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Thread: Why drill from the bottom of the chair seat?

  1. #1
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    Why drill from the bottom of the chair seat?

    I'm getting to the point where I will need to drill mortises for my seat, and most every chairmaker I have seen, Mike Dunbar, Curtis Buchanan, Greg Pennington, Elia Bizzari, Chris Schwarz, all drill from the bottom to the top of the seat. The stick chair book also recommends adding a backer block to minimize spelching. But they never specifically detail why they only go from the bottom of the seat

    But then I found a video on YouTube that shows an old Irish woodworker who uses his t auger to drill from the top to the bottom of the seat.

    And the more I think about it, I can see this being an advantage because if there is spelching that will get cleaned up with my tapered reamer anyway, and if the reamer doesn't clean it up its the bottom of the seat any way.

    Maybe it's being able to see sight lines drawn on the bottom of the chair, but if you set the bevel gauge on the line and keep it from touching I guess theoretically it would work.

    I'm not about to question the validity of methods from people who have built lots of chairs, I guess I'm just wondering what if?

    Is there a reason everyone drills from the bottom?

  2. #2
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    Tapered holes?

  3. #3
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    Once the seat is hollowed, the bottom is flat and can be used as reference? Who knows, you got to be doing one yourself to evaluate.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Jason Buresh View Post
    I'm getting to the point where I will need to drill mortises for my seat, and most every chairmaker I have seen, Mike Dunbar, Curtis Buchanan, Greg Pennington, Elia Bizzari, Chris Schwarz, all drill from the bottom to the top of the seat. The stick chair book also recommends adding a backer block to minimize spelching. But they never specifically detail why they only go from the bottom of the seat

    Is there a reason everyone drills from the bottom?
    I would say Tom is correct, tapered holes would be the number one reason, but if it's a straight bore there is no reason not to drill from the top. A through hole is a through hole.

    Video of Curtis Buchanan drilling from the top.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C9_ID2CKGM

  5. #5
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    Tapered reamers are used on an already drilled hole. You can drill the holes from the top if you want to. Do it however the geometry makes the most sense to your brain, and if for whatever reason the video of the Irish woodworker you watched struck a chord. You will of course have to run the tapers from the bottom, if you choose to taper at all, but that wasn't your question.
    Last edited by Charles Guest; 07-23-2022 at 10:27 AM.

  6. #6
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    I drill from the bottom because its easier to drill into/towards the center of the work piece than across and over or towards yourself, even more so when using a brace and bit.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jason Buresh View Post
    I'm getting to the point where I will need to drill mortises for my seat, and most every chairmaker I have seen, Mike Dunbar, Curtis Buchanan, Greg Pennington, Elia Bizzari, Chris Schwarz, all drill from the bottom to the top of the seat. The stick chair book also recommends adding a backer block to minimize spelching. But they never specifically detail why they only go from the bottom of the seat

    But then I found a video on YouTube that shows an old Irish woodworker who uses his t auger to drill from the top to the bottom of the seat.

    And the more I think about it, I can see this being an advantage because if there is spelching that will get cleaned up with my tapered reamer anyway, and if the reamer doesn't clean it up its the bottom of the seat any way.

    Maybe it's being able to see sight lines drawn on the bottom of the chair, but if you set the bevel gauge on the line and keep it from touching I guess theoretically it would work.

    I'm not about to question the validity of methods from people who have built lots of chairs, I guess I'm just wondering what if?

    Is there a reason everyone drills from the bottom?
    Hi Jason

    I ended up drilling from the underside, having explored both. There were two reasons: it was about space or clearance - for myself, there is more room to stand … working from the outside inwards. If working from the top, you have to lean over the workpiece, and it gets crowded as well. Secondly, working from the underside, it is easier - more visual - where you position the exiting end of the legs (you want to get close-ish to the edge, but not over the edge). Especially when hand drilling, a degree here-and-there might have a larger-than-desired effect!

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  8. #8
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    I think it's because, as Derek suggested, that if you drill from the top, you are always drilling from the far side if the seat. In practice, when clamping to a bench, the angle of drilling from the bottom is much better.

  9. #9
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    May 2021
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    Good stuff, I haven't attempted a chair yet but this is one less thing to drive me crazy.

  10. #10
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    All these make sense. I am going to follow the instructions in the book and drill from the bottom. Thanks everyone!

  11. #11
    Always remember, this is just a "method of work", it is mostly subjective, not a rule set in stone. While it may work well for others with their style of work and concerns, it may not work the same for you.
    Getting advice or opinions on methods like this is great, but you also need to know when it's not right for you.
    Get some sacrificial wood and try it both ways
    JMO

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