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Greene & Greene Gamble House Side Chair

89K views 286 replies 32 participants last post by  TungOil 
#1 ·
Material Preparation

Now that my Thorsen inspired dining table is complete (you can see the BLOG here), it is time to turn my attention to a set of chairs. Since I have never built a chair, I decided to enroll in the Gamble House Side Chair class at Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Indiana. Many will know the instructor, Bob Lang, who is not only a Lumber Jocks member but has authored several books and was editor of Popular Woodworking magazine for many years. The chair design is based on the side chairs in the living room of the Gamble house in Pasadena.

The school mailed out a cut list a few weeks ago so students could prepare the required stock prior to class. I had enough sapele left over from making the dining table, so there was no need for a trip to the hardwood dealer. Since Indiana is about a 10 hour drive from Eastern Pennsylvania, I decided to cut up enough material to make two complete chairs to be sure I had sufficient material to cover any mistakes.

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With my stock cut, I gathered up the required tools for class. This includes square chisels, a Dozuki saw, a plastic head hammer for inserting ebony plugs and a dental pick for cleaning out square plug holes. I also packed a cordless drill and a ROS along with my PPE.

I am looking forward to learning some new woodworking skills and hopefully coming away from the week with a nice chair. After that, I will be into chair production.
 

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#175 ·
Side Rails and Front Legs-Part 1

Rather than dive into all of the hand work to shape the crest rails now, I decide to finish up cutting the side rails. I rough cut my side rail stock a few weeks ago. Now that it has had time to acclimate to the shop, I resaw the 8/4 stock then edge joint and plane everything to 13/16" thick. Since the length of the lower side stretchers is the same as the side rails, I prepare stock for those parts so I can miter and cut them all to length with a single setup of the saw. With the ends mitered, I mortise both ends with the Leigh FMT.

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Once the mortises are complete on the side rails and lower stretchers, I transfer the locations to the back legs and set up the Leigh FMT to cut the mortises.

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After cutting all of the leg mortises for the side rails, I do a quick dry fit to check that everything looks good.

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Since the Leigh FMT is set up to cut the leg mortises, I go ahead and cut the mortises in the front legs at this time. It's critical to keep the left and right legs marked to prevent mixing them up. Since the mortise is slightly offset from center, they are not interchangeable.

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Once the front leg mortises are cut, I do another dry fit to check progress and alignment.

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Starting to look like a chair now!

Next steps: Cut parts and mortise for the front seat rail and lower stretcher parts, then pattern route the cloud lifts in those parts.
 

Attachments

#176 ·
Side Rails and Front Legs-Part 1

Rather than dive into all of the hand work to shape the crest rails now, I decide to finish up cutting the side rails. I rough cut my side rail stock a few weeks ago. Now that it has had time to acclimate to the shop, I resaw the 8/4 stock then edge joint and plane everything to 13/16" thick. Since the length of the lower side stretchers is the same as the side rails, I prepare stock for those parts so I can miter and cut them all to length with a single setup of the saw. With the ends mitered, I mortise both ends with the Leigh FMT.

Building Wood Rectangle Urban design Composite material


Once the mortises are complete on the side rails and lower stretchers, I transfer the locations to the back legs and set up the Leigh FMT to cut the mortises.

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After cutting all of the leg mortises for the side rails, I do a quick dry fit to check that everything looks good.

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Since the Leigh FMT is set up to cut the leg mortises, I go ahead and cut the mortises in the front legs at this time. It's critical to keep the left and right legs marked to prevent mixing them up. Since the mortise is slightly offset from center, they are not interchangeable.

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Once the front leg mortises are cut, I do another dry fit to check progress and alignment.

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Starting to look like a chair now!

Next steps: Cut parts and mortise for the front seat rail and lower stretcher parts, then pattern route the cloud lifts in those parts.
Nice progress! The last photo shows how far you've gotten - keep up the excellent work!
 

Attachments

#181 ·
Side Rails and Front Legs-Part 2

With the side rail mortises complete, I move on to cutting the front rails and mortises. The Leigh FMT makes quick work of the remaining mortises. Next I trace the cloud lifts onto the side and front rails, rough cut the parts on the bandsaw and clean them up with a spiral pattern router bit.

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The side rails are matching pairs resawn from 8/4 stock, so I keep them together as I work.

A quick test fit shows everything fits together nicely.

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Next steps: Complete the lower stretcher components.
 

Attachments

#182 ·
Side Rails and Front Legs-Part 2

With the side rail mortises complete, I move on to cutting the front rails and mortises. The Leigh FMT makes quick work of the remaining mortises. Next I trace the cloud lifts onto the side and front rails, rough cut the parts on the bandsaw and clean them up with a spiral pattern router bit.

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The side rails are matching pairs resawn from 8/4 stock, so I keep them together as I work.

A quick test fit shows everything fits together nicely.

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Next steps: Complete the lower stretcher components.
Your profile is the "We Love to Work the Wood" on the front page of LJ.

I can see the lower right stretcher with the cloud lift in the last picture. Looks like they are getting close to being built. I'm guessing you have loads of square ebony plugs ready to install once you mortise the holes?
 

Attachments

#188 ·
Lower Stretchers

I start by cutting the mortises in the legs for the lower side stretchers. I then cut the mitered ends on the side stretchers and fit the length.

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With the side stretchers fit I move on to cutting the mortises for the center stretcher. The center stretcher has a through tenon on each end. I set up the Leigh FMT to cut the mortises in the side stretchers, then square up the ends with a chisel.

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I miter the ends of the center stretcher with the miter saw, then cut the square tenons on the Leigh FMT. I cut a few extra parts to cover any potential mistakes.

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After a little fine tuning with a float, the tenons and mortises fit together snuggly.

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Next I layout the cloud lift, rough cut to shape on the bandsaw and pattern route the final shape with a spiral carbide bit.

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Next steps: fabricate and fit the ebony bars and square plugs, break and shape the sharp edges then finish sand for assembly.
 

Attachments

#189 ·
Lower Stretchers

I start by cutting the mortises in the legs for the lower side stretchers. I then cut the mitered ends on the side stretchers and fit the length.

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With the side stretchers fit I move on to cutting the mortises for the center stretcher. The center stretcher has a through tenon on each end. I set up the Leigh FMT to cut the mortises in the side stretchers, then square up the ends with a chisel.

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I miter the ends of the center stretcher with the miter saw, then cut the square tenons on the Leigh FMT. I cut a few extra parts to cover any potential mistakes.

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After a little fine tuning with a float, the tenons and mortises fit together snuggly.

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Next I layout the cloud lift, rough cut to shape on the bandsaw and pattern route the final shape with a spiral carbide bit.

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Next steps: fabricate and fit the ebony bars and square plugs, break and shape the sharp edges then finish sand for assembly.
There are so many subtle details and tricky joinery in the G&G chairs. No wonder they never really were able to mass produce furniture like Stickley did.

You should have those plugs and bars knocked out in no time. Do you have all of the mortises cut for the plugs and bars?
 

Attachments

#191 ·
Rounding Parts and Establishing Plug Locations- Part 1

With the lower stretchers rough cut and the cloud lifts formed, I move on to some of the detail work.

First, I round over the edges of the lower stretcher parts with a 1/8" round over bit in the router table. With the rounding complete, I compare 3/16" and 1/4" square ebony plugs for size on the lower stretcher.

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The 3/16" plug looks better to my eye so I cut 3/16" square holes in all of the stretcher parts using the Lee Valley square punch. Except for a bit of hand work on the cloud lifts and final sanding, these parts are ready to assemble.

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Next, I work on getting the front legs ready. The sides of the front legs are angled to match the angle of the side aprons. I lay out the angle and cut the legs on the table saw, making sure to keep the right and left legs oriented correctly. I round them over on the router table and set aside, ready for square plug holes and final sanding.

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Next, I round over the edges of the front and side aprons and set those parts aside for final sanding.

Before I begin rounding over the back legs and crest rail, I establish the locations for all of the plug holes. I like to do this with the actual plugs whenever possible, but I'm short on 1/4" ebony plugs so I make up a handful. This chair has 27 ebony plugs in total, plus 8 ebony bars. Not a lot by Greene & Greene standards, but with 15 chairs in the works that's over 400 plugs and 120 bars.

There are a lot of ways to make these plugs but I use a method that I find fast and repeatable. I head to the lathe and make up a batch using the process I worked out on a previous project. I start with a handful of long 1/4" ebony plug stock mounted in a four jaw chuck. I can make the plugs in batches by forming a plug on each end of several sticks, then cut them off and repeat.

I form the initial pillow shape with a file, then finish up with a 400 grit sanding sponge. This does not leave a polished finish, but since I will be spraying these chairs with lacquer when completed the 400 grit is sufficient.

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With a few plugs ready, I establish the locations for all of the square holes in the crest rail and upper part of the legs.

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Next steps: finish rounding over the back leg assembly components, cut the square holes and fabricate a batch of ebony plugs.
 

Attachments

#192 ·
Rounding Parts and Establishing Plug Locations- Part 1

With the lower stretchers rough cut and the cloud lifts formed, I move on to some of the detail work.

First, I round over the edges of the lower stretcher parts with a 1/8" round over bit in the router table. With the rounding complete, I compare 3/16" and 1/4" square ebony plugs for size on the lower stretcher.

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The 3/16" plug looks better to my eye so I cut 3/16" square holes in all of the stretcher parts using the Lee Valley square punch. Except for a bit of hand work on the cloud lifts and final sanding, these parts are ready to assemble.

Outdoor bench Wood Rectangle Bench Plank


Next, I work on getting the front legs ready. The sides of the front legs are angled to match the angle of the side aprons. I lay out the angle and cut the legs on the table saw, making sure to keep the right and left legs oriented correctly. I round them over on the router table and set aside, ready for square plug holes and final sanding.

Wood Rectangle Wood stain Table Outdoor furniture


Next, I round over the edges of the front and side aprons and set those parts aside for final sanding.

Before I begin rounding over the back legs and crest rail, I establish the locations for all of the plug holes. I like to do this with the actual plugs whenever possible, but I'm short on 1/4" ebony plugs so I make up a handful. This chair has 27 ebony plugs in total, plus 8 ebony bars. Not a lot by Greene & Greene standards, but with 15 chairs in the works that's over 400 plugs and 120 bars.

There are a lot of ways to make these plugs but I use a method that I find fast and repeatable. I head to the lathe and make up a batch using the process I worked out on a previous project. I start with a handful of long 1/4" ebony plug stock mounted in a four jaw chuck. I can make the plugs in batches by forming a plug on each end of several sticks, then cut them off and repeat.

I form the initial pillow shape with a file, then finish up with a 400 grit sanding sponge. This does not leave a polished finish, but since I will be spraying these chairs with lacquer when completed the 400 grit is sufficient.

Wood Automotive tire Gas Tints and shades Wheel


With a few plugs ready, I establish the locations for all of the square holes in the crest rail and upper part of the legs.

Wood Wall Brick Art Font


Next steps: finish rounding over the back leg assembly components, cut the square holes and fabricate a batch of ebony plugs.
Looks like you are "plugging" away at it….. yep you knew that pun was coming.

It's surprising how many plugs and bars are on any given piece of G&G furniture. Without them, though, the piece doesn't look nearly as nice.
 

Attachments

#194 ·
Plug Locations and Square Holes- Part 2

With my plug locations established, I move on to drilling the holes and cutting the square plug holes. I set up stops on the drill press and drill the clearance holes in the front legs, back legs and crest rails.

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There are 27 square plugs on each of the 15 chairs, for a total of 405 square plugs.

After all of the clearance holes are drilled, I cut the square plug holes using the Lee Valley square hole punches. I align the punch with the hole using a long dowel pin, then square the punch with a saddle square. A spare loose tenon inserted into the mortise helps keep the mortise wall from collapsing as I cut the square plug hole.

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It takes about 12 hours to cut 405 square plug holes by hand. A hollow chisel mortiser would have been a good investment.

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After cutting all of the square plug holes, the top of the square plug cutter has mushroomed quite a bit and will need to be cleaned up on the grinder later.

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Next steps: shape the tops of the legs and crest rails, finish sand, cut and fit the ebony bars and make up a batch of ebony plugs.
 

Attachments

#195 ·
Plug Locations and Square Holes- Part 2

With my plug locations established, I move on to drilling the holes and cutting the square plug holes. I set up stops on the drill press and drill the clearance holes in the front legs, back legs and crest rails.

Wood Drilling Drill Drill presses Flooring


There are 27 square plugs on each of the 15 chairs, for a total of 405 square plugs.

After all of the clearance holes are drilled, I cut the square plug holes using the Lee Valley square hole punches. I align the punch with the hole using a long dowel pin, then square the punch with a saddle square. A spare loose tenon inserted into the mortise helps keep the mortise wall from collapsing as I cut the square plug hole.

Wood Tool Office supplies Gadget Hand tool


It takes about 12 hours to cut 405 square plug holes by hand. A hollow chisel mortiser would have been a good investment.

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After cutting all of the square plug holes, the top of the square plug cutter has mushroomed quite a bit and will need to be cleaned up on the grinder later.

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Next steps: shape the tops of the legs and crest rails, finish sand, cut and fit the ebony bars and make up a batch of ebony plugs.
Aren't you done with those yet, Tung? Just kidding. They're looking great. Using that saddle square is a great idea. I'll be stealing that one from you.
 

Attachments

#202 ·
Crest Rail Final Shaping

In February I was in Pasadena and took the opportunity to visit the Huntington Library Museum, which houses many Greene & Greene pieces. The museum holds one of the living room chairs from the Gamble House and that gave me a good opportunity to study an original up close. The crest rail is beautifully shaped with a lot of rounding and shaping evident. Here is a close up of the crest rail on the original.

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It will not be possible to create the dramatically swept back profile seen above on the top of my crest rail, but I can approximate the look by thinning and shaping a curve that tapers towards the top and rounding over the edges.

To Shape the crest rails, I start by laying out guidelines on the top of the rail. I strike a guideline in the middle that will be used to shape the concave curve and a second guideline to divide the remaining material in half and define the peak of the crest rail.

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I begin by shaping the curve of the crest rail with a spokeshave. A Kreg bench clamp attached to my old mini-Workmate puts the part at a comfortable work height while allowing me to easily reposition the workpiece.

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The curve begins near the center and tapers to the top. I work the spokeshave with the gran of the part to minimize tearout.

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After shaping the curve, I round over the top edge with spokeshaves, then add a line along the middle of the edge to guide shaping the cloud lift round overs on the top of the rail.

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To shape the round-overs I use rasps. I begin by shaping all of the round-overs using a fairly coarse 11 grain, 10" cabinet makers rasp. The large size helps remove the bulk of the waste material quickly, but leaves a rough surface and the size of the rasp prevents me from getting into the tight inside radius of the cloud lifts and finger hole.

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With the rough work completed, I switch to an 8", 13 grain rasp to refine the shape. With the smaller rasp, I am better able to shape the inside radii, but not completely. The 13 grain rasp leaves a smoother surface as well.

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To complete the shaping, I switch to a 6", 15 grain modelers rasp. The small size allows me to finalize the shape of the inside radii and leaves a very smooth surface, about the equivalent of 80-100 grit sand paper.

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I finish up the crest rail with a variety of abrasives. The large faces are sanded using 120 grit followed by 220 grit on the ROS. All of the edges are sanded by hand using a variety of soft pads.

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To make sanding all of the inside radii easier, I made up a custom sanding stick. The radius of the stick is 1/16" smaller that the radius of the inside curves on the crest rail. I then used a piece of 1/16" double sided foam tape to hold a piece of 220 grit paper in place. By including a flat area on the stick I was able to use it to sand the outside round-overs as well.

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Shaping these crest rails was a considerable amount of effort, more than I expected. it took between 3-1/2 to 4 hours to complete the shaping of each part (about 60 hours total) with spoke shaves, rasps and sanding. I was a little surprised to see such a large pile of shavings after I finished up working these!

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Next steps: complete rounding over the remaining curved parts, then work on the ebony bars for the back splats.
 

Attachments

#203 ·
Crest Rail Final Shaping

In February I was in Pasadena and took the opportunity to visit the Huntington Library Museum, which houses many Greene & Greene pieces. The museum holds one of the living room chairs from the Gamble House and that gave me a good opportunity to study an original up close. The crest rail is beautifully shaped with a lot of rounding and shaping evident. Here is a close up of the crest rail on the original.

Picture frame Wood Wood stain Hardwood Varnish


It will not be possible to create the dramatically swept back profile seen above on the top of my crest rail, but I can approximate the look by thinning and shaping a curve that tapers towards the top and rounding over the edges.

To Shape the crest rails, I start by laying out guidelines on the top of the rail. I strike a guideline in the middle that will be used to shape the concave curve and a second guideline to divide the remaining material in half and define the peak of the crest rail.

Wood Rolling pin Tool Musical instrument Table


I begin by shaping the curve of the crest rail with a spokeshave. A Kreg bench clamp attached to my old mini-Workmate puts the part at a comfortable work height while allowing me to easily reposition the workpiece.

Wood Table Engineering Machine Tool


The curve begins near the center and tapers to the top. I work the spokeshave with the gran of the part to minimize tearout.

Wood Bumper Automotive tire Tool Automotive exterior


After shaping the curve, I round over the top edge with spokeshaves, then add a line along the middle of the edge to guide shaping the cloud lift round overs on the top of the rail.

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To shape the round-overs I use rasps. I begin by shaping all of the round-overs using a fairly coarse 11 grain, 10" cabinet makers rasp. The large size helps remove the bulk of the waste material quickly, but leaves a rough surface and the size of the rasp prevents me from getting into the tight inside radius of the cloud lifts and finger hole.

Table Wood Bumper Automotive exterior Human leg


With the rough work completed, I switch to an 8", 13 grain rasp to refine the shape. With the smaller rasp, I am better able to shape the inside radii, but not completely. The 13 grain rasp leaves a smoother surface as well.

Jaw Wood Auto part Metal Automotive wheel system


To complete the shaping, I switch to a 6", 15 grain modelers rasp. The small size allows me to finalize the shape of the inside radii and leaves a very smooth surface, about the equivalent of 80-100 grit sand paper.

Jaw Wood Sculpture Art Clay


I finish up the crest rail with a variety of abrasives. The large faces are sanded using 120 grit followed by 220 grit on the ROS. All of the edges are sanded by hand using a variety of soft pads.

Table Tableware Furniture Wood Kitchen utensil


To make sanding all of the inside radii easier, I made up a custom sanding stick. The radius of the stick is 1/16" smaller that the radius of the inside curves on the crest rail. I then used a piece of 1/16" double sided foam tape to hold a piece of 220 grit paper in place. By including a flat area on the stick I was able to use it to sand the outside round-overs as well.

Textile Wood Grey Tablecloth Napkin


Shaping these crest rails was a considerable amount of effort, more than I expected. it took between 3-1/2 to 4 hours to complete the shaping of each part (about 60 hours total) with spoke shaves, rasps and sanding. I was a little surprised to see such a large pile of shavings after I finished up working these!

Wood Flooring Floor Gas Event


Next steps: complete rounding over the remaining curved parts, then work on the ebony bars for the back splats.
Nice! Whenever I'm doing Greene and Greene stuff, I remind myself that those dudes had their own cabinet shop, and clients with bottomless wallets. The interesting thing I've found as I've proceeded through a Queen Anne Lowboy reproduction is how much simpler it is to make than the G&G stuff. There's a reason there's a bazillion lowboys out there, as well as the fact that they were owned by lots of middle class people. G&G? Not so much.
 

Attachments

#221 ·
Shaping and Sanding

It's been a while since I posted an update on this project, largely because I spent most of the summer shaping and sanding. Pretty boring stuff but I thought I'd post a few progress pictures anyhow.

The top of the rear legs on the original chairs is quite heavily rounded. To approximate this look, I lay out the shape on the leg with a white pencil. I mark the centerline of the leg as well as the curve on both sides so I have a reference line to work to.

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The round over is shaped with various floats and progressively finer rasps.

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Completed batch.

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The bottom of the legs are shaped as well, but just a slight round over.

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The bottoms of the rails and most other parts get rounded over and softened as well. The original G&G pieces all have a 'worn soft' shape that is subtle but really helps complete the look. It's also time consuming to reproduce.

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Cleaning up the bandsaw marks on the tapered slot in the center back splat proved to be a challenge. Luckily I had a very thin file that fit at the narrowest point.

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The rest of the parts were shaped similarly, using spokeshaves, rasps and files. Figuring out how to hold these parts was half the challenge. My old benchtop Workmate with a Kreg self adjusting clamp was a big help.

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Before and after shaping and sanding the back splats.

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After that just a lot of boring sanding. I went through quite a few disks on the ROS sanding these parts.

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A very large pile of parts, almost ready for assembly.

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Next step: cut the pockets for the ebony splines in the center back splats.
 

Attachments

#222 ·
Shaping and Sanding

It's been a while since I posted an update on this project, largely because I spent most of the summer shaping and sanding. Pretty boring stuff but I thought I'd post a few progress pictures anyhow.

The top of the rear legs on the original chairs is quite heavily rounded. To approximate this look, I lay out the shape on the leg with a white pencil. I mark the centerline of the leg as well as the curve on both sides so I have a reference line to work to.

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The round over is shaped with various floats and progressively finer rasps.

Wood Flooring Rectangle Human leg Hardwood


Completed batch.

Wood Rectangle Composite material Gas Engineering


The bottom of the legs are shaped as well, but just a slight round over.

Wood Rectangle Gadget Audio equipment Font


The bottoms of the rails and most other parts get rounded over and softened as well. The original G&G pieces all have a 'worn soft' shape that is subtle but really helps complete the look. It's also time consuming to reproduce.

Automotive tire Wood Wheel Tire Flooring


Cleaning up the bandsaw marks on the tapered slot in the center back splat proved to be a challenge. Luckily I had a very thin file that fit at the narrowest point.

Wood Automotive tire Finger Bumper Gas


The rest of the parts were shaped similarly, using spokeshaves, rasps and files. Figuring out how to hold these parts was half the challenge. My old benchtop Workmate with a Kreg self adjusting clamp was a big help.

Table saws Wood Machine tool Saw Bumper


Before and after shaping and sanding the back splats.

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After that just a lot of boring sanding. I went through quite a few disks on the ROS sanding these parts.

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A very large pile of parts, almost ready for assembly.

Wood Motor vehicle Gas Mass production Hardwood


Next step: cut the pockets for the ebony splines in the center back splats.
Good lookin work Tung!
Great job on keeping everything consistent.
Looking forward to the next…...
 

Attachments

#234 ·
Back Splat Splines

With all of the hand shaping and sanding of the chair parts out of the way, the next step is to fabricate the ebony splines and cut the recessed grooves in the back splats to accept the splines.

I start by making a jig to cut the ebony splines. The jig holds a length of ebony securely, allowing me to shape the rounded face of the spline on the router table. I round over the face on several pieces of ebony, then slice off the spline stock to the correct thickness on the bandsaw and repeat until I have enough stock for all of the chairs.

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To route the slots in the back splats for the ebony splines, I make a small slot routing jig. The jig is a simple flat plate with a square opening that uses a router guide bushing to produce the slot in the back splat. To vary the length of the routed slots, I fabricate some small spacers to reduce the size of the opening. The jig clamps in place on the back splat using two toggle clamps on the bottom. The slot jig has center lines marked to align each slot accurately on the back splat.

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After marking the center line for each slot on the back splat, I carefully align the slot jig and clamp in place. Using a plunge router, I route the slots. The length of the slots varies from top to bottom. The bottom two slots are widest, while the top two slots are each 1/4" shorter than the slot below.

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After routing the slots, I square the ends using a square punch and clean up the waste using chisels.

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I cut the ebony splines slightly oversized, then use a small jig clamped to the belt sander to square the ends and adjust the spline length to fit the finished slot. The jig is clamped square to the sanding belt and has both a flat face for adjusting the spline length and an angled face to put a slight chamfer on the back of the spline to allow easier insertion into the slot.

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For the lower splines especially, it is critical to have a perfect fit- too long and the spline will spread the back splat and possibly split the part, too short and there will be a visible gap. Since each spline is slightly different, I number the back of each spline as well as the mating slot for later reference.

On the original chairs, the splines are pinned with as many as 10 silver rods each. To approximate that look I use 5/64" nickel silver rods- the type used to affix knife scales. Two per ebony spline seemed like a good compromise to get the look without an extraordinary amount of effort.

After the spline has been fit to the slot, I bore the holes for the silver pins. A standard twist drill has a tendency to wander off center when trying to drill the rounded face of the spline, so I use a 5/64" end mill mounted in the drill press to be sure the holes stay centered in the spline.

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I cut off two short pieces of the nickel silver rod and glue into the spline with CA glue.

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I then finish sand the spline, rounding and blending the pillow shape through 400 grit which shapes both the ebony spline and cleans up the silver rods flush with the ebony. The bottom spline below has not been finish sanded yet, the top is completed.

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The finished splines fit snuggly into the slot.

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The ebony splines are ready to insert, but I set them aside for now since they will be installed after the chair is assembled.

Here the splines are in position but not set into the slots.

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Next steps: chair assembly.
 

Attachments

#235 ·
Back Splat Splines

With all of the hand shaping and sanding of the chair parts out of the way, the next step is to fabricate the ebony splines and cut the recessed grooves in the back splats to accept the splines.

I start by making a jig to cut the ebony splines. The jig holds a length of ebony securely, allowing me to shape the rounded face of the spline on the router table. I round over the face on several pieces of ebony, then slice off the spline stock to the correct thickness on the bandsaw and repeat until I have enough stock for all of the chairs.

Gesture Finger Nail Wood Art


To route the slots in the back splats for the ebony splines, I make a small slot routing jig. The jig is a simple flat plate with a square opening that uses a router guide bushing to produce the slot in the back splat. To vary the length of the routed slots, I fabricate some small spacers to reduce the size of the opening. The jig clamps in place on the back splat using two toggle clamps on the bottom. The slot jig has center lines marked to align each slot accurately on the back splat.

Rectangle Wood Table Composite material Flooring


After marking the center line for each slot on the back splat, I carefully align the slot jig and clamp in place. Using a plunge router, I route the slots. The length of the slots varies from top to bottom. The bottom two slots are widest, while the top two slots are each 1/4" shorter than the slot below.

Wood Milling Engineering Scientific instrument Machine tool


After routing the slots, I square the ends using a square punch and clean up the waste using chisels.

Wood Rectangle Ruler Font Flooring


I cut the ebony splines slightly oversized, then use a small jig clamped to the belt sander to square the ends and adjust the spline length to fit the finished slot. The jig is clamped square to the sanding belt and has both a flat face for adjusting the spline length and an angled face to put a slight chamfer on the back of the spline to allow easier insertion into the slot.

Rectangle Wood Flooring Floor Gas


For the lower splines especially, it is critical to have a perfect fit- too long and the spline will spread the back splat and possibly split the part, too short and there will be a visible gap. Since each spline is slightly different, I number the back of each spline as well as the mating slot for later reference.

On the original chairs, the splines are pinned with as many as 10 silver rods each. To approximate that look I use 5/64" nickel silver rods- the type used to affix knife scales. Two per ebony spline seemed like a good compromise to get the look without an extraordinary amount of effort.

After the spline has been fit to the slot, I bore the holes for the silver pins. A standard twist drill has a tendency to wander off center when trying to drill the rounded face of the spline, so I use a 5/64" end mill mounted in the drill press to be sure the holes stay centered in the spline.

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Gas Machine


I cut off two short pieces of the nickel silver rod and glue into the spline with CA glue.

Automotive tire Wood Paint Font Rectangle


I then finish sand the spline, rounding and blending the pillow shape through 400 grit which shapes both the ebony spline and cleans up the silver rods flush with the ebony. The bottom spline below has not been finish sanded yet, the top is completed.

Rectangle Bumper Automotive exterior Gas Wood


The finished splines fit snuggly into the slot.

Wood Rectangle Grey Wood stain Table


The ebony splines are ready to insert, but I set them aside for now since they will be installed after the chair is assembled.

Here the splines are in position but not set into the slots.

Wood Rectangle Floor Line Font


Next steps: chair assembly.
Looks like a great project and a lot of cool techniques. I look forward to seeing your progress.
 

Attachments

#239 ·
Chair Assembly

I do the chair glue up in several stages. First, I glue up the front legs and rail into one sub-assembly.

Wood Gas Hardwood Composite material Auto part


Since the outside edge of the front leg is angled to match the side rail, I use wedges on my clamping pads to apply even clamping pressure.

Rectangle Wood Publication Linens Flooring


Next I glue up the back legs, rail, splats and crest rail into a second sub-assembly. There are twelve loose tenons to glue and seven parts to align. I have to work fast to get the back sub-assembly aligned and clamped up before the glue sets.

Table Wood Tool Automotive exterior Desk


I set these aside to dry overnight. The next day I bring the sub-assemblies together with the side rails and lower stretcher assembly. To assure a good clamp up of the angled sides, I cut a complimentary angle in some scrap wood cauls and mark the centerlines for the clamps.

Wood Tool Engineering Hardwood Machine


I leave the chair assembly clamped overnight to dry.

Wood Floor Flooring Hardwood Engineering


While the chair assembly is drying, I fabricate the ebony plugs. To make the plugs, I mount the square ebony stock in the lathe using a four jaw chuck. A few swipes with a smooth mill file pillows the end of the plug, followed by a quick sanding with a 400 grit sanding sponge. I cut the plug to length, then chamfer the inside corners on the belt sander.

Wood Sculpture Art Metal Helmet


After the chair is dry, I remove the clamps and insert the the ebony plugs and splines. I use a bamboo skewer to apply glue to the inside of the plug holes.

Wood Automotive exterior Bumper Paint Rectangle


I set the depth of the plugs using a block of hard maple with a shallow dado.

Furniture Table Wood Rectangle Grey


The splines are installed in a similar way. A few dabs of glue hold the spline in place.
Watch Wood Rectangle Flooring Font


I set the splines flush to the face of the splat. Each spline has a pillowed face.

Wood Rectangle Grey Floor Flooring


The chairs are glued up, ready for corner blocks and slip seats.

Wood Interior design Floor Flooring Wood stain


Projects this size remind me why a shop can never be too large.

Chair Wood Art Flooring Hardwood


Next steps: fabricate and install corner blocks and slip seats.
 

Attachments

#240 ·
Chair Assembly

I do the chair glue up in several stages. First, I glue up the front legs and rail into one sub-assembly.

Wood Gas Hardwood Composite material Auto part


Since the outside edge of the front leg is angled to match the side rail, I use wedges on my clamping pads to apply even clamping pressure.

Rectangle Wood Publication Linens Flooring


Next I glue up the back legs, rail, splats and crest rail into a second sub-assembly. There are twelve loose tenons to glue and seven parts to align. I have to work fast to get the back sub-assembly aligned and clamped up before the glue sets.

Table Wood Tool Automotive exterior Desk


I set these aside to dry overnight. The next day I bring the sub-assemblies together with the side rails and lower stretcher assembly. To assure a good clamp up of the angled sides, I cut a complimentary angle in some scrap wood cauls and mark the centerlines for the clamps.

Wood Tool Engineering Hardwood Machine


I leave the chair assembly clamped overnight to dry.

Wood Floor Flooring Hardwood Engineering


While the chair assembly is drying, I fabricate the ebony plugs. To make the plugs, I mount the square ebony stock in the lathe using a four jaw chuck. A few swipes with a smooth mill file pillows the end of the plug, followed by a quick sanding with a 400 grit sanding sponge. I cut the plug to length, then chamfer the inside corners on the belt sander.

Wood Sculpture Art Metal Helmet


After the chair is dry, I remove the clamps and insert the the ebony plugs and splines. I use a bamboo skewer to apply glue to the inside of the plug holes.

Wood Automotive exterior Bumper Paint Rectangle


I set the depth of the plugs using a block of hard maple with a shallow dado.

Furniture Table Wood Rectangle Grey


The splines are installed in a similar way. A few dabs of glue hold the spline in place.
Watch Wood Rectangle Flooring Font


I set the splines flush to the face of the splat. Each spline has a pillowed face.

Wood Rectangle Grey Floor Flooring


The chairs are glued up, ready for corner blocks and slip seats.

Wood Interior design Floor Flooring Wood stain


Projects this size remind me why a shop can never be too large.

Chair Wood Art Flooring Hardwood


Next steps: fabricate and install corner blocks and slip seats.
Those chairs look great. Have you decided on upholstery?
 

Attachments

#264 ·
Corner Bracing and Slip Seats

With the chair assembled , the next step is to fabricate and install the corner braces and slip seats. To get the miter angles accurate for the corner blocks, I use a Bora MiteriX angle duplicator.

Wood Flooring Floor Hardwood Composite material


After measuring the angle, one side of the tool is removed to set the miter saw.

Hood Automotive tire Motor vehicle Bumper Automotive exterior


The resulting angles make for a perfect fit. I add some glue and screw the blocks in place set so the top of the slip seat is flush with the top of the chair side rails.

Wood Flooring Floor Wood stain House


The slip seats are cut from Baltic birch plywood. To facilitate cutting the seats, I make a tablesaw sled to cut the angles.

Wood Flooring Floor Model aircraft Composite material


The slip seats are difficult to cut accurately since each chair is slightly different. I sneak up on the correct angles and assure there is clearance for the seat covering using shims all around.

Wood Fixture Flooring Floor Wood stain


Next steps: drop off the slip seats at the upholster, stain and finish.
 

Attachments

#265 ·
Corner Bracing and Slip Seats

With the chair assembled , the next step is to fabricate and install the corner braces and slip seats. To get the miter angles accurate for the corner blocks, I use a Bora MiteriX angle duplicator.

Wood Flooring Floor Hardwood Composite material


After measuring the angle, one side of the tool is removed to set the miter saw.

Hood Automotive tire Motor vehicle Bumper Automotive exterior


The resulting angles make for a perfect fit. I add some glue and screw the blocks in place set so the top of the slip seat is flush with the top of the chair side rails.

Wood Flooring Floor Wood stain House


The slip seats are cut from Baltic birch plywood. To facilitate cutting the seats, I make a tablesaw sled to cut the angles.

Wood Flooring Floor Model aircraft Composite material


The slip seats are difficult to cut accurately since each chair is slightly different. I sneak up on the correct angles and assure there is clearance for the seat covering using shims all around.

Wood Fixture Flooring Floor Wood stain


Next steps: drop off the slip seats at the upholster, stain and finish.
Hey that's looking pretty neat. Did you leave enough room for upholstery? I usually leave 1/4" on each side for batting and leather when I make cushions. Let the upholstery shop make the call, but be sure to communicate with them about the clearance.

Lookin' good!
 

Attachments

#269 ·
Stain and Finish

With the slip seats out at the upholsterer, I focus on staining and finishing the chairs. First I set up my temporary spray booth, which consists of heavy plastic sheeting held up with zip wall poles. I cover the floor with kraft paper and mount a fan in the window to extract the overspray.

Fixture Flooring Wood Engineering Ceiling


I use a similar finish schedule on these chairs that I used for the dining table in my previous blog. First, two applications of General Finishes water borne dye stain are sprayed on. I quickly wipe the excess off after each coat for an even coloring. I use Darrell Peart's formula of 7 parts orange to 4 parts medium brown.

Wood Flooring Floor Hardwood Wood stain


A lazy Susan bearing mounted between two pieces of plywood make a nice rotating platform to allow easy access to spray all sides of the chair.

Next I apply a single application of Target Coatings EM-1000 sanding sealer followed by a thorough sanding to smooth any raised grain. The Target sealer sands easily to a powdery smooth surface.

Wood Wood stain Floor Flooring Hardwood


Next I build the base finish with two coats of Target Coatings EM-6000 gloss water borne lacquer. I prefer to build the base coats with gloss since it allows the grain and chatoyance of the wood to show nicely. After a light scuff sanding to remove any dust specks, I spray a final topcoat of satin and set the finished chair aside to dry overnight.

The next day I test the fit of the slip seat which is just back from the upholsterer.

Furniture Chair Wood Floor Hardwood


The upholsterer did a fabulous job matching the thickness and overall shape of the original Greene & Greene cushion.

The final touch is to screw the slip seat in and install the floor glides on the chair bottom.

Wood Gas Hardwood Automotive tire Machine


With my finish schedule worked out, I spray the remaining chairs, install the slip seats and glides. Done, just in time for Easter!

Table Furniture Chair Wood Interior design


Next: final wrap up.
 

Attachments

#270 ·
Stain and Finish

With the slip seats out at the upholsterer, I focus on staining and finishing the chairs. First I set up my temporary spray booth, which consists of heavy plastic sheeting held up with zip wall poles. I cover the floor with kraft paper and mount a fan in the window to extract the overspray.

Fixture Flooring Wood Engineering Ceiling


I use a similar finish schedule on these chairs that I used for the dining table in my previous blog. First, two applications of General Finishes water borne dye stain are sprayed on. I quickly wipe the excess off after each coat for an even coloring. I use Darrell Peart's formula of 7 parts orange to 4 parts medium brown.

Wood Flooring Floor Hardwood Wood stain


A lazy Susan bearing mounted between two pieces of plywood make a nice rotating platform to allow easy access to spray all sides of the chair.

Next I apply a single application of Target Coatings EM-1000 sanding sealer followed by a thorough sanding to smooth any raised grain. The Target sealer sands easily to a powdery smooth surface.

Wood Wood stain Floor Flooring Hardwood


Next I build the base finish with two coats of Target Coatings EM-6000 gloss water borne lacquer. I prefer to build the base coats with gloss since it allows the grain and chatoyance of the wood to show nicely. After a light scuff sanding to remove any dust specks, I spray a final topcoat of satin and set the finished chair aside to dry overnight.

The next day I test the fit of the slip seat which is just back from the upholsterer.

Furniture Chair Wood Floor Hardwood


The upholsterer did a fabulous job matching the thickness and overall shape of the original Greene & Greene cushion.

The final touch is to screw the slip seat in and install the floor glides on the chair bottom.

Wood Gas Hardwood Automotive tire Machine


With my finish schedule worked out, I spray the remaining chairs, install the slip seats and glides. Done, just in time for Easter!

Table Furniture Chair Wood Interior design


Next: final wrap up.
They look fantastic! You have one of the nicest dining sets possible (in my opinion).
 

Attachments

#279 ·
Final Wrap Up

Here are the project totals, for those that are interested.

Board feet of Sapele used: 315
4' x 8' sheets of 3/4" baltic birch plywood: 2
Number of chair parts fabricated: 285
Number of mortises: 720
Number of floating tenons: 360
Number of square ebony plugs: 405
Number of ebony splines: 120
Quarts of finish used: 10
Hours to complete: 596

What worked well?

I spent about 40 hours drawing templates in AutoCAD to be cut by CNC at the start of the project. I made some minor adjustments to replace dominos with the the standard mortise sizes available with the Leigh FMT. This was time well spent as it made the fabrication go very smoothly.

The Leigh FMT jig again proved worthwhile. This is a well made tool and makes beautiful, precise mortises. With 720 total mortises on this project, I gave it a good workout.

Carefully planning and thinking through the steps of construction and assembly for these chairs was key to making sure they came together successfully.

Bloopers

I broke a few of the smaller 3/16" loose tenons while dry assembling and disassembling the chairs. Using a 1/8" chisel I was able to extract the broken tenon pieces without damaging the mortises.

Tableware Wood Kitchen utensil Table Hardwood


The biggest mistake was when a dry assembled chair disassembled itself and the back assembly fell over, breaking the top of the center back splat.

Wood Sleeve Grey Collar Rectangle


Luckily it was a clean break and no wood was lost. I squeezed some glue into the break, put wax paper on either side and clamped the splat between clamp blocks.

Wood Table Composite material Automotive design Engineering


After it dried I cleaned up the repair with a scraper and it was nearly impossible to see.

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Composite material Flooring


Overall this was a fun and challenging project and I'm glad I took it on. A special thanks to Bob Lang for teaching the class and providing advice, and to Darrell Peart for the design that these chairs are based on.
 

Attachments

#280 ·
Final Wrap Up

Here are the project totals, for those that are interested.

Board feet of Sapele used: 315
4' x 8' sheets of 3/4" baltic birch plywood: 2
Number of chair parts fabricated: 285
Number of mortises: 720
Number of floating tenons: 360
Number of square ebony plugs: 405
Number of ebony splines: 120
Quarts of finish used: 10
Hours to complete: 596

What worked well?

I spent about 40 hours drawing templates in AutoCAD to be cut by CNC at the start of the project. I made some minor adjustments to replace dominos with the the standard mortise sizes available with the Leigh FMT. This was time well spent as it made the fabrication go very smoothly.

The Leigh FMT jig again proved worthwhile. This is a well made tool and makes beautiful, precise mortises. With 720 total mortises on this project, I gave it a good workout.

Carefully planning and thinking through the steps of construction and assembly for these chairs was key to making sure they came together successfully.

Bloopers

I broke a few of the smaller 3/16" loose tenons while dry assembling and disassembling the chairs. Using a 1/8" chisel I was able to extract the broken tenon pieces without damaging the mortises.

Tableware Wood Kitchen utensil Table Hardwood


The biggest mistake was when a dry assembled chair disassembled itself and the back assembly fell over, breaking the top of the center back splat.

Wood Sleeve Grey Collar Rectangle


Luckily it was a clean break and no wood was lost. I squeezed some glue into the break, put wax paper on either side and clamped the splat between clamp blocks.

Wood Table Composite material Automotive design Engineering


After it dried I cleaned up the repair with a scraper and it was nearly impossible to see.

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Composite material Flooring


Overall this was a fun and challenging project and I'm glad I took it on. A special thanks to Bob Lang for teaching the class and providing advice, and to Darrell Peart for the design that these chairs are based on.
TungOil, what a great project … both the table and the chaiirs. I have really enjoyed all your updates along the way. I am sure it will be cherished for a long long time.
 

Attachments

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