Thread: Building Wegner's "The Chair" .

Hi TT

Hey don't hold back now ..

You know, the paring and router planing of the slots is very peaceful. There is no noise just a jazz station on the radio, no pressure from a deadline (I return to work next week), and I've worked out what I need to do so I am concentrating on doing it well not whether I am doing the right thing. Come over. I'll give you a beer or two.

The hand drilling is not usually my thing. I think that braces are fantastic and, for large holes, outperform a power drill. The eggbeaters .. well, I wanted to try it. I was surprised how fast it went in this Jarrah. I could get faster with the old Panasonic 12v but not more accurate (the Panasonic, being smaller, is probably less accurate). I may use my drill press now on the remaining holes, but the process remains the same (there is no way to use a power router anyway on the compound curved stretchers).

The woven seat? This chair is a homage to Wegner and The Chair. Therefore I am trying to recreate the details as close as possible. I think the woven Danish Cord is fantastic, and it will be one more skill to learn along the way. If you are good I will let you do some - but only after a beer or two!

Regards from Perth

Derek

As you can probably tell Derek,

I'm not much good at watching.... I'm impatient if you haven't noticed.

Plus the "mooderators" need a little excuse to exist every now n then, seems I'd slipped off the 'watch like a hawk list' so a little tune up was in order...

Beer - heck I am stupid enough sober Derek.

I'll come, but only if I can bring an extension chord and my laminex trimmer and show you how it SHOULD be done.

A lot of those expensive hand tools would be bouncing off walls If I got my mitts on them...

I can't help thinking the CNC guys could make a machine would do all that hand work for you!

Could you imagine the power wood workers, the small saw millers and the CNC guys - all in one room at the one time - I think the claret might get spilled.

20 years of production work - sort of spoils all the peace and solitude thing - if I wanted to get away from it.... well I'd choose this...



or



The only reason you do wood work is to create enough spare $ and time to go do something relaxing - like fishing.... the wood work itself was never meant to be the relaxation in and of itself.

I can see you will need to be "re educated" about this wood butchery bidness.

Hi TT.

If it is disturbing you, you might need to look away, close the laptop, or just peek through your fingers at the screen.
Derek made it clear from the outset how he'd be approaching the job, so ... no surprises there!

If you really want some fun you can pull your whiskers out watching me orse about in order to possibly, eventually build a workbench ... or try the carving and sculpture forum and get them on-board for doing it all by CNC.

We're all interested in varying different aspects of the same large area of interest and most of us come here to learn and share, I reckon ... and mateship, support and/or semi-polite ribbing or disagreement is probably an even greater element attracting us all here.

There are some bloody shockin' places to visit online ... so we can thank the moderators for keeping an eye on us all at times and keeping the temperature just right.

Cheers,
Paul

Hi Derek

I really like the grain pattern on the legs of your chair.

re the mortises for the seat webbing -- after outlining the mortise with the stringing gauge an mortise chisel, you could drill out the bulk of the waste


re the Australian made copy of the chair -- could one of your medical colleagues x-ray the joins? I'm curious if the Aust manufacturer used stepped tenons as on the original or dowels.

Originally Posted by ian

Hi Derek


....................re the Australian made copy of the chair -- could one of your medical colleagues x-ray the joins? I'm curious if the Aust manufacturer used stepped tenons as on the original or dowels.

I believe the local vet surgery would be the best bet. The vet usually owns and operates the x-ray machine.

Keep up the good work, Derek. The curly jarrah is lovely.


Paul

Originally Posted by ian

Hi Derek

I really like the grain pattern on the legs of your chair.

re the mortises for the seat webbing -- after outlining the mortise with the stringing gauge an mortise chisel, you could drill out the bulk of the waste


re the Australian made copy of the chair -- could one of your medical colleagues x-ray the joins? I'm curious if the Aust manufacturer used stepped tenons as on the original or dowels.

Hi Ian

I am curious to see how the grain comes out. Some samples were tested with oil. They darkened nicely but they were not examples with prominent curl. The flash of the camera catches the changes in grain direction, so it looks very impressive in a photo, but much more subdued in real life.

The slots/mortices have been done. Thank God! It was exhausting. At least I now know what the cabinetmakers of Olde went through. In future I will stick to finishing with handplanes and joinery with handsaws and chisels, but the donkey work can be done the easier way. All good experience .... as they say, it is wonderful when you stop!

I imagine the tenons made in Oz are no different to the tenons made in Denmark. The chairs were made in Melbourne under license for na few years in the 60's, and this meant that they used templates and methods exactly the same as the parent factory.

As it happens, I am likely to find out by taking my chair apart as some of the joints were not glued well by the "Restorer" who sold it to me.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by derekcohen

I imagine the tenons made in Oz are no different to the tenons made in Denmark. The chairs were made in Melbourne under license for na few years in the 60's, and this meant that they used templates and methods exactly the same as the parent factory.

As it happens, I am likely to find out by taking my chair apart as some of the joints were not glued well by the "Restorer" who sold it to me.

Hi Derek

I've had another look at the video you linked to in https://www.woodworkforums.com/f187/a...9/#post1706492
To me it looks like original oak chairs have very very tight mortise and tenon joints -- perhaps tighter than what is achievable using AUS timbers?
Structurally, I think the original chairs have more than enough meat where the rails join the legs.

Thanks Ian.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Sanding, gluing and a coat of finish as the legs and stretchers come together ..

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furnitu...fPhaseOne.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

".....This is where I nearly went demented and came close to tossing the whole lot in the bin........."

Well I guess you're pleased you persisted - it looks spectacular with the oil on.

I know that feeling of despair so well! I've had a few projects that went off the rails so badly I had to put them aside 'til I had the time & patience to sort them out. In one case, I cut some parts for a desk too short. I'd fiddled with tape & templates, & adjusted a few dimensions & was able to just squeeze all the 'show' parts from the one piece of very spectacular Qld. Maple. I thought I'd lost it that time. The desk remained a flat pack for several years, mocking me every time I had to move it aside. Eventually, I stumbled on some close-matching pieces & was able to complete it. I notice I slyly skipped over that part of the story when I posted a WIP a while back....

One concern I have with your lovely new chair, Derek - the oil shows the grain direction very clearly, & there is a lot of run-out in the front (or is it the back?) rail, isn't there? I hope it doesn't prove a critical weakness in that curly wood!

We're going to have the opposite problem to your shrunken tenons over this side of the island - 3 inches of rain last night, after months & months of the driest Summer I have experienced here in Brisbane! Any tenons cut earlier in the week will need heavy trimming to fit, today.

Cheers,

Hi Ian

I saw that desk of yours. Stunning grain. So-so workmanship

With regard to run out in the Jarrah, I think that your eyes are better than mine. I cannot see this (or don't recognise it), unless you are referring to some of the brittle edges.

The one area that does concern me is the effect of the slots on the strength of the rails. The upper section does flex more now, which is understandable. the addition of the Danish Cord wind add a lot of strength and rigidity to the frame, but I am inclined to add packing as support from the interior into the slots. What do you think?

Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by derekcohen

.......With regard to run out in the Jarrah, I think that your eyes are better than mine. I cannot see this (or don't recognise it), unless you are referring to some of the brittle edges.

Derek, maybe I'm seeing things, but it looks distinctly like the grain (as distinct from the figure) dips down on the left of the rail:
DC chair.jpg

If I'm wrong, no problem, but if I'm correct, it's unfortunate, because it's weakening that corner over the cut-out. It may not get enough stress to cause a problem, at that point, just depends on how much flexing can occur.

Originally Posted by derekcohen

.......The one area that does concern me is the effect of the slots on the strength of the rails. The upper section does flex more now, which is understandable. the addition of the Danish Cord wind add a lot of strength and rigidity to the frame, but I am inclined to add packing as support from the interior into the slots. What do you think?

Well, I think you actually want some flex - it adds to the comfort of the seat. I can't see that packing will do much, it would be difficult to do evenly & hard to hide. The cord should help limit the flexing, and as long as it's within the elastic tolerance of the wood, all will be well...

Cheers,

Hi Ian

I see what you refer to now as run out.

The photo does exaggerate the angle a little. What exaggerates it even more is the curve at the top and bottom of the rail. The grain is largely running straight into the tenon, and the area (60mm) at the end of the rail is fairly straight - a little off straight but not worth getting paranoid about.



What do you think?

Regards from Perth

Derek

Here is the work completed today ..

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furnitu...sBackrest.html

I do have a question for all. Please have a look at the area where the finger joints will be. I am interested in your opinion in regard to the run out here - will it be strong enough (the finger joint will use epoxy)? Photos are near the end.

Regards from Perth

Derek