Thread: WIP- Squatters chair-cum-wheelbarrow

Hello again,
It has been a week or two since I've touched this project... school holidays, cubby house building and a birthday party which disrupted the shed!
Today I took the parts to work, as well as some old 4x4 hardwood, and did some benchwork under public scrutiny. As I'm making a couple of wooden wheels I just used the area and facilities we use during the week, which means some progress and some talking to museum visitors. The place needs some action in the factory on weekends. Despite that I had a productive 6hrs, and even got to use my recently repaired Stanley 113 to shape the outside of the wheel felloes.
But first off I chopped a couple more mortices, to take the front stretcher, so the chair is now in finished overall dimensions. This allowed me to measure the space for the wheel/s. I turned said hardwood in one piece for the hubs (I find it easier to match contours etc on the lathe in one piece) after machining square and cutting octagonal on the tablesaw. I cut 12mm mortices for the spokes into the hub using a bench morticer. Then I cut it in half on the band saw then returned it to the lathe to drill holes for the axle.
Then I cut matching tenons on the spokes using the bandsaw, a touch oversize, then shaped them by hand on the shaving horse. Finished them with a file, touched the tenons up with a chisel then beat them into the hub. Nice fit too! I have yet to fit the bands at each end of the hubs, normally should have done that before knocking in the spokes, but didn't want to break the flow to light a forge and shape steel. Next I have to drill each felloe, and dress the spokes to length before machining a round tenon on each to match felloes. Some nice tools involved in that!

Cheers

The wheels are looking great this project is coming together nicely.
Regards Rod.

Andy,

I see a shave horse and a drawknife. Are you learning new skills in this project or reinforcing old ones?

Originally Posted by dr4g0nfly

Andy,

I see a shave horse and a drawknife. Are you learning new skills in this project or reinforcing old ones?

G'day dr4g0nfly,
I have been using drawknives with shaving horses for 20yrs or so, and drawknives with a normal vise before that. One of my favourite tools, and the shaving horse is the best thing! Works well with spokeshaves too. I have a big heavy one at home, but we designed a simplified and much lighter one for work last year, then had the apprentice make up three. The intention is to use them for rustic furniture workshops, and there will be one running later in the year. I have tried making spokes for larger wagon wheels with the drawknife, out of spotted gum which is a commonly used timber but that is such a mongrel timber to work .... much easier to machine up, which is what was done even back in the late 1800's. Anyway, the silky oak was quite easy, just have to think grain direction.

Cheers,

Wheels are looking good!!

Hello,
At lunchtime today I grabbed the chance to keep things moving, so I measured up the spokes according to my template drawing so I could machine the round tenons that go into the felloes. All the spokes I'd cut to same overall length, so was just a matter of taking the tenons down to a set shoulder. This is achieved by adjusting a stop in the tenon cutter (a.k.a. hollow auger), in the new electric drill version and also in the old hand brace version. First though, the end of the spoke is taken down to a point or thereabouts by a "pointer" which centres the oval shape and allows the hollow auger to follow. So here I am using both tools, and the resulting tenon (apologies for poor photo there). A photo of both tools close up, and we have two different sizes of these, this being the larger. The other photo is of the older versions, antique tools which we use for demonstrations, but they are hard work, and easier to misalign! An off-kilter tenon does not make for a pretty wheel...
Maybe tonight I'll get to my shed and drill the felloes to take the tenons, and also a dowel hole at the end of each to help align them.

Cheers

Hi there,
Been awhile, lots of interruptions. Well overdue, but I'm almost there.

Cheers

Hi andy

Curious why you have chosen to use two wheels.

Looks great Andy.

Interesting treddle(?) lathe in the background there.

Originally Posted by ian

Hi andy

Curious why you have chosen to use two wheels.

Stability?

Looking terrific Andy!!

Hello,
Yes I chose two wheels for stability when people sit down into it. I would have preferred the one just for looks, and fiddled with the idea of incorporating extra legs for the stability, but would have taken away from the lines.
Anyway I finally finished the chair with a day to spare for the exhibition "Artisans Challenge" at Cobb & Co. There is some other woodwork in the show, including a rocking horse by fellow Forum member Ray, a red cedar carved mirror, and a hand made guitar, all very beautiful!
The finish is outdoor furniture oil with beeswax, and the sling is heavy duty maroon canvas with gold stitching (Queenslander!!) Just hoping it sells, as I don't have a verandah...

Jake, the lathe in the background is a recent donation which we cleaned up and got going. Its a Barnes & Co #3, pedal powered with 3 step pulley, probably early 20th century (I think they were made until the '30's). The chuck has seen better days with a section of the scroll broken away, and no spur drive supplied.


Cheers,

Ooh! Love it.

Not sure how I missed this earlier. I am having ideas too now. Have an exhibition on November I was contemplating. Was going to make a really big chair. Wheels would be great. Although I can imagine there being injuries cos mine will be sat on in front of a movie screen.