| Project by SplashMaster | posted 01-09-2021 12:58 PM | 871 views | 0 times favorited | 18 comments |  |
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This past Christmas I was given a stack of walnut from my wife’s uncle and we decided it would make a great dining room table and chair set.
For these chairs I used the Elegant Chair Woodworking Plan by Tom McLaughlin. However, I modified the back slats and had to make the back legs out of ¾” stock as I didn’t have wide enough 8/4’” stock. I made the center back slat 5” wide and the side slats 2” wide to show off the wood grain of these 9” wide boards. My wife wanted our monogram carved in the counter slat of the two head chairs, which I did with a V bit in the router free hand. This was my first attempt at upholstering chair seats. The fabric is a sloid plum purple color that goes well with the black walnut. I finished it with General General Finishes Arm-R-Seal satin urethane and attached seats to the chairs with Izzy Skirt Washers.
Chairs have always been quit intimidating of a build to me in the since that they need to go beyond looking nice and be comfortable to the user. This chair design accomplished that. The wood was very rough and I had a lot of cracks and voids I had to fill/stabilize with epoxy in this project, with greatly increased the build time. It took me 3 months to complete these chairs. I couldn’t be more pleased with how they turned out. It is very neat to have a dining room set that from tree harvest to project build was all completed in the family. I’m sure It will be a family heirloom one day. Build date of March 2020.
My favorite chair quote “Just as we transform the wood into a chair, so too does the chair transform a man from laborer to philosopher” Roy Underhill.
Thanks for stopping by,
Matthew Stillwell
18 comments so far
BurlyBob
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8512 posts in 3280 days
#1 posted 01-09-2021 04:25 PM
They look great and really compliment your farm table.
SplashMaster
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298 posts in 3875 days
#2 posted 01-09-2021 05:00 PM
Thank you Bob!
pottz
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#3 posted 01-09-2021 05:37 PM
those look great,i love walnut,how are they for comfort?
-- working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
sras
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#4 posted 01-09-2021 06:23 PM
That’s a big project! They llook great.
-- Steve - Impatience is Expensive
Oldtool
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#5 posted 01-09-2021 09:32 PM
These are a great complement to you table project, very nice work.
-- "I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The point is to bring them the real facts." - Abraham Lincoln
crowie
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#6 posted 01-09-2021 10:05 PM
The table was very impressive but WOW these chairs are magnificent sir.
-- Lifes good, Enjoy each new day...... Cheers from "On Top DownUnder" Crowie
bushmaster
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4122 posts in 3297 days
#7 posted 01-10-2021 12:48 AM
Outstanding workmanship. Chair project are top of the line for all projects. Not easy.
-- Brian - Hazelton, British Columbia
therealSteveN
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#8 posted 01-10-2021 01:16 AM
Impressive set of chairs.
-- Think safe, be safe
SplashMaster
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#9 posted 01-10-2021 01:25 AM
Thank you, as for comfort they are pretty good. I think I might of starched the upholster a bit to tight but, for my first time I am very satisfied! Also they are a good all around height and the back seems to slope back just the right amount!
SplashMaster
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298 posts in 3875 days
#10 posted 01-10-2021 01:27 AM
That it was! It would take a hole day to make one set of parts for all six of the chairs it seemed lol Thank you!
SplashMaster
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298 posts in 3875 days
#11 posted 01-10-2021 01:28 AM
Thank you!
SplashMaster
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298 posts in 3875 days
#12 posted 01-10-2021 01:31 AM
Thank you, I agree 100% I was/am intimated when making chairs because it’s not good enough to just look good they have to sit good as well.
SplashMaster
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#13 posted 01-10-2021 01:32 AM
Thank you!
Peteybadboy
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#14 posted 01-10-2021 12:02 PM
Really well done! Did you make any jigs to help with production?
-- Petey
SplashMaster
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#15 posted 01-10-2021 12:28 PM
Thank you, I made several jigs, most notably was a mortising jig for to use with the router. Also I made a table saw sled and a longer table saw tapering jig. After all that mortising though, I decide I need to save up for a mortising machine lol
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