Thread: A Double Bow Windsor Chair

Thanks, WW. I was trying to work out why you'd be comparing it to a cudgel - it didn't really make sense. I take it that as a responsible cyber citizen you'll be informing Wikipedia of their error?

When the crinoline bow had dried, I cut it to length, formed the tennons on its extremities, rounded it and bored the holes to accept the two stub stretchers. The stub stretchers were turned using the off-cuts from the crinoline bow.

Fig. 1. Crinoline and stub stretchers.

The leg holes were bored into the seat which I then roughed out with a carving disc mounted on an angry grinder and then followed up with a travisher.

Fig. 2. Partially saddled seat.

After sawing kerfs in the ends of the through tennons, I glued the undercarriage into the seat. Oak wedges were then hammered into the ends of the tennons, locking them into their mortices.

Fig. 3. Front leg wedged perpendicular to seat grain.

Fig. 4. Stub stretcher wedged into the crinoline stretcher.

Fig. 5. The blind tennon on the back of the stub is not wedged.

Fig. 6. Chair base completed.

Nice work WW, you have been busy!

I took was confused after doing a search on Sally Rod, thanks for the correction, makes much more sense now.

Looking forward to the rest of the build, very interesting.
Cheers, Ian

In Fig.3 , the pooch seems to have found something.
Horse sauce??

Originally Posted by Peter36

In Fig.3 , the pooch seems to have found something.
Horse sauce??

Precisely! That dog has the best nose for horse sauce. He could clearly smell the glue in the leg/seat joint.

"Angry grinder" Love it.

Beautiful work as always

Great stuphph as always WW.

All has not been running smoothly in the Lemon Studio of late. I recently reported on the making and fitting of the crinoline stretcher, the bending of which didn't cost me a second thought. However, this past week I have been engaged in the Sisyphean task of trying to bend a 60" x 1-1/4" x 7/8" (152cm x 3.2cm x 2.8cm) arm bow for my chair from the same lump of ash that the stretcher was cut.

The difference is that the stretcher was relatively short and suitable bending stock was easily sourced from the straight grained end of the ash board. The arm bow on the other hand begins as more than twice the length of the stretcher and the weathered old piece of ash at hand unavoidably incorporates some wavy grain. This attractive figure was put to excellent use in making the Mulberry Corner Cabinet, but isn't sufficiently straight or flexuous to be bent into an arm bow – even with the aid of copious steam and a supportive steel strap.

Several of my attempts at forming the arm bow came tantalisingly close to fruition, but each bow went agley in the final moments (fig.1).

Fig. 1. Failure at the point the grain runs out.

The material, time and effort are not a total loss though as a couple of the failed bows will give up their scatheless bends for the two bent arm supports (fig. 2).

Fig. 2. Intact bend will be reused.

Always interesting to view your posts Woodwould, I've enjoyed following the chair WIP
The language lessons have however been a bonus: "Agley" - no not just a careless typo but a word not heard by me before, now understood and this followed by "scatheless" which I am not sure has been explained fully by the definitions sourced from the net but sufficiently to get the idea.

Cheers, Ian

Originally Posted by Nanigai

Always interesting to view your posts Woodwould, I've enjoyed following the chair WIP
The language lessons have however been a bonus: "Agley" - no not just a careless typo but a word not heard by me before, now understood and this followed by "scatheless" which I am not sure has been explained fully by the definitions sourced from the net but sufficiently to get the idea.

Cheers, Ian

I'm a new boy in Australia, so it's not surprising that I might bring some fresh vocabulary, especially as many older words and expressions persist where I came from in Norn Iron. The missus encounters many raised eyebrows at work when she voices words or expressions she's picked up from me. Scatheless means intact or uninjured.

Originally Posted by Peter36

Not so much unexpected as disappointed... and frustrated. Tomorrow's another day!

Note to self: The next time you want to bend a 1-1/4" x 1-1/8" (32mm x 28mm) section arm bow, have patience and wait until you can lay your hands on some freshly felled stock.

I came frustratingly close to perfection on several occasions, but all up, I wasted six air dried ash sticks (four of them tapered) and two air dried oak sticks before achieving success. That success only came about when I reduced the width of the stock and ended up bending a uniform 1-1/8" (28mm) square section of oak. That eighth-of-an-inch made all the difference. Thanks to Glen for coming to my aid with a suitable lump of oak.

Fig. 1. The quercine arm bow.

Two of the failed ash arm bows yielded a couple of decent bends which will become the arm posts. I cut the bends from the arm bows and rounded them in preparation for inserting them into the seat.

Fig. 2. Bent arm posts.

I sawed and planed a piece of 3/8" (10mm) thick oak and after drawing the outline of the backsplat onto it; I cut it out and tidied it up.

Fig. 3. Shaped backsplat.

The arm post holes were bored into the seat and the arms were temporarily knocked into place to enable their tops to be sawn off level with the underside of the arm bow.

Fig. 4. Fitting the arm posts.

The tops of this type of arm post were traditionally nailed and/or screwed to the underside of the arm bow (fig. 5).

Fig. 5. Large steel screw attaching arm post to arm. Note also the use of branch wood for the arm bow.

Definitely didn't gang agley this time. As ever, a delight to watch.
Cheers,
jim

Perhaps that is why the Windsor chairs have that shaped arm bow? The wood workers of old probably ended up with quite a few scathed pieces as well. looking good as always.