Thread: Chairs again ...

This is my latest project finished - or at least the bit that would be of interest to a woodworker. It is a copy of an old oak carver chair. Its in Sydney blue gum. Actually, its finished but not finished, if you get what I mean - does anyone know how to finish blue gum so that it does a reasonable impersonation of red gum ?

Building a chair has been a great skills acquisition thing for me. There has been lots of new techniques required, such as steam bending for the back, and woodcarving for a previous back (since discarded) that had a gum leaf motif. Also, everything I have done so far has been rectilinear, but there is scarcely a square joint in this chair which makes for a challenge.

For those interested in technique - here are a few observations which will be of interest to those new to woodworking

The back has a gentle curve that is surprisingly comfortable. I put a post on steam bending in the general woodwork section.
I used beadlock for most of the larger joints. It handled the angled joints well, in fact was pretty good to use all round. I discovered that if you cut your beadlock and microwave it - it temporarily shrinks to such a degree that you can do a trial fit that will pull apart easily and without distortion/damage. Othewise, in the Sydney climate, the beadlock fits so tightly it is almost impossible to get apart without bashing and levering and spoiling things for the real fitting. About 25 secs on 750 watts did the trick.
The stretchers on the legs were joined by creating m&ts with a plug cutter and forstner bit. The plug cutter was in a drill press, with the worktable swung aside and the stretchers held vertically. The plug cutter put a nice round donut shaped hole deep into each end. The waste was cut away back to the shoulders using a tenon saw. The mortise was cut with the matching forstner bit, initially getting the angle right with a measuring jig but eventually finding results better using the 'amazingly accurate eyeometer'.
The tapers on the front legs were done quickly and easily using hotmelt glue, waste plywood and a tablesaw. I find this method much easier and safer then a (shudder) taper jig.
The curves on the back legs and arms were done using plywood templates cut and planed to match the old chair, and a flush cut bit on a router table. That was quick and easy too.
Most of the lineing up and cutting was done by eye. A pair of winding sticks proved very useful getting tricky bits done, such as the cutaways in the rear legs into which the back sits.
Where components were judged to be too thin for a successful dowel or m&t joint, I just used screws hidden below plugs. Pity, as I hate to think of metal fasteners being used in woodworking - but sometimes necessary I guess.

regards,
Arron