| Blog series by pintodeluxe | updated 04-04-2014 08:30 PM | 8 parts | 65185 reads | 91 comments total |
Part 1: Leg Laminations and Angled Tenons
Here is the project at hand, a slant arm Morris Chair. I am working off plans from the Popular Woodworking April 2011 issue, which I recommend you buy. The Author is Robert Lang. He posted a free diagram to Sketchup, but with this detailed of a project, you will want to order the back issue. My techniques differ from Robert’s methods significantly, so I will try to elaborate along the way. -----I like to start by laminating the legs for quartersawn figure on all four sides. ...
Part 2: Frame Assembly and Through Tenons
Here is where the project is at currently.-----Before I angle the top side rails, I mark the height of the small tenon.-----Then I trim away the excess tenon at the bandsaw. -----Fitting the small tenon into the back leg mortises. -----The joint looks a little peculiar at this point because the top rails have not been angled yet. -----With the frame dry fit I can measure the height of the side slats. -----With the repeater set up on my miter saw, I cut the 10 slats to the same length. --...
Part 3: Slant Arms and Side Slats
This is how the Morris chair looks at this stage.-----I wanted to drill all the 5/8” holes for the backrest assembly before the glueup. It seems like this step would be easy to forget, so I’ll take care of it now. -----There are a lot of odds and ends to take care of before glueup, including easing edges of the parts at the router table. -----Now the side assembly can be dry fit. -----Note that the angled top side rails are 1/4” taller than the shoulders of the leg tenon...
Part 4: Ladder Back
This is the Morris Chair I am building.-----Well it’s time to make the corbels so I cut a tongue on some 1-1/8” thick stock. The tongue is 3/4” wide to fit snugly in the leg dado. -----Once the tongue is cut, I place the corbel blanks in a jig to trace the curved shape. -----Here the shape of the corbel has been transferred to the blanks.-----I rough cut the corbels at the bandsaw, cutting as close to the line as possible.-----Next I pattern rout the corbels to final sha...
Part 5: Corbels, Pegs, and Washers
With the two side assemblies glued together, I can now check the fit of the ladder back. -----Once you get the armrests fit, everything else seems to come pretty easy on this project. -----Here is a look at the beveled through tenons in the armrest.-----A 1/4” dowel secures the mortise and tenon joint. This is a fairly deep hole, and is best drilled with a brad point bit. Test the fit of your dowel stock in a scrap board, as a snug fit is key here. Hopefully you have glued the armr...
Part 6: Leather Upholstery
I took a leather sewing class to learn how to make the Morris chair cushions. -----The seat cushion and the ottoman cushion require web frames. Here I am milling the half-lap components for the web frames. -----Web frame assemblies are glued together. The seat frame should be sized 1/4” smaller in all directions than the opening in your chair, to allow room for the leather and two layers of batting.-----Corner blocks are added to the large seat cushion for additional strength. -----I...
Part 7: Ottoman
Here I am building a small ottoman to compliment the Morris Chair. -----The ottoman legs were laminated with thin veneers. As with the chair, I used 1/4” thick veneer strips that are later planed down to 3/32” thickness. -----The ottoman legs are planed to their final size of 1-3/4” square, and mortised to receive 1/2” thick tenons. -----I do an initial assembly to see how the joints fit. Everything is scaled down on the ottoman, compared to the Morris chair. Th...
Part 8: Stain and Lacquer
I sprayed the chair with Rodda #19 stain, which I thin with a splash of mineral spirits.-----After the chair had dried for 24-48 hours I sprayed Rudd lacquer (Satin sheen), which I strain and thin 20% with lacquer thinner. After the first coat I sanded with 320 grit soft sponges, and cleaned the dust with cheese cloth (not tack cloth) and compressed air. -----After the second coat I wet sanded with 1500 grit soft sponges. The whole chair only took 15-20 minutes to wet sand. -----The Rudd ...
