Rustic chair

**Andy Mac** · 22nd November 2011, 12:17 PM

Hello,
I have just started a rustic style chair from Privet branches that I have had seasoning for 4 months in a container

. As an experiment I left the bark on and dipped each end in paint. They have come out pretty well, with very few splits, unlike than the ones I peel when green.
I roughed the pieces out on Sunday at the Cobb & Co Museum in Toowoomba, as part of their Artisans Challenge. One of the provisos is a portion of the work must be done as a public display or demo, so that was fun chatting as I worked!
The intention with this piece is to make a valet chair, more suitable for hanging clothes off than as a seat. I have a few slabs of Meditarranean cypress, nicely seasoned and light, to use as the seat part.
I have recently moved and this new shed is not set up yet, just the very basics!

I needed to get a move on as this work has a deadline.

Cheers,

**munruben** · 22nd November 2011, 02:17 PM

Incredible, should look fantastic, Love it.

**tea lady** · 22nd November 2011, 05:16 PM

Looks great!

**Rattrap** · 23rd November 2011, 06:22 PM

Love it!

**Claw Hama** · 23rd November 2011, 08:01 PM

What great fun, will have to have a go when I get 5min. I have seen one of the guys from up the Hunter Valley making chairs at the woodshows with the treadle lathe etc will just have to set the time aside. Keep the pics comming Andy, looks fantastic.

**Woodwould** · 23rd November 2011, 11:44 PM

That's brilliant! It does make one want to have a go.

**artme** · 27th November 2011, 05:36 PM

Top stuphph!!!

Is the privet as white as it appears in the photos and does it discolour over time?

**Andy Mac** · 28th November 2011, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by artme

Top stuphph!!!

Is the privet as white as it appears in the photos and does it discolour over time?

It does stay fairly white, although with oil and wax it will tend towards yellow.

**Andy Mac** · 30th November 2011, 09:09 AM

Morning,
I have made some progress, and really only the seat proper to work on now.

I thought I'd post a few shots of my process for whittling a round blind tenon.

1. Photo one: Drill into the end of the member with the spade or auger bit to be used for the round mortice (ie. same diameter), this becomes the reference mark.
2. Run a pencil line around the 'shoulder' of the tenon, to keep a clean starting point for the drawknife.
3. Bevel down with the drawknife, remove the waste with a slicing action, left to right as you pull. The bevel down allows the blade to dig in then levels out, so the cut is angled at the shoulder, but becomes parallel at the tenon part. The best way I can explain it!
4. Photo two: Whittle around the workpiece, to get 5 or 6 facets that just touch the reference mark.
5. Photo three: Clean up the high points between facets, progressively working to the line for a round profile, and check the fit on a test piece. (I have one drilled with all the spade bits I use and hangs on a cord, although it's still in storage so not in photo.)

This process works for a through tenon too, but it will need to be made longer and cut off when assembled to remove the spade bit mark.

And a shot of glueing the two sides together, using rope as a clamp. I'm using Titebond 2.

Cheers,

**IanW** · 1st December 2011, 10:26 AM

Thanks Andy Mac

I can see other situations where this simple & elegant technique for scribing a diameter on an irregular face could be useful to me (why didn't I think of it??). As they say, you can go on learning something every single day...

Cheers,

**Cliff Rogers** · 1st December 2011, 10:59 AM

**Andy Mac** · 23rd December 2011, 09:25 AM

Finished a few weekends back, then delivered it to Cobb & Co before I got a photo

. Anyway they sent me a shot of it outside the museum. The privet is finished with Tung oil and beeswax polish. The seat is recycled hoop pine shaped with an Arbortech and sanding discs. Finish is stain using Feast Watsons replacement for Japan black- stain and varnish, which I'm not all that impressed with, and then beeswax polish.

Cheers, and Merry Xmas all!

**Ozkaban** · 23rd December 2011, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by Andy Mac

Finished a few weekends back, then delivered it to Cobb & Co before I got a photo

. Anyway they sent me a shot of it outside the museum. The privet is finished with Tung oil and beeswax polish. The seat is recycled hoop pine shaped with an Arbortech and sanding discs. Finish is stain using Feast Watsons replacement for Japan black- stain and varnish, which I'm not all that impressed with, and then beeswax polish.

Cheers, and Merry Xmas all!

Quite like that one. Nice looking chair

**mic-d** · 23rd December 2011, 09:58 AM

I love it Andy. The freeform frame really accentuates the more structured seat - beautifully shaped btw.

I got this recipe for 'mock Japan' from Feast Watson:

Black Japan pigment using prooftint colours
1 part Black
2 parts Walnut
2 parts Teak Brown

Might be an alternative to the premixed stain/varnish.

Cheers
Michael

**Claw Hama** · 23rd December 2011, 10:06 AM

Great piece Andy, well done. So whats next, anything similar?

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