Charleston Easy Chairs - Progress pics

[Calvin Hobbs]

Creekers,

Haven't been able to post much lately, with selling our house in Springfield and purchasing a house in the Kansas City area, we have been busy fixing house related stuff, traveling, etc.

So needless to say the shop time has been few and far between.

Back in late February I went to NC to see my Dad, visit some museums, and I got these two Charleston easy chairs started at the end of the week. Currently I have one ALMOST ready for finishing, as shown, the other one's base is complete and so far they are turning out pretty good.

This a reproduction of a chair made in Charleston around 1740, in MESDA and pictured in the Furniture of Charleston book by John Bivins. Base is mahogany, framing is poplar and yellow pine.

The upholstery will be probably be hired out, and not until we move, so the fabric can match the "decor".

I'd be interested in anyone's comments..... Thanks, Cal

[Jim Becker]

Calvin, I always find it interesting to see projects that are designed for upholstery as there is so little information about building these structures "out there". Thanks for sharing!

[Carl Eyman]

Looks to be a wonderful chair in progress. Calvin, I imagine the bun feet are turned on the lathe, but it seems to me the center of the bun is outside the perimiter of the upper portion of the leg. If so, how did you hold it in the lathe?

The only "how to" I've seen on upolstered furniture has been Norm on NYW. I'd be interested in knowing about any other.

[Matt Campbell]

So that's what a table saw is really used for. :D Chairs look great by the way.

[Charles Jackson III]

Very nice chair!

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

They don't look so "easy" to me~!!

Nice chairs.

[Richard Wolf]

Nice work, I love chairs, I wish I had more time to build them.

Richard

[John Timberlake]

Great job so far. Nice front leg.

[Ernie Hobbs]

They look nice. I look forward to the final pictures. Are you going to do you own upholstery or have it sent out?

For you all looking, this isn't Calvin's first time- he made this chair for me 12 years ago as a wedding present. It's still the most comfortable seat in the house, although my cat has used the fabric for a scratching post too many times.

[Calvin Hobbs]

Looks to be a wonderful chair in progress. Calvin, I imagine the bun feet are turned on the lathe, but it seems to me the center of the bun is outside the perimiter of the upper portion of the leg. If so, how did you hold it in the lathe?

The only "how to" I've seen on upolstered furniture has been Norm on NYW. I'd be interested in knowing about any other.


Carl,

Thanks for the comments. Actually the center of the pad foot is turned at the center of the blank. As you know from making cabriole legs before, then the upper portion of the leg is cut out to form the knee. So holding the leg to turn is not an issue.

As far as how-to's on upholstery, I have been able to find a couple of references dealing with 18th century upholstery here and there, and my Mom has learned it by doing it, but I will still hire this portion out, along with detailed photos of how I want it to look when it is done (a modern overstuffed approach would not be appropriate for this chair, as you know).

The frames are pretty easy, there are a couple of very nice chairs in the Vandal book on Queen Anne furniture and the chairs I am making are in a measured drawing by Carlyle Lynch. We were fortunate enough to have patterns taken from the actual chair at Mesda from the time it was in a shop for conservation.

Cal

[Zahid Naqvi]

Thanks Calvin for posting pictures, things under the upholstery have always been a mystery for me, this clears some things.