Plans for flat-armed Morris chair?

[Phil Thien]

Hello. Has anyone built a flat-armed Morris chair from plans that worked out well? I'm including a pic of what I'm sort of looking for.

The pic is of a chair that claims to be an actual "GUSTAV STICKLEY Flat-arm Morris chair," so were the plans ever published in any of the books I wonder? Maybe it isn't real GS?

The FLAT ARMED is important, I don't want curved.

[Jamie Buxton]

In Bob Lang's book Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture, there are plans which Bob drew for the Gustav Stickley #332 Morris Chair. It looks very much like that pic.

There's also another chair in the G. Stickley catalog, #324, which looks like that. The difference is that the 332 reclines, and the 324 does not. Can't help with plans.

There's also a plan for a flat-armed Morris chair which Stickley himself published in his magazine The Craftsman. It doesn't look exactly like the pic, but it is a flat-armed Morris chair. The article is reproduced in a book from Dover Press called Making Authentic Craftsman Furniture.

[Phil Thien]

Jamie, thank you. I was able to find the first book within our county library system and have it on the way to my local library.

[Alden Miller]

Thanks for the hint on the book, just picked one up off of ebay.

-Alden

[Ben Martin]

Phil,

Have you sat in that chair or one like it?

The Bow Arm (or angled variant) pretty much makes the chair. I can't imagine you can get the seat in the right place to make that chair comfortable, I reckon you shoulders would always be bunched up.

I guess if you aren't looking at spending much seat time in it, and just wanted it for style that is a bit different. But the first thing I did before building my chair was to go to a Stickley dealer to get some seat time in.

Hopefully I didn't derail this too much, just wanted to provide some input from having spent hours (ok, probably more like days...lol) in a Bow Arm.

Ben

[Phil Thien]

Phil,

Have you sat in that chair or one like it?

The Bow Arm (or angled variant) pretty much makes the chair. I can't imagine you can get the seat in the right place to make that chair comfortable, I reckon you shoulders would always be bunched up.

I guess if you aren't looking at spending much seat time in it, and just wanted it for style that is a bit different. But the first thing I did before building my chair was to go to a Stickley dealer to get some seat time in.

Hopefully I didn't derail this too much, just wanted to provide some input from having spent hours (ok, probably more like days...lol) in a Bow Arm.

Ben

I guess I'm strange but I find them quite a bit more comfortable and practical (in terms of placing a drink, or tablet or computer or whatever on the arm) than the slanted arm designs.

[Ben Martin]

I guess I'm strange but I find them quite a bit more comfortable and practical (in terms of placing a drink, or tablet or computer or whatever on the arm) than the slanted arm designs.

Not in the least, although this picture is sans laptop and/or tablet, but they are usually sitting up there. It is my official Blackhawks watching seat, so there is usually a beer mug in place of the coffee mug... :D

Now the through tenon, that would always be in the way. Spent some seat time in those versions at the Grove Park Inn and am very happy I didn't do that!

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp325/martbj/Bow%20Arm%20Morris%20Chair/IMG_0111_zpscf2e7ea7.jpg (http://s424.photobucket.com/user/martbj/media/Bow%20Arm%20Morris%20Chair/IMG_0111_zpscf2e7ea7.jpg.html)

Good luck with whatever you choose!

Brn

[Clay Fails]

Not in the least, although this picture is sans laptop and/or tablet, but they are usually sitting up there. It is my official Blackhawks watching seat, so there is usually a beer mug in place of the coffee mug... :D

Now the through tenon, that would always be in the way. Spent some seat time in those versions at the Grove Park Inn and am very happy I didn't do that!

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp325/martbj/Bow%20Arm%20Morris%20Chair/IMG_0111_zpscf2e7ea7.jpg (http://s424.photobucket.com/user/martbj/media/Bow%20Arm%20Morris%20Chair/IMG_0111_zpscf2e7ea7.jpg.html)

Good luck with whatever you choose!

Brn

That is a beautiful chair Ben! I am in the final stages of an identical chair, except with the through tenons. Now you have me sort of wishing i had omitted the tenons through the arms! Will have to wait and see.....

[Ben Martin]

That is a beautiful chair Ben! I am in the final stages of an identical chair, except with the through tenons. Now you have me sort of wishing i had omitted the tenons through the arms! Will have to wait and see.....

Clay,

Hopefully you won't find too many issues with them. I originally omitted them because I didn't think I had the skills to make them accurate enough...

Ben

[Phil Thien]

Clay,

Hopefully you won't find too many issues with them. I originally omitted them because I didn't think I had the skills to make them accurate enough...

Ben

Yep, no through mortises for me, and I'll be making a couple of other changes as well.

So if you didn't use through mortises, how did you attach your arms, still a mortise there?

[Ben Martin]

So if you didn't use through mortises, how did you attach your arms, still a mortise there?

Here you go, had to check my pics to jog my memory! Non-through M&T with some washer head screws for good measure, than covered the holes with Walnut dowels.

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp325/martbj/Bow%20Arm%20Morris%20Chair/IMG_2565.jpg (http://s424.photobucket.com/user/martbj/media/Bow%20Arm%20Morris%20Chair/IMG_2565.jpg.html)

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp325/martbj/Bow%20Arm%20Morris%20Chair/IMG_0112_zpsae119a77.jpg (http://s424.photobucket.com/user/martbj/media/Bow%20Arm%20Morris%20Chair/IMG_0112_zpsae119a77.jpg.html)

Ben

[Alden Miller]

I have a question about the chair arms. Is the arch laminated or is it sawn out of a thicker piece?

-Alden

[Clay Fails]

I have a question about the chair arms. Is the arch laminated or is it sawn out of a thicker piece?

-Alden

i laminated my arms using 4 pieces of 1/4 inch boards. I built the jig shown by Greg Paolini in his Fine Woodworking video series, with the plastic resin glue. Very slick method.

[Ben Martin]

I have a question about the chair arms. Is the arch laminated or is it sawn out of a thicker piece?

-Alden

Alden,

Check here, everything you will ever need to know about Morris Chairs.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?85886-The-Great-Morris-Chair-project

Ben

[Phil Thien]

Ben you did an outstanding job on that chair. I'm sure mine won't be as nice but I hope it to be every bit as functional.

[Alden Miller]

Thanks Ben and Clay!

-Alden

[Jamie Buxton]

Here's blurry-cam pics of two pages from the third book I mentioned at the top of the thread -- the one with reprints from Stickley's magazine. The pages weren't flat when I photographed them, so there are geometric distortions in the pics which are not in the book. For instance, on the second page the back slats don't look parallel, but they are parallel in the book. The book only costs $9 on Amazon.

I notice that this design allows the back angle to be adjustable.

278155278156

[Mike Leung]

Norm made this flat armed morris chair. http://youtu.be/d4uC9iqBykc