mottled - but it was free, so perfect.
> 
> ...


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Slats*
> 
> With the mortising jig ready, I could get back to the chair project. I had some rough-sawn cherry that was gifted to me by my brother-in-law years back, and I thought I'd use it for this project. It's not particularly nice looking wood - kind of mottled - but it was free, so perfect.
> 
> ...


Tango - Now that's an assembly detail that I've not seen posted as an image anywhere, thanks. I did read that the chair was made with keyhole knockdown joints, but I've never seen one pictured. If you've got photos of your restoration of this chair, I know I'm not the only one who would love to see those. Post 'em if you've got 'em!


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## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Slats*
> 
> With the mortising jig ready, I could get back to the chair project. I had some rough-sawn cherry that was gifted to me by my brother-in-law years back, and I thought I'd use it for this project. It's not particularly nice looking wood - kind of mottled - but it was free, so perfect.
> 
> ...


Just found and read through this blog series. Love how you thoroughly describe methods, considerations and solutions for all of us to learn. 
Love MCM style as well and have enjoyed making a lof of differnet designs. Will keep an eye on this blog!


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## Tango (Sep 2, 2008)

RossL said:


> *Slats*
> 
> With the mortising jig ready, I could get back to the chair project. I had some rough-sawn cherry that was gifted to me by my brother-in-law years back, and I thought I'd use it for this project. It's not particularly nice looking wood - kind of mottled - but it was free, so perfect.
> 
> ...


I will post all the pictures I have taken on my account. I don't wan't to distract your very interesting blog. I Dreamed about replicating the original chair but I don't think my skills are up to. Way to go Ross!


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Slats*
> 
> With the mortising jig ready, I could get back to the chair project. I had some rough-sawn cherry that was gifted to me by my brother-in-law years back, and I thought I'd use it for this project. It's not particularly nice looking wood - kind of mottled - but it was free, so perfect.
> 
> ...





> Just found and read through this blog series. Love how you thoroughly describe methods, considerations and solutions for all of us to learn.
> Love MCM style as well and have enjoyed making a lof of differnet designs. Will keep an eye on this blog!
> 
> - kaerlighedsbamsen


Thanks! I just found your series on the Wegner dining room chairs. I'm definitely going to spend some time there. I picked up the book, "Wegner: Just One Good Chair" at the library, and there are some inspirational pieces in there that have me looking ahead to a future project.


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Slats*
> 
> With the mortising jig ready, I could get back to the chair project. I had some rough-sawn cherry that was gifted to me by my brother-in-law years back, and I thought I'd use it for this project. It's not particularly nice looking wood - kind of mottled - but it was free, so perfect.
> 
> ...





> I will post all the pictures I have taken on my account. I don t wan t to distract your very interesting blog. I Dreamed about replicating the original chair but I don t think my skills are up to. Way to go Ross!
> 
> - Tango


Fantastic, I can't wait! I'll be on the lookout for your posts - thanks so much for sharing.


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## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Slats*
> 
> With the mortising jig ready, I could get back to the chair project. I had some rough-sawn cherry that was gifted to me by my brother-in-law years back, and I thought I'd use it for this project. It's not particularly nice looking wood - kind of mottled - but it was free, so perfect.
> 
> ...





> Thanks! I just found your series on the Wegner dining room chairs. I m definitely going to spend some time there. I picked up the book, "Wegner: Just One Good Chair" at the library, and there are some inspirational pieces in there that have me looking ahead to a future project.
> 
> - Ross Leidy


Glad if there is some usefull information in my blogs. Ask if questions arise.
Wegner is one of my absolute favorites and have, among several others, the book you mention. Each page has a new piece I want to take inspiration from and build something similar. As you have found out for your self, finding drawing, dimentions and methods used in making Danish MCM furniture is not easy. Have you had a look at the work that Caleb James does ?


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## Tango (Sep 2, 2008)

RossL said:


> *Slats*
> 
> With the mortising jig ready, I could get back to the chair project. I had some rough-sawn cherry that was gifted to me by my brother-in-law years back, and I thought I'd use it for this project. It's not particularly nice looking wood - kind of mottled - but it was free, so perfect.
> 
> ...


Hi Ross, I started a new blog to show the pictures I took from the restoration process.
A little history…
The chairs (originally a pair of Z's..) were purchased by my parents btw. 1963 and 1965 at a surplus auction held by the American Embassy in Asuncion-Paraguay (South America). 
One of the chairs survived many years of abuse from 5 children (me and 4 more brothers). The second one got lost or destroyed or who knows what at some point in time. I rescued the surviving chair from my Mom's house a couple of years ago.
The original seat frame was no longer the original piece and I discarded it. I disassembled the chair and brought it to Miami where I reside with my family since 2004.


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Slats*
> 
> With the mortising jig ready, I could get back to the chair project. I had some rough-sawn cherry that was gifted to me by my brother-in-law years back, and I thought I'd use it for this project. It's not particularly nice looking wood - kind of mottled - but it was free, so perfect.
> 
> ...





> Hi Ross, I started a new blog to show the pictures I took from the restoration process.
> A little history…
> The chairs (originally a pair of Z s..) were purchased by my parents btw. 1963 and 1965 at a surplus auction held by the American Embassy in Asuncion-Paraguay (South America).
> One of the chairs survived many years of abuse from 5 children (me and 4 more brothers). The second one got lost or destroyed or who knows what at some point in time. I rescued the surviving chair from my Mom s house a couple of years ago.
> ...


Great backstory. That's a chair with some history. Kudos for keeping it going.


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Slats*
> 
> With the mortising jig ready, I could get back to the chair project. I had some rough-sawn cherry that was gifted to me by my brother-in-law years back, and I thought I'd use it for this project. It's not particularly nice looking wood - kind of mottled - but it was free, so perfect.
> 
> ...





> Glad if there is some usefull information in my blogs. Ask if questions arise.
> Wegner is one of my absolute favorites and have, among several others, the book you mention. Each page has a new piece I want to take inspiration from and build something similar. As you have found out for your self, finding drawing, dimentions and methods used in making Danish MCM furniture is not easy. Have you had a look at the work that Caleb James does ?
> 
> - kaerlighedsbamsen


I have seen Caleb James' site. The Wegner CH25 is one that I've been eyeing.


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## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Slats*
> 
> With the mortising jig ready, I could get back to the chair project. I had some rough-sawn cherry that was gifted to me by my brother-in-law years back, and I thought I'd use it for this project. It's not particularly nice looking wood - kind of mottled - but it was free, so perfect.
> 
> ...





> I have seen Caleb James site. The Wegner CH25 is one that I ve been eyeing.


Would love to see your version of that!


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Seat frame - strap recesses*

Since I was already working with 3/4" material on the slats, I opted to start on the seat frame next. I estimated a width of 2-1/2" for the seat frame, which now I think was a little wider than the original. I'm guessing it was more like 2-1/8" to 2-1/4". The images I found don't seem to be entirely consistent, so the manufacturer may have used different widths. I'm not sweating it though since the width of the frame won't be visible once a cushion is in place. And I'd rather over-build than under-build.

Having looked at hundreds of photos of this chair, I saw 3 different ways that elastic straps were attached to the seat frame: 

A wide-ish slot for the strap to go through, and presumably be held with a dowel through a loop in the end of the strap on the underside of the frame.
A long recessed channel with a thin angled slot the length of the channel, and Fagas straps clip into the slot. (This seemed to be the most common.)
Three individual recesses on each side of the frame, each with a slot for a Fagas strap clip. Now I swear that I've seen this configuration somewhere, but when I went back to try to find an example online, I couldn't. So, it's either not very common or I'm sadly mistaken. Whatever the case, this is what I did for my chair.

Instead of the Fagas-style clips, I went for the readily-available upholstery webbing clips that friction-fit into a 1/8" wide slot in the frame. I got both the clips and a roll of elastic webbing on eBay.









This is a test for the recess and clip slot. I ended up reducing the size of the recess and the radius of the corners.


















On the CNC, I hogged-out the 1/8" deep recesses with an end mill and then went back with a core box bit to cove the edges. The piece of scrap on top is to prevent tear-out.









Though the side pieces of the seat frame will be 5" shorter than the front and back, I cut all the recesses on full length pieces to make clamping and indexing them on the CNC easier. The side pieces will be cut to the proper length later.









In retrospect, I should have made a smaller step-over for the end mill when cutting the recess. Those ridges were a pain to sand out in that small area.









Though the strap clips should hold fine with a simple vertical slot, I wanted to angle the slots a little just to be safe. A 10 degree angle off perpendicular was about all I could manage given the bit length of the 1/8" end mill. Any steeper of an angle and the collet would begin contacting the wood on the upper edge. 


















Strap recesses complete. Except for the sanding - yuck!


----------



## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

RossL said:


> *Seat frame - strap recesses*
> 
> Since I was already working with 3/4" material on the slats, I opted to start on the seat frame next. I estimated a width of 2-1/2" for the seat frame, which now I think was a little wider than the original. I'm guessing it was more like 2-1/8" to 2-1/4". The images I found don't seem to be entirely consistent, so the manufacturer may have used different widths. I'm not sweating it though since the width of the frame won't be visible once a cushion is in place. And I'd rather over-build than under-build.
> 
> ...


Hi,
Really interesting with the explanations on the CNC work, thank you.
Wonderful that you explain so carefully, this makes it possible to learn from.
I can easy see that these clips are easy, but I have a hard time picture them in Danish classic furniture making, the loops and rod was quite common though.
When this is said, if it's a lot easier and it's a not visual detail, I guess it will be fair.
Fine work.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Seat frame - strap recesses*
> 
> Since I was already working with 3/4" material on the slats, I opted to start on the seat frame next. I estimated a width of 2-1/2" for the seat frame, which now I think was a little wider than the original. I'm guessing it was more like 2-1/8" to 2-1/4". The images I found don't seem to be entirely consistent, so the manufacturer may have used different widths. I'm not sweating it though since the width of the frame won't be visible once a cushion is in place. And I'd rather over-build than under-build.
> 
> ...


Good and simple solution to use the cnc for the job. 
I too have newer seen these clips on Danish furniture, it seems these chairs were made by several manufacturers, some in the US.


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Seat frame - strap recesses*
> 
> Since I was already working with 3/4" material on the slats, I opted to start on the seat frame next. I estimated a width of 2-1/2" for the seat frame, which now I think was a little wider than the original. I'm guessing it was more like 2-1/8" to 2-1/4". The images I found don't seem to be entirely consistent, so the manufacturer may have used different widths. I'm not sweating it though since the width of the frame won't be visible once a cushion is in place. And I'd rather over-build than under-build.
> 
> ...


Yes, this particular clip style was a compromise, but they were inexpensive so I thought I'd give them a try. Also, my primary goal was to match the overall shape and proportions of the original as best I could, not necessarily to match all the construction techniques. If after it's complete and someone lifts the cushion and declares, "this isn't original", I'll take my lumps.


----------



## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

RossL said:


> *Seat frame - strap recesses*
> 
> Since I was already working with 3/4" material on the slats, I opted to start on the seat frame next. I estimated a width of 2-1/2" for the seat frame, which now I think was a little wider than the original. I'm guessing it was more like 2-1/8" to 2-1/4". The images I found don't seem to be entirely consistent, so the manufacturer may have used different widths. I'm not sweating it though since the width of the frame won't be visible once a cushion is in place. And I'd rather over-build than under-build.
> 
> ...


As I said, it's YOUR chair, so it's not meant as a negative thing, it was just meant for info, from a Dane.
Laugh, I would also be surprised, if some one liftet the cushion and declares, "this isn't original". I might even answer them: 'ohhh shut up and get a life'. Ha ha.
I have never ssen those cips befor, so I have to say you openend my eyes for something new, thank you.
Laugh and a smile Mads


----------



## TEK73 (Mar 15, 2019)

RossL said:


> *Seat frame - strap recesses*
> 
> Since I was already working with 3/4" material on the slats, I opted to start on the seat frame next. I estimated a width of 2-1/2" for the seat frame, which now I think was a little wider than the original. I'm guessing it was more like 2-1/8" to 2-1/4". The images I found don't seem to be entirely consistent, so the manufacturer may have used different widths. I'm not sweating it though since the width of the frame won't be visible once a cushion is in place. And I'd rather over-build than under-build.
> 
> ...


Really nice build and a informative blog (I have read all parts available).

I'm just curious about the seat frame and the mounts.
It seems like the cnc'ed holes is aligned with the wood grains, and I get a tiny bit worried that the frame may split up along the grain if high pressure is applied.

But, it may not be a actual problem - First - maybe I'm just overthinking.
Second, I assume the seat pillow will rest on the frame itself as well as the strops, so the actually pressure on the strops will not be very high - as the cushin will divide the forces over the frame itself and all the straps.

So your probably all good


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Seat frame - strap recesses*
> 
> Since I was already working with 3/4" material on the slats, I opted to start on the seat frame next. I estimated a width of 2-1/2" for the seat frame, which now I think was a little wider than the original. I'm guessing it was more like 2-1/8" to 2-1/4". The images I found don't seem to be entirely consistent, so the manufacturer may have used different widths. I'm not sweating it though since the width of the frame won't be visible once a cushion is in place. And I'd rather over-build than under-build.
> 
> ...





> Really nice build and a informative blog (I have read all parts available).
> 
> I'm just curious about the seat frame and the mounts.
> It seems like the cnc'ed holes is aligned with the wood grains, and I get a tiny bit worried that the frame may split up along the grain if high pressure is applied.
> ...


Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying the build. I think I should be okay with the slots for the webbing. An alternative way to attach the straps that appears to be common to Danish chairs of this era uses even wider slots in the frame and the webbing/strap passes through to underneath. If the wide slots don't present a problem, then I'm confident that my narrow slots should be okay.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about:


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Seat frame - shaping and joinery*

I've been captivated by one detail of the original design that's easy to overlook. But as small as it is, I think it contributes to the overall lightness of the form. It's that the side pieces of the seat frame are slightly thinner than the front and rear pieces, and that the side pieces are inset slightly so that there's a slight reveal at the joint with the front and rear pieces. I tried to find a good photo to show a blowup of the area - this one is okay, but you can definitely see it. There also seems to be a slight curve on the outer edges - not just a simple round-over.









For the softly rounded edges, I picked up a finger nail router bit with a 1-1/2" radius curve. In the end, this didn't fully replicate the shape of the original, but I'm okay with that because it's equally attractive (IMO).



















I decided on a 1/32" reveal for the joints, which required that the side pieces be sanded down to 11/16" thick. I used a piece of veneer that was pretty darn close to 1/32" to offset the side pieces when cutting the mortises.


















This was one of the sight cross-hair styles I tried for the mortising jig. It's hard to see with this size photo, but there are parallel lines about a 1/16" apart and you center the pencil lines between them.


















And here's where I discovered something wrong - the mortise wasn't centered. After a long process of trying to figure out where my error was on the mortising jig, the sights, the templates, I eventually found that the new plunge router I bought just for this purpose had a misalignment between the shaft and the bushing holder. (But I digress: It was a Festool, and I assumed it would on-the-money concentric. Unfortunately it wasn't and the tool did not allow for any adjustment. Some google searches found a lot of people with the problem. Luckily, Festool has a great warranty program and it was repaired within a week with no shipping cost to me.)

I cut the mating mortise with the same off-center position so that the joint would come out right, and then I fiddled with the mortise jig top position to compensate for the error and cut the remaining mortises.



























Pieces sanded and dry fit and set aside until later.


----------



## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

RossL said:


> *Seat frame - shaping and joinery*
> 
> I've been captivated by one detail of the original design that's easy to overlook. But as small as it is, I think it contributes to the overall lightness of the form. It's that the side pieces of the seat frame are slightly thinner than the front and rear pieces, and that the side pieces are inset slightly so that there's a slight reveal at the joint with the front and rear pieces. I tried to find a good photo to show a blowup of the area - this one is okay, but you can definitely see it. There also seems to be a slight curve on the outer edges - not just a simple round-over.
> 
> ...


Hi,
Now we really see the jig in use.
Woooho I was surprised to read that it was common with Festol routers being not spot on, one would not expect that.
I think it's fine the front curve you did, but that you need to round over the edges like on the original, just so it feels sweet to touch, as I see it on the original, and what was normal on Danish furniture, you never touch a sharp edge, the furniture must look sharp, but feel sweet.
Best thoughts,
Mads


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Seat frame - shaping and joinery*
> 
> I've been captivated by one detail of the original design that's easy to overlook. But as small as it is, I think it contributes to the overall lightness of the form. It's that the side pieces of the seat frame are slightly thinner than the front and rear pieces, and that the side pieces are inset slightly so that there's a slight reveal at the joint with the front and rear pieces. I tried to find a good photo to show a blowup of the area - this one is okay, but you can definitely see it. There also seems to be a slight curve on the outer edges - not just a simple round-over.
> 
> ...


I have eased the sharp edges of the frame with hand-sanding, but I need to do a little more before glue-up. Especially at the corners. I do appreciate the comments from a Dane, though. Keep me honest.


----------



## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

RossL said:


> *Seat frame - shaping and joinery*
> 
> I've been captivated by one detail of the original design that's easy to overlook. But as small as it is, I think it contributes to the overall lightness of the form. It's that the side pieces of the seat frame are slightly thinner than the front and rear pieces, and that the side pieces are inset slightly so that there's a slight reveal at the joint with the front and rear pieces. I tried to find a good photo to show a blowup of the area - this one is okay, but you can definitely see it. There also seems to be a slight curve on the outer edges - not just a simple round-over.
> 
> ...


;-) Deal.


----------



## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Seat frame - shaping and joinery*
> 
> I've been captivated by one detail of the original design that's easy to overlook. But as small as it is, I think it contributes to the overall lightness of the form. It's that the side pieces of the seat frame are slightly thinner than the front and rear pieces, and that the side pieces are inset slightly so that there's a slight reveal at the joint with the front and rear pieces. I tried to find a good photo to show a blowup of the area - this one is okay, but you can definitely see it. There also seems to be a slight curve on the outer edges - not just a simple round-over.
> 
> ...


Taks like this were often made using a spindle shaper and costom grinded (ground?) shaper irons made to make that perfect, sharp, but sweet curve MAFE talks about. 
Apreciate that you took notice of the small detail and not just igniored it. On things this simple the small details makes all the difference!


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Rails*

Feel free to correct my terminology, which could be wrong since I'm not chair anatomy savvy. I did research a bit, but there didn't seem to be consistency in the terms. For this build, I'll refer to upper/top rail as the one at the top of the back, rear rail as the one at the back of the seat, and front rail as the one at the front of the seat.

All rails are 22" long.

The front rail is 3" x 3/4". I played around with the shape for the arc cutout, starting with a circle chord. That didn't look anything like the chair photos - it would leave too much material and look too beefy. I switched to an oval and after a lot of tweaking, this is where I landed.









And then cut out the arc on the CNC.









The upper rail is 2-1/4" x 3/4, with the top edge rounded with an oval profile bit. It seemed from photos of the chair that the upper rail edge did not have a simple round-over. But after seeing Tango's photos, it looks like the top rail has a shallow bevel on each side so it's thinner on the top edge, and then has a simple round-over. I'll have to think about whether re-cut mine. Hmmmm.









The rear rail was 1-3/4" x 1". This was intentionally thicker than the original because I wanted to make sure I built it strong enough. The 3 amigos:









Marking the rear upper/lower rails for the slat dowels. They are spaced 3" apart, leaving 2" of rail on either end.









Loaded into the mortising jig, I cut the dowel holes and the mortises in the ends of the rear and front rails.



























I had been puzzling over just how to support the back of the seat frame on the lower rail, and hadn't settled that part of the design until this point. It will mean a slight change to the seat frame, but I'll show that in a later post. Where I landed was to attach a small shelf for the seat frame to rest on. I cut a strip of cherry with a bevel that would match the angle of the seat frame, and glued it to the rear rail.


















I knew that the bottom of the rear rail had a round-over, and in the interest of not removing too much material, I used the same finger nail bit as I did for the seat frame edges.









On the front rail, I cut the bevel for the seat frame to rest on.









Finally, I dry fit the slats to the rear rails.


----------



## Tango (Sep 2, 2008)

RossL said:


> *Rails*
> 
> Feel free to correct my terminology, which could be wrong since I'm not chair anatomy savvy. I did research a bit, but there didn't seem to be consistency in the terms. For this build, I'll refer to upper/top rail as the one at the top of the back, rear rail as the one at the back of the seat, and front rail as the one at the front of the seat.
> 
> ...


Hi!

The top rail is rounded with a fixed radius and is not a bullet profile. Maybe the picture angle was not the best and appears to be thinner. I will take my time and produce a CAD master template for this chair. It will take me some extra time but I think is worth.
Also, the top and bottom rails are about 7/8 thick stock. I will confirm this for you as soon as I have a chance to stop by my daughter's house.

Regards!


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## Tango (Sep 2, 2008)

RossL said:


> *Rails*
> 
> Feel free to correct my terminology, which could be wrong since I'm not chair anatomy savvy. I did research a bit, but there didn't seem to be consistency in the terms. For this build, I'll refer to upper/top rail as the one at the top of the back, rear rail as the one at the back of the seat, and front rail as the one at the front of the seat.
> 
> ...


Sorry Ross.I was wrong! The top rail is indeed "bullet" shaped. More like a smooth parabolic curve…
See the measurements on my restoration blog.


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## Tango (Sep 2, 2008)

RossL said:


> *Rails*
> 
> Feel free to correct my terminology, which could be wrong since I'm not chair anatomy savvy. I did research a bit, but there didn't seem to be consistency in the terms. For this build, I'll refer to upper/top rail as the one at the top of the back, rear rail as the one at the back of the seat, and front rail as the one at the front of the seat.
> 
> ...












The blue curve is pretty close to the top rail shape.


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Rails*
> 
> Feel free to correct my terminology, which could be wrong since I'm not chair anatomy savvy. I did research a bit, but there didn't seem to be consistency in the terms. For this build, I'll refer to upper/top rail as the one at the top of the back, rear rail as the one at the back of the seat, and front rail as the one at the front of the seat.
> 
> ...


Of course, cosh.  Are you a math guy?

I won't be able to replicate that exactly, but I think I can take a little more off that the top of the rail with the bit I have.


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## Tango (Sep 2, 2008)

RossL said:


> *Rails*
> 
> Feel free to correct my terminology, which could be wrong since I'm not chair anatomy savvy. I did research a bit, but there didn't seem to be consistency in the terms. For this build, I'll refer to upper/top rail as the one at the top of the back, rear rail as the one at the back of the seat, and front rail as the one at the front of the seat.
> 
> ...





> Of course, cosh.  Are you a math guy?
> 
> I won t be able to replicate that exactly, but I think I can take a little more off that the top of the rail with the bit I have.
> 
> - Ross Leidy


Hahaha I'm an architect but no mathematician. Just familiar with geometry.

I assume that a lot of the shaping in this chairs were made by hand (sanding, filing, scraping). To replicate a profile like this will require working with spokeshaves or heavy sanding. 
By the way, the overall weight of the chair is on the light side and looks fragile but once assembled is quite sturdy.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

RossL said:


> *Rails*
> 
> Feel free to correct my terminology, which could be wrong since I'm not chair anatomy savvy. I did research a bit, but there didn't seem to be consistency in the terms. For this build, I'll refer to upper/top rail as the one at the top of the back, rear rail as the one at the back of the seat, and front rail as the one at the front of the seat.
> 
> ...


Again really interesting to follow along, thank you for all the time spend documenting.
You are doing a wonderful job here, don't let the smallest of details kill you, what you do is your version, not an exact copy, so try to feel your details, this is the more important.
Tango, wonderful to read your dedication. ;-) And yes it was normal to do finish with spokeshaves and cardscrapers back then. You can see that on old photos from the Danish furniture maker shops.
Look forward to follow.
Best thoughts,
Mads


----------



## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

RossL said:


> *Rails*
> 
> Feel free to correct my terminology, which could be wrong since I'm not chair anatomy savvy. I did research a bit, but there didn't seem to be consistency in the terms. For this build, I'll refer to upper/top rail as the one at the top of the back, rear rail as the one at the back of the seat, and front rail as the one at the front of the seat.
> 
> ...


Ha ha, I sounded like the teacher, sorry… 
I used to teach at the school for constructing architects in Copenhagen, so bad habits.
(I am educated constructing architect and after that building architect, here in Denmark, the wood working is a hobby that grew on me, after I had to take an early retirement due to a neck operation, so I'm a wood rookie). :-D
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Rails*
> 
> Feel free to correct my terminology, which could be wrong since I'm not chair anatomy savvy. I did research a bit, but there didn't seem to be consistency in the terms. For this build, I'll refer to upper/top rail as the one at the top of the back, rear rail as the one at the back of the seat, and front rail as the one at the front of the seat.
> 
> ...


Mads - I'm happy to hear your perspective. Who's going to disregard comments from a Danish architect?

Tango - I'm surrounded by architects! This is awesome!


----------



## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

RossL said:


> *Rails*
> 
> Feel free to correct my terminology, which could be wrong since I'm not chair anatomy savvy. I did research a bit, but there didn't seem to be consistency in the terms. For this build, I'll refer to upper/top rail as the one at the top of the back, rear rail as the one at the back of the seat, and front rail as the one at the front of the seat.
> 
> ...


Ha ha ha, be careful what you wish for!
Smiles,
Mads


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Side structure - Getting started*

Once I tweak the design for future chairs, I'll cut templates on the CNC for the the legs and back stile and use a pattern bit on the the router table to cut them out. For this initial chair, I cut out the pieces directly on the CNC. The one benefit of this is that I can have the CNC cut the mortises as well. But mortising slots could be worked into the templates as well. Since there's a lot more waste and setup time on the CNC, I wouldn't want to do this every time.

When cutting out the front legs, I did get some tear-out on one of them at the slight flare at the joint end. It's a fragile area so next time I'll shift the joint a little down the leg to eliminate that weak little flare. When cutting the remaining pieces, I changed to a climb cut just in case and had no other machining issues.









The start of the long rear leg/arm support pieces:









Small tabs of wood around the perimeter of each piece keep things from shifting as the final pass cuts through the majority of the outline. Once machining is complete, the tabs are easily cut with a utility knife to free the pieces.









Cutting the mortise in the front leg:



























And the mortise on the long side piece that becomes the rear leg:









Test fitting. 









You can see the tear-out on the front leg. A lot of it won't matter because of the round-over. The hole that remains I'll fill with saw dust and CA glue. Fortunately, it's in a place that's not going to be easily seen.









Dry fit the legs and back. If there's one weak spot on the chair, it's the mortise for the bottom rear rail. There's the mortise that's visible here and the mortise for the back stile. I shifted the joint upwards so the mortises don't meet, but there a chance that rear leg could snap-off at that point. Whether it does or it doesn't I'll learn something. At the very least, I'll decrease the mortise depth next time. I't 0.8" deep in the 1" material.


----------



## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Side structure - Getting started*
> 
> Once I tweak the design for future chairs, I'll cut templates on the CNC for the the legs and back stile and use a pattern bit on the the router table to cut them out. For this initial chair, I cut out the pieces directly on the CNC. The one benefit of this is that I can have the CNC cut the mortises as well. But mortising slots could be worked into the templates as well. Since there's a lot more waste and setup time on the CNC, I wouldn't want to do this every time.
> 
> ...


Wow you are speeding along here. In my experience climb-cutting solves a lot of problems, also regarding accuracy


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Dry fit pieces to date*

In the interest of procrastinating work on the arms, which I think will be the more challenging part, I took some time to dry-fit the pieces I had so far. It's starting to look chair-like now.



















I discovered a slight issue with the seat frame that I need to remedy. Because of the rounded edge, the back part of the frame sits out pretty far on the little ledge on the rear rail. I will likely just cut a bevel on the rear piece of the seat frame so that it snugs-up to the rear rail. From Tango's photos, that's what was done on the original as well. I'll lose about 1/4" of seat depth, and while that will irritate me, I'm pretty sure I won't notice it when it's done.


----------



## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

RossL said:


> *Dry fit pieces to date*
> 
> In the interest of procrastinating work on the arms, which I think will be the more challenging part, I took some time to dry-fit the pieces I had so far. It's starting to look chair-like now.
> 
> ...


You are making great progress.


----------



## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

RossL said:


> *Dry fit pieces to date*
> 
> In the interest of procrastinating work on the arms, which I think will be the more challenging part, I took some time to dry-fit the pieces I had so far. It's starting to look chair-like now.
> 
> ...


It's looking a lot like a really cool chair now.
Smiles.


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Dry fit pieces to date*
> 
> In the interest of procrastinating work on the arms, which I think will be the more challenging part, I took some time to dry-fit the pieces I had so far. It's starting to look chair-like now.
> 
> ...





> You are making great progress.
> 
> - 489tad


To be fair, I was part way through the project before starting the blog, so it probably seemed like the project was going faster than it really was. But I'm up to real-time now.


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Starting the arms*

I've been saving this part for last because to me it seems like the most difficult piece to shape. I have a approach in mind, but I've been letting the idea rattle around for awhile to see if any refinements occur to me. I've cogitated long enough. Time to start cutting wood.

I went old-school with the template, opting to print out the arm outline on multiple sheets, tape them together, glue the paper template to MDF, rough cut it, then sand down the the line. I think next time I'll just use the CNC to cut out the template. It would be a tiled job since the template is slightly longer than that bed of my CNC, so there would be more setup at the beginning, but the results would be spot-on. The paper-based template is certainly sufficient, though.



























I used double-sided tape to adhere the template to the cherry, and used a flush trim bit to cut the cherry to match. I left the curve to shape on the spindle sander rather than risk tear-out with the trim bit.


----------



## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

RossL said:


> *Starting the arms*
> 
> I've been saving this part for last because to me it seems like the most difficult piece to shape. I have a approach in mind, but I've been letting the idea rattle around for awhile to see if any refinements occur to me. I've cogitated long enough. Time to start cutting wood.
> 
> ...


;-)


----------



## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Starting the arms*
> 
> I've been saving this part for last because to me it seems like the most difficult piece to shape. I have a approach in mind, but I've been letting the idea rattle around for awhile to see if any refinements occur to me. I've cogitated long enough. Time to start cutting wood.
> 
> ...


Definitely a defining part of this chair - but also where you best can add you own, personal touch. Would love to see something, a small detail, that shows your part and what you put into shaping it. Perhaps something from our time, a hint of were you are from, your personal aesthetics etc


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Starting the arms*
> 
> I've been saving this part for last because to me it seems like the most difficult piece to shape. I have a approach in mind, but I've been letting the idea rattle around for awhile to see if any refinements occur to me. I've cogitated long enough. Time to start cutting wood.
> 
> ...





> Definitely a defining part of this chair - but also where you best can add you own, personal touch. Would love to see something, a small detail, that shows your part and what you put into shaping it. Perhaps something from our time, a hint of were you are from, your personal aesthetics etc
> 
> - kaerlighedsbamsen


I am still thinking about how to personalize the chair, but experimenting with the arm shape is outside of my comfort zone. As you say, the arm shape is such a defining part of this chair, so I don't want to mess with the form. I have thought of adding a makers mark, but even then I'm hesitant since the Danish style had so little adornment. Still pondering.


----------



## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Starting the arms*
> 
> I've been saving this part for last because to me it seems like the most difficult piece to shape. I have a approach in mind, but I've been letting the idea rattle around for awhile to see if any refinements occur to me. I've cogitated long enough. Time to start cutting wood.
> 
> ...


The outer silhouet shape of the arm is definitely a defining factor. And see now in one of you later posts that you are sculpting the top of the arm rests. This is going to make a world of a difference, good!


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Starting the arms*
> 
> I've been saving this part for last because to me it seems like the most difficult piece to shape. I have a approach in mind, but I've been letting the idea rattle around for awhile to see if any refinements occur to me. I've cogitated long enough. Time to start cutting wood.
> 
> ...





> The outer silhouet shape of the arm is definitely a defining factor. And see now in one of you later posts that you are sculpting the top of the arm rests. This is going to make a world of a difference, good!
> 
> - kaerlighedsbamsen


I couldn't live with myself if I didn't at least try for that sculpted arm. I'm pleased with how it's coming along.


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Sanity check*

I used a piece of scrap to confirm the bevel angles where the arm will join the rest of the side structure. There's the computer model and then there's reality, and sometimes they don't align. Fortunately, this time they did.

For the long bevel in front, I rough-cut it on the bandsaw and use the disc sander to sneak up on the line.


















I won't cut the bevels on the arm pieces yet. I'll do that after I get the top shaped. I did want to get the 1/2" dowel hole drilled in the end of the arm pieces while they were still square. I did not have a 1/2" spiral bit, but a regular straight plunge bit worked in a pinch. I carried the centerline marks down the 3 flat sides so that I can transfer the marks to the back stile once the bevel is cut.



























The mating surface on the back stile can't be positioned close enough for the router to reach in order to drill the other dowel hole, so this will be done on a drill press later.


----------



## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

RossL said:


> *Sanity check*
> 
> I used a piece of scrap to confirm the bevel angles where the arm will join the rest of the side structure. There's the computer model and then there's reality, and sometimes they don't align. Fortunately, this time they did.
> 
> ...


The coolest router jog to date.
Best thoughts,
Mads


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Seat frame - slight adjustment*

I beveled the rear piece of the seat frame so that the edge will sit flat against the rear lower rail. This will keep the weight as close as possible to the glue line of the lip that's on the lower edge of the rail.










That's better.


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Rear upper rail mortises*

I waited until the back was dry assembled before marking the locations for the upper rail mortises. They needed to be located based on the already-cut mortises on the back stiles that were done on the CNC machine.


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Back stile dowel holes*

The 1/2" dowel holes in the back stiles where the arms attach are not at right angles to the joint. I transferred a line to the side of the stile that was parallel to the dowel, and then clamped some blocks to either side of the stile to elevate one end so that the line was at right angles to the work surface.


















Then drilled the dowel holes on the drill press.


----------



## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Back stile dowel holes*
> 
> The 1/2" dowel holes in the back stiles where the arms attach are not at right angles to the joint. I transferred a line to the side of the stile that was parallel to the dowel, and then clamped some blocks to either side of the stile to elevate one end so that the line was at right angles to the work surface.
> 
> ...


Clever solution to get the angle right!


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Back stile dowel holes*
> 
> The 1/2" dowel holes in the back stiles where the arms attach are not at right angles to the joint. I transferred a line to the side of the stile that was parallel to the dowel, and then clamped some blocks to either side of the stile to elevate one end so that the line was at right angles to the work surface.
> 
> ...





> Clever solution to get the angle right!
> 
> - kaerlighedsbamsen


Thanks. This was an application of the Last Responsible Moment principle. Initially, I wasn't entirely sure how I'd drill the dowel holes accurately, so I let the problem simmer until I couldn't delay any longer. In the end, the method I used worked well for me. I'd do the same thing next time.


----------



## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Back stile dowel holes*
> 
> The 1/2" dowel holes in the back stiles where the arms attach are not at right angles to the joint. I transferred a line to the side of the stile that was parallel to the dowel, and then clamped some blocks to either side of the stile to elevate one end so that the line was at right angles to the work surface.
> 
> ...


"the Last Responsible Moment principle" Newer heard that expressione before - but are definitly going to use it at first possible situation!


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Back stile dowel holes*
> 
> The 1/2" dowel holes in the back stiles where the arms attach are not at right angles to the joint. I transferred a line to the side of the stile that was parallel to the dowel, and then clamped some blocks to either side of the stile to elevate one end so that the line was at right angles to the work surface.
> 
> ...





> "the Last Responsible Moment principle" Newer heard that expressione before - but are definitly going to use it at first possible situation!
> 
> - kaerlighedsbamsen


----------



## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

RossL said:


> *Back stile dowel holes*
> 
> The 1/2" dowel holes in the back stiles where the arms attach are not at right angles to the joint. I transferred a line to the side of the stile that was parallel to the dowel, and then clamped some blocks to either side of the stile to elevate one end so that the line was at right angles to the work surface.
> 
> ...


Love that setup.
Smiles,
Mads


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Arm rough shaping and fitting*

The arms on the original chair have a little raised lip along the outside edge that tapers-off to nothing at the front tip of the arms. I'll try to do something similar.

I used the CNC to sculpt the long, shallow concave section on the top of the arm using a 2" diameter cove bit.














































With the rough shaping done on the top, I moved on to beveling the two ends of the arms where they join the back and arm support.













































I cut shy of the sketched curve and will use a rasp to fine-tune the shape.









I rough-cut the long taper on the bandsaw, and then sanded to the line with the disc sander.









Arms fitted and ready for mortises.


----------



## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

RossL said:


> *Arm rough shaping and fitting*
> 
> The arms on the original chair have a little raised lip along the outside edge that tapers-off to nothing at the front tip of the arms. I'll try to do something similar.
> 
> ...


That arm certainly is more involved than I would have ever thought. You are doing a great job working through the details of the chair.


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Arm rough shaping and fitting*
> 
> The arms on the original chair have a little raised lip along the outside edge that tapers-off to nothing at the front tip of the arms. I'll try to do something similar.
> 
> ...





> That arm certainly is more involved than I would have ever thought. You are doing a great job working through the details of the chair.
> 
> - 489tad


Thanks - I think that shaping and fitting the arm will be the most challenging part of the project. Now that they're part way done, I feel that I'm on the downhill slope.


----------



## Tango (Sep 2, 2008)

RossL said:


> *Arm rough shaping and fitting*
> 
> The arms on the original chair have a little raised lip along the outside edge that tapers-off to nothing at the front tip of the arms. I'll try to do something similar.
> 
> ...


Hi! good to see your posting again! Amazing work.
Can you take a picture of the arm/frame from the side? I think I see a soft curve between the arm and the frame and the original is flatter at that point. Don't get me wrong…your work is outstanding but I don't know how close to the original you want to be and just trying to help.


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Arm rough shaping and fitting*
> 
> The arms on the original chair have a little raised lip along the outside edge that tapers-off to nothing at the front tip of the arms. I'll try to do something similar.
> 
> ...





> Hi! good to see your posting again! Amazing work.
> Can you take a picture of the arm/frame from the side? I think I see a soft curve between the arm and the frame and the original is flatter at that point. Don t get me wrong…your work is outstanding but I don t know how close to the original you want to be and just trying to help.
> 
> - Tango


Good eye. I did have to compromise a bit on the arm shape due to the thickness of my stock. With the 1" stock, in order to get a decent lip along the edge of the arm and maintain a 1" joint between the arm and back (which I know is already a smaller joint area than the original), I had to have a steeper slope from the joint to the dip in the arm. I could have laminated some more cherry to thicken the stock in the joint area of the arm, but I wanted to avoid seeing a glue line, so I decided against it. If/when I build a walnut version, I'll want to get some thicker stock so that I can soften that curve.

I be sure to take some photos of the arm from the side at some point. Hopefully, the steeper slope from the joint won't be too distracting.


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Arm mortises*

Here the underside of the arms has been trimmed away to leave about a 5/8" thickness along the inside edge. 









Mortising the underside of the arm:


















Mortising the arm support/rear leg:









And that's the last of the mortises for the chair.


----------



## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

RossL said:


> *Arm mortises*
> 
> Here the underside of the arms has been trimmed away to leave about a 5/8" thickness along the inside edge.
> 
> ...


Nice. Have you put the whole chair together to see?


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Arm mortises*
> 
> Here the underside of the arms has been trimmed away to leave about a 5/8" thickness along the inside edge.
> 
> ...





> Nice. Have you put the whole chair together to see?
> 
> - 489tad


Not yet. I want to get some more shaping done on the arms first. Delayed gratification.


----------



## Benni81 (Mar 2, 2020)

RossL said:


> *Arm mortises*
> 
> Here the underside of the arms has been trimmed away to leave about a 5/8" thickness along the inside edge.
> 
> ...


Very good work!!!!


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Arm shaping*

This feels more like woodworking.

I started with some layout lines for a chamfer along the lower/outer edge of the arms. I was conservative with their placement so that I wouldn't remove too much wood initially. Ultimately, this will all be rounded-over.
The extra length at the tip I allowed for slop, and it will remain for clamping and then trimmed.









Proof that I do sometimes use hand tools.









A freshly-sharpened plane iron is a wonderful thing.


















There's room for a bit wider chamfer, so I'll make some new layout lines and take a bit more off.









After widening the first chamfer, I setup another set of layout lines for an overlapping chamfer.


















And planed down to the layout lines:


















I took some time to work on the concave section at the tip of the arm where it blends into the arm support using a round file. I clamped a scrap of plywood to define the boundary and prevent me from straying into the joint surface with the file.



























I used the ROS to start rounding the undersides, block plane to ease the edges on the lip, and then hand sanded with 100 grit.


----------



## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Arm shaping*
> 
> This feels more like woodworking.
> 
> ...


Good shape. The narrow edge and elegant curve makes a huge differnce and gives that MCM airy feeling


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Arm shaping*
> 
> This feels more like woodworking.
> 
> ...





> Good shape. The narrow edge and elegant curve makes a huge differnce and gives that MCM airy feeling
> 
> - kaerlighedsbamsen


Thanks. It's a little more chunky than the original, but overall I'm I'm pleased with how it's coming along.


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Dry fit with arms*

Time for another dry fit to see how the arms are looking. It's looking more and more like a chair.










I'll need to do some adjustment on the back stiles at the arm joint. Due to my 1" stock, the joint height needs to be reduced from the design height.










I did a sit test, too, because I was/am worried about the long arm-support-rear-leg piece being compromised with the two close mortises where the lower rear rail and back stiles attach. There was creaking due to no glue in the joints, but it felt solid enough. I clamped a stretcher to each side to keep the legs from splaying from the weight, but other than that, the weight was all taken by the chair joints. It's about time to start rounding-over the edges.


----------



## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

RossL said:


> *Dry fit with arms*
> 
> Time for another dry fit to see how the arms are looking. It's looking more and more like a chair.
> 
> ...


The chair looks great


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Dry fit with arms*
> 
> Time for another dry fit to see how the arms are looking. It's looking more and more like a chair.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Dan. I'm pleased with how it's coming along.


----------



## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

RossL said:


> *Dry fit with arms*
> 
> Time for another dry fit to see how the arms are looking. It's looking more and more like a chair.
> 
> ...


Looks wonderful, uhhh one would like to sit there.
Smiles,
Mads


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Dry fit with arms*
> 
> Time for another dry fit to see how the arms are looking. It's looking more and more like a chair.
> 
> ...





> Looks wonderful, uhhh one would like to sit there.
> Smiles,
> Mads
> 
> - mafe


You and me both, Mads. I need to have an inaugural sit party when it's done.


----------



## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

RossL said:


> *Dry fit with arms*
> 
> Time for another dry fit to see how the arms are looking. It's looking more and more like a chair.
> 
> ...


Yes I think that's needed. smiles.


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Seat frame - mounting holes*

The sides of the seat frame will become structural members for the side assemblies, keeping the legs from splaying away from each other when there's weight on the chair. So, it's important that the seat frame is mounted securely. In Tango's disassembly photos of an original chair here, there are a couple of dowel pins on the top edge of either side of the front rail that index into holes in the bottom of the seat frame. There are then screws that hold the frame in place, both to the front legs and to the lower rear rail (inferred from Tango's photos and other's I found online).

What I decided to do instead was to skip the indexing dowels and use some sturdy cap screws and threaded inserts in similar locations as the wood screws in the original. Here's a couple photos showing where they'll go on one side of the chair. A matching pair will go on the other side. (The loose block is a test for the threaded insert.)


















I made a mockup first to see how it would work out.









I was happy with the result, so I disassembled the seat frame and drilled the 4 holes, first with a 3/8" forstner to recess the screw head and then a 1/4" brad point all the way through.


















Here's how the rear of the frame will mount to the rear rail.









Then a quick tap on the brad point bit in each of the 4 mounting holes to mark the location for the threaded inserts. I'll remove the front legs and drill those holes on the drill press. The rear rail holes I think I'll drill in-situ with the help of an assistant to help me get the angle right. It'll tackle that this weekend.


----------



## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

RossL said:


> *Seat frame - mounting holes*
> 
> The sides of the seat frame will become structural members for the side assemblies, keeping the legs from splaying away from each other when there's weight on the chair. So, it's important that the seat frame is mounted securely. In Tango's disassembly photos of an original chair here, there are a couple of dowel pins on the top edge of either side of the front rail that index into holes in the bottom of the seat frame. There are then screws that hold the frame in place, both to the front legs and to the lower rear rail (inferred from Tango's photos and other's I found online).
> 
> ...


Crisp detail.
Best thoughts,
Mads


----------



## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

RossL said:


> *Seat frame - mounting holes*
> 
> The sides of the seat frame will become structural members for the side assemblies, keeping the legs from splaying away from each other when there's weight on the chair. So, it's important that the seat frame is mounted securely. In Tango's disassembly photos of an original chair here, there are a couple of dowel pins on the top edge of either side of the front rail that index into holes in the bottom of the seat frame. There are then screws that hold the frame in place, both to the front legs and to the lower rear rail (inferred from Tango's photos and other's I found online).
> 
> ...


I think the cap screws are a very good idea.


----------



## Tango (Sep 2, 2008)

RossL said:


> *Seat frame - mounting holes*
> 
> The sides of the seat frame will become structural members for the side assemblies, keeping the legs from splaying away from each other when there's weight on the chair. So, it's important that the seat frame is mounted securely. In Tango's disassembly photos of an original chair here, there are a couple of dowel pins on the top edge of either side of the front rail that index into holes in the bottom of the seat frame. There are then screws that hold the frame in place, both to the front legs and to the lower rear rail (inferred from Tango's photos and other's I found online).
> 
> ...


A very neat solution to attaching the frame.


----------



## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Seat frame - mounting holes*
> 
> The sides of the seat frame will become structural members for the side assemblies, keeping the legs from splaying away from each other when there's weight on the chair. So, it's important that the seat frame is mounted securely. In Tango's disassembly photos of an original chair here, there are a couple of dowel pins on the top edge of either side of the front rail that index into holes in the bottom of the seat frame. There are then screws that hold the frame in place, both to the front legs and to the lower rear rail (inferred from Tango's photos and other's I found online).
> 
> ...


Good solution, discrete, clean and neat


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Seat frame - mounting holes*
> 
> The sides of the seat frame will become structural members for the side assemblies, keeping the legs from splaying away from each other when there's weight on the chair. So, it's important that the seat frame is mounted securely. In Tango's disassembly photos of an original chair here, there are a couple of dowel pins on the top edge of either side of the front rail that index into holes in the bottom of the seat frame. There are then screws that hold the frame in place, both to the front legs and to the lower rear rail (inferred from Tango's photos and other's I found online).
> 
> ...


Thanks for the kind words, guys.


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Seat frame - mounting holes*
> 
> The sides of the seat frame will become structural members for the side assemblies, keeping the legs from splaying away from each other when there's weight on the chair. So, it's important that the seat frame is mounted securely. In Tango's disassembly photos of an original chair here, there are a couple of dowel pins on the top edge of either side of the front rail that index into holes in the bottom of the seat frame. There are then screws that hold the frame in place, both to the front legs and to the lower rear rail (inferred from Tango's photos and other's I found online).
> 
> ...


I ended up drilling the holes for the threaded inserts by hand, and that worked out just fine.


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Back stile tapers*

As best as I can determine from photos, the back stiles taper inward a little from above the joint with the arm to the top end. I didn't notice this until long after I had cut the mortise for the upper back rail. That mortise is 0.8" deep in the 1" thick stock, so it had to be a gentle taper so that I wouldn't expose the bottom of the mortise on the outside of the stile.

I marked out a layout line about 1/8"+ at the top end of the stiles tapering to nothing right above the arm joint. I roughly sketched on the surface the depth of the mortise so that I wouldn't take off too much material.










I used the belt sander to slowly sand down to the lines. While I might have been tempted to be a little more aggressive on the taper had the mortise been shallower, I think what I removed will give the very subtle taper of the original. If you know it's there, it's easy to spot. But subconsciously perceived, it is one of those small details of the design that contributes to the lightness of the whole. (IMO)










The next step is routing the round-overs on all of the side pieces. I've been waiting for that day for a long time.


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Side structure - Edge round-overs*

If you happen to look obsessively at photos of the Z-chair, you'll notice that outward-facing edges of the side structures are rounded more heavily than the inward-facing edges. This reduced round-over makes practical sense at the top of the back stiles, where too much rounding would eliminate the flat surface where the rail attaches. To a lesser extent, the same applies to the front seat rail.










To replicate this (or approximate it), I'll use a 1/2" radius bit at full depth for the outside round-over and the same bit retracted into the router table a bit for the inside round-over so that it would only cut about 1/4" in from the edge. (The upper rail sits about 5/16" in from the edge.)










Test block:



















Now on to the chair parts:


















Where there was risk of tear-out, I rounded over later with a rasp.


















Then after some sanding down to 220, I did another dry fit to check out how things look.


















Getting there!


----------



## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

RossL said:


> *Side structure - Edge round-overs*
> 
> If you happen to look obsessively at photos of the Z-chair, you'll notice that outward-facing edges of the side structures are rounded more heavily than the inward-facing edges. This reduced round-over makes practical sense at the top of the back stiles, where too much rounding would eliminate the flat surface where the rail attaches. To a lesser extent, the same applies to the front seat rail.
> 
> ...


It's coming along nicely! I've been enjoying the process.


----------



## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Side structure - Edge round-overs*
> 
> If you happen to look obsessively at photos of the Z-chair, you'll notice that outward-facing edges of the side structures are rounded more heavily than the inward-facing edges. This reduced round-over makes practical sense at the top of the back stiles, where too much rounding would eliminate the flat surface where the rail attaches. To a lesser extent, the same applies to the front seat rail.
> 
> ...


Good to see that you are carefull doing the roundovers. We see a bit too much thoughtless rounding over all parts in here


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Side structure - Glue-up*

I'm going to savor this part of the process, so progress photos will be a little slow in coming. I started by gluing the back stile to the long arm support/rear leg. I made some clamping blocks to provide some parallel clamping surfaces.

For the long arm support, I made a wedge of soft paulownia and put a concave edge on it to approximately match the edge profile of the long arm support.









For the rounded tip of the back stile, I used a scrap of BB ply with a similar rounded curve cutout that I lined with some weatherstripping.










And that's the start of the glue-up!









After each joint is glued, I'll do a little shaping while the joint is most easily accessible.


















The clamping block for the angled tip of the front legs - a scrap of BB ply and a coved piece of cork to distribute the pressure and protect the pointy end:


















And the front legs are glued-up.









While shaping the joint of the front legs, I repaired the tear-out on one that occurred here when cutting out the legs. The CA glue and sawdust repair would be glaring, but it will be on the underside so it shouldn't be too visible. 









Time to glue-up the arms.









Before gluing-up the arms, I made a couple of these gizmos to aid in clamping the front end of each arm.



























I left a square edge on the back curve on the arms and will round them over later.









The sides are now all glued-up. Time to move on to the maker's mark.


----------



## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Seat frame - maker's mark*

During the entire project to date, I didn't really have a firm idea on what to do for a maker's mark. I deferred until yesterday when I just couldn't put it off any longer. Here's what I came up with.

I wanted to pay homage to the Selig badge and the chair's Danish heritage. 









I started with a scrap of dyed-red maple burl, about 1.25" square and about 0.25" thick and glued it to a sacrificial substrate that would securely mounted to the CNC bed. I started with a V-carve of my initials.

















Then filled them in with some flat black paint.

After the paint dried, I covered the initials with some tape to keep them from filling with sawdust and CA glue of later steps. (I really should have saved the V-carve for last, but it worked out fine.) Then I milled the vertical part of the cross and inlaid some holly.









I applied some low-viscosity CA glue to glue the holly in place, then cut the horizontal part of the cross.









Inlaid the horizontal piece of holly, glued it in place, then cut out the circular badge.









Then removed it from the CNC machine, and it through the drum sander to level everything, and then hand-sanded it smooth.









Sliced-off the badge on the band saw.


















I decided against mounting it on the seat frame in the same location as the original (which would have been on the front end of the side piece). I didn't want to weaken that area that already had a mortise directly under where the badge would go. I opted for the front part of the frame where there was solid wood.


















Getting it lined-up. Once it's pressed-in the pocket with CA glue at the bottom, there's no getting it back out.









Done.


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## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Seat frame - maker's mark*
> 
> During the entire project to date, I didn't really have a firm idea on what to do for a maker's mark. I deferred until yesterday when I just couldn't put it off any longer. Here's what I came up with.
> 
> ...


Elegant maker mark. Someone will one day find that mark and apreciate that you put your signature ther


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Side structure - Final shaping and sanding*

With the side pieces all glued-up, it was time for final shaping of the tips of the arms (I had left them long so I could clamp directly against the end), some blending of the underside of the front arm joint, and then sanding the side structures entirely. I kind of enjoyed the sanding for a while, but by the time I got down to 400 grit, I was ready for it to be over.


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## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Side structure - Final shaping and sanding*
> 
> With the side pieces all glued-up, it was time for final shaping of the tips of the arms (I had left them long so I could clamp directly against the end), some blending of the underside of the front arm joint, and then sanding the side structures entirely. I kind of enjoyed the sanding for a while, but by the time I got down to 400 grit, I was ready for it to be over.


Looking sharp. When studying a lot of mcm furniture I get the impression that the sanding must have taken 80% of the total production time


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Seat frame - glue-up*

Not much to see here. I did have to make a couple clamping blocks to account for the bevel on the rear edge of the frame.


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Pre-assembly finishing*

I'm at a point in the project where it makes sense to pause and apply some finish before completing the final assembly. It's going to be easier to do it now than to try to work in tight quarters after the chair is assembled.

I started with the back slats. I used a piece of plywood with dowels to support the slats as they dried.










I'm trying Odie's Oil for the first time. It's got the consistency of slightly grainy honey.



















The product is applied with a fine scotch-brite pad (I used the ultra-fine grey pads), allowed to set for at least 40 minutes, and then buffed off.


















This is just the low-luster sheen I was looking for. So far, I like this product. The thickness makes it very easy to control when applying it.


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

RossL said:


> *Pre-assembly finishing*
> 
> I'm at a point in the project where it makes sense to pause and apply some finish before completing the final assembly. It's going to be easier to do it now than to try to work in tight quarters after the chair is assembled.
> 
> ...


Wow that really brought out the color. Looks like something worth giving a try.


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

RossL said:


> *Pre-assembly finishing*
> 
> I'm at a point in the project where it makes sense to pause and apply some finish before completing the final assembly. It's going to be easier to do it now than to try to work in tight quarters after the chair is assembled.
> 
> ...


That sure looks very nice. Thank you for sharing this


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Pre-assembly finishing*
> 
> I'm at a point in the project where it makes sense to pause and apply some finish before completing the final assembly. It's going to be easier to do it now than to try to work in tight quarters after the chair is assembled.
> 
> ...


The Odie's Oil takes some elbow grease to apply, but it's error-proof. I like that I don't have to worry about finishing in a dust free environment. Just rub it in, let it set for 40 minutes to 24 hrs (I think that was the recommended upper limit), and then buff off with terry cloth. The result is silky smooth.


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Back glue-up*

Because the curve on the underside of the lower rear rail was off-center from the slats, clamping directly against that curve would put uneven pressure on the end of the slats as it tended to twist the rail. To restore a right-angle clamping surface, I made a couple of these clamping blocks for each end of the bottom rail.










I pre-glued the dowels into the ends of the slats, then began gluing them into the bottom rail. The CNC-cut jig in the foreground was to ensure that the peak on the slats were all oriented at right angles (roughly anyway).


















The clamps were installed temporarily to seat the dowels, and then removed. I checked the diagonals for square and then set the assembly aside while the glue dried.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

RossL said:


> *Back glue-up*
> 
> Because the curve on the underside of the lower rear rail was off-center from the slats, clamping directly against that curve would put uneven pressure on the end of the slats as it tended to twist the rail. To restore a right-angle clamping surface, I made a couple of these clamping blocks for each end of the bottom rail.
> 
> ...


I love your sense of detail and the extra mile you are willing to walk.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Final glue-up*

After all the lead-up to this step, it was over in 30 minutes. I finally have a chair. I still need to make the webbing straps and decide on the box cushions, but the woodworking part of the project is suddenly over.



















I lined the jaws of the pipe clamps with cork to minimize any marring, but I'll probably apply another coat of the Odie's Oil after the glue-up. Just to stretch-out the project a little longer.


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## Tango (Sep 2, 2008)

RossL said:


> *Final glue-up*
> 
> After all the lead-up to this step, it was over in 30 minutes. I finally have a chair. I still need to make the webbing straps and decide on the box cushions, but the woodworking part of the project is suddenly over.
> 
> ...


Congratulations!!! It came out really beautiful! Your attention to details and execution is superb!


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## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Final glue-up*
> 
> After all the lead-up to this step, it was over in 30 minutes. I finally have a chair. I still need to make the webbing straps and decide on the box cushions, but the woodworking part of the project is suddenly over.
> 
> ...


Know that feeling, a lot of parts and work (a lot of sanding) and preparation - and then suddenly it is all glued together and a whole, real thing. Looks great!


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

RossL said:


> *Final glue-up*
> 
> After all the lead-up to this step, it was over in 30 minutes. I finally have a chair. I still need to make the webbing straps and decide on the box cushions, but the woodworking part of the project is suddenly over.
> 
> ...


Looks outstanding!


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Final glue-up*
> 
> After all the lead-up to this step, it was over in 30 minutes. I finally have a chair. I still need to make the webbing straps and decide on the box cushions, but the woodworking part of the project is suddenly over.
> 
> ...


Thanks, guys. It's been a fun project.


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

*Finished!*

My wife made the box cushions for the chair and matching ottoman (blogged here). I plan to tap her upholstering skills again for future projects. I'll post some more finished photos as a project entry once I take some better photos, but here is one pic to cap-off the project blog.


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

RossL said:


> *Finished!*
> 
> My wife made the box cushions for the chair and matching ottoman (blogged here). I plan to tap her upholstering skills again for future projects. I'll post some more finished photos as a project entry once I take some better photos, but here is one pic to cap-off the project blog.


A truly beautiful set! Both blogs were very interesting. Thanks for taking the time to share your progress.


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Finished!*
> 
> My wife made the box cushions for the chair and matching ottoman (blogged here). I plan to tap her upholstering skills again for future projects. I'll post some more finished photos as a project entry once I take some better photos, but here is one pic to cap-off the project blog.


Thanks, Steve. They've been a couple of very gratifying projects, and I was pleased to share the experience.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

RossL said:


> *Finished!*
> 
> My wife made the box cushions for the chair and matching ottoman (blogged here). I plan to tap her upholstering skills again for future projects. I'll post some more finished photos as a project entry once I take some better photos, but here is one pic to cap-off the project blog.


Beautiful!
It came out just perfect, looks like just the place for the pipe and Ipad… ;-)
Yes your wife did a wonderful job too.
It has been a great inspiration to see your work.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Finished!*
> 
> My wife made the box cushions for the chair and matching ottoman (blogged here). I plan to tap her upholstering skills again for future projects. I'll post some more finished photos as a project entry once I take some better photos, but here is one pic to cap-off the project blog.


Thanks for your kind words, Mads.


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## Navaar (Aug 27, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Finished!*
> 
> My wife made the box cushions for the chair and matching ottoman (blogged here). I plan to tap her upholstering skills again for future projects. I'll post some more finished photos as a project entry once I take some better photos, but here is one pic to cap-off the project blog.


Wonderful blog post Ross, love all the detail you posted. I don't have a domino & I've been looking for a nice jig to made floating tenons, yours is great…. In my bucket list, I want to make a Kagan low back lounge chair!!!. you've inspired me.
Well done.


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## RossL (Jan 31, 2013)

RossL said:


> *Finished!*
> 
> My wife made the box cushions for the chair and matching ottoman (blogged here). I plan to tap her upholstering skills again for future projects. I'll post some more finished photos as a project entry once I take some better photos, but here is one pic to cap-off the project blog.





> Wonderful blog post Ross, love all the detail you posted. I don t have a domino & I ve been looking for a nice jig to made floating tenons, yours is great…. In my bucket list, I want to make a Kagan low back lounge chair!!!. you ve inspired me.
> Well done.
> 
> - Navaar


Thanks, Navaar. The router jig worked very well for this project, and I know it will get more use on future chair projects. The Kagan lounge chair is on my radar too. Borderline "George Jetson", but I like it. Best of luck to you on your build!


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## trialrun (Mar 10, 2016)

RossL said:


> *Finished!*
> 
> My wife made the box cushions for the chair and matching ottoman (blogged here). I plan to tap her upholstering skills again for future projects. I'll post some more finished photos as a project entry once I take some better photos, but here is one pic to cap-off the project blog.


Wow, i'm blown away by this project. Always loved MCM furniture, might to give it a crack.


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