Hi All,
I just wanted to thank Nathan for great work and some great posts.
His excellent efforts afforded me some downtime from posting.
Good show Nathan, and thanks for your new avatar,
it's nice to see who we're building along with...
Nice recovery from your scalloped mortises, that worked out great.
You are the first group builder to achieve no springback on your bow arms.
Makes sense when you say that you are willing to trust attaching them to
side frames with just glue. Despite the arch, it is as you say, longgrain to longgrain.
I also have pondered augmenting the arm mount with dowels,
and like you, would prefer any such effort to be not visible.
I recall Bill B. said the arms are a very visible part in the finished chair.
It is encouraging to hear that you have been honing and using more handtools.
I can't help but feel inspired by GZ's handtool pics.
Your Rotex sounds like a dream sander too.
Cool lathe work on your back pivot and back stop dowels.
The walnut does look good, nice to see some lathe work.
Myself I am gonna try to make them at the router table. (?)
Thanks for sharing your groove oops. I like to see it, not to make fun, but
to see that others make these goofs too... also, solid recovery.
I have not heard it in years, but they used to say, that it's not that the pro's
don't make mistakes, it's their skill in hiding them.
So, probably gonna leave the alder natural, no stain?
I also find shop heating expensive, and winter a tougher time to apply wood finish.
I gotta get back to pushing some chair progress!
I am gonna make a silly sounding suggestion:
Try your hand at brushing-on a wipe-on poly.
I did just that on my last 2 posted projects, and was surprisingly pleased...
the thinner poly does not build as quick, but lays down without brushmarks.
A few light coats, over a few days and linger around to wipe away any drips.
I had good luck with 2 coats a day, maybe just 20 minutes between.
This eliminates a knock-down sanding between those 2 coats, each time.
Obviously, we want a thicker build on wearing surfaces.
I like 400grit paper, which I crumple first, to knock-down any dustnibs.
The poly needs to be good and dry first, though.
For now, I am building a single chair and ottoman.
I was amused when you said maybe that would serve you better than a pair of chairs.
Sounds like you may end up building a pair of ottos?
Your wife's rocker idea sound great. The catch being that there are 2 kinds of bent lams.
Our Morris chair features bow arms that are well fastened and supported along their length.
I would have to get much better at it, to confidently build chair rockers,
which are a bent lam that is only supported at the bottom of 4 legs.
Also, the full weight of the chair and passenger are pressing the rockers in
the direction they would wanna springback. yikes!
On the other hand, woodworkers do build them all the time. (bok bok?)
Thanks for the heads-up about the arm hole drilling jig from the plans.
I guess the better approach would be to locate the backrest stops by the
actual mounted back. Both for dowel location, and also back tilt too.
I expect the tilt to be a factor in chair comfort?
It is tricky to type at strangers, or at least distant friends we have yet to shake hands with...
if we were standing around in your shop, just chewing the fat,
it would be easier, and stir less friction up, to playfully rib you like this:
N, having trimmed your back posts (part Q) thinner than plans to fit,
and sitting on a good pile of alder, and realizing that the 3/8" slats are more
flexible than you might prefer.......
I would be ribbing you...that you wanna rebuild the back and seat frames with 1/2" thick slats.
If we remember the context of this chair being in your life for decades to come,
I would be teasing you that you just 'gotta' redo'em.
All lessons cost, these lessons came pretty cheap...
and benefitted other group builders to follow.
What with the high cost of upholstery, and a chance for both of your hand-built chairs to match,
I encourage you to consider it.
Of course, no harm in living with your first chair for a while, before you
decide. I am not sure how you resisted sitting in your chair yet...
as you are far ahead of me, and I have been sitting down to eat my shop
sandwishes in mine, for weeks!
Great job Nathan,
you have been a valuable member of our team!
thanks,
Walt