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Thread: The Great Morris Chair project

  1. #301
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Brush Prairie, WA
    Posts
    191

    Still slugging it out with Chair #2

    After months of Chair #2 sitting in the shop, forlorn and dusty, I pulled it out last week and began to finish it up. Honestly, there's not much work left, but as soon as I saw that I was in the home stretch, my mind started to wander off to other projects. Some wood-related, some not.

    For instance, (warning: gloat ahead!) I went to a Craigslist tool sale a few weeks ago and made a $300 offer on a pile of wood under a tarp. I could see some Mahogany sticking out from the ends of the decent-sized pile. The guy said there was almost 200 bf under there of stuff. He accepted the offer, and I couldn't give him the cash for that (and $100 for the Powermatic Model 14 oscillating spindle sander - yahoo!) fast enough. After lots of loading and other guys at the sale getting grumpy ("Hey, I didn't know the wood was for sale!" "Why'd you sell it to that guy?" "I'll give you $400 for it right now!" "I'll buy half!"), I headed for home with the F-250 overflowing with nice lumber and a couple of boxes of exotics. (Camphor burl, honduran rosewood, tulipwood, Macassar ebony, etc) The guy was a retiring guitar maker.

    Turned out, after organizing and counting it and finding that each piece was individually labeled and numbered, that I was left with 180 feet of 5/4 10' straight-grained mahogany, 140 feet of 4/4 8' maple (so-so quality, some nice flecking and grain), and 220 feet of slip-matched (3-5 boards per flitch set) 8' 4/4 Oregon Myrtle. I've never worked with myrtle at all. Looking forward to it, but don't want to break up the slipmatching, so will have to find some big projects.

    So...that's what? 540 feet of lumber at about $.55 per foot. I'm not sure, but I *think* I did ok. But then I started to feel bad, so I did the neighborly thing and gave the guy a call back and left him a voicemail. I told him there was more wood there than he'd said, and if he wanted it back, to give me a call and I'd return it for the $300 back and he could re-sell it, keep it, keep some, whatever. But, he was moving, I'd remembered, and trying to clean everything up.

    I let it sit two weeks in the shop to get acclimated, and to give the guy a chance to call me back. Never heard from him, and can only assume it's mine, now. So I finally cut into a piece of myrtle to get some idea of what it would look like, and made a few pens/pencils for friends. BEAUTIFUL stuff. I really like it. And, a guitar is on the horizon for me, so this may be just the stuff. Unfortunately, though, the shop is even crowded-er than it was, and it WAS. But I don't mind so much, stepping over stacks of wood is infinitely better than stepping over scraps, cutoffs, or piles of boxes. So, I guess I'll deal with the horrible injustice.

    Anyhow. I got the chair up on the bench the other day. Turns out several months in the shop is not so good for an unfinished Alder Morris chair. Some time steaming out dents, cleaning and touch-up sanding to just repair it to the shape it was in when I stopped. But it's all set, and ready for the pegs holes to be drilled in the arms, pegs to be turned on the lathe, and the seat to be installed. This time, I made the back with the stiles in the correct orientation, so this chair may turn out slightly nicer than the first.

    One thing I should stress that was a really poor decision on my part with regards to the two chairs. I basically cut doubles of everything, labeled them all A-1, A-2 and B-1, B-2 for chairs 1 and 2. Unfortunately, I built #1 first, and chose the nicest lumber for that one. While it turned out fine, I did make some mistakes that needed correcting and Chair #2 went together much more smoothly, and I used some tips you guys mentioned here. So, I've got a better-built, more square, more stable chair, but the grain isn't as pleasing, and the color matching isn't quite perfect. There are some knots. Nothing horrendous, but enough that I notice it.

    So, in the future, lesson learned. If you plan on making two of somehting, make the first with the "seconds" and the second with the "firsts". I love building two of anything, but I've never ironed out this point.

    Lastly. I should be done with this second and have a finish on it within a couple of weeks. Not much left, really. Just some finish sanding, and application of the finish after the loose ends like the pins, seat supports, etc. THEN, I finally get to decide once and for all how to make or purchase cushions for it. The only concrete decision I've made is: no leather. That's it.

    Do we have some roundup photos somewhere? Is there going to be a mini gallery of the finished chairs so that we can see the differences and details?

    How's everyone else coming along?

    (And, I can't resist. Here's a pic of some of the myrtle-matching!)
    Attached Images Attached Images

  2. #302
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Stony Plain, Alberta
    Posts
    2,702
    Nice to hear you are getting back to your second chair Nathan.
    Congrats on the wood gloat....

    My 2 chairs and ottos are still sitting in my finishing room. I have to wait till spring to take one chair and an otto the the leather guy to make the cushions. Worked to may hours on them to be dragging them around with snow in the box of my truck. Leather color is picked out but have not picked up the two hides it will take to make all the cushions.

    As you have said life gets in the way. I was hoping that mine would be in the house for this xmas. Oh well next xmas for sure.

    Walt has not been feeling really well the last little bit and with the weather in Ontario his shop time has been kept to a minimum. We should try and send him some pics of our finished chairs and get him to do a mini gallery at the end. The man with all the words. Would be a nice touch.

  3. #303
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Stony Plain, Alberta
    Posts
    2,702
    Good Day to the Creek!

    Well as the snow is starting to melt I get closer to getting my chairs and ottos into the leather guy to have the cushions make. Pretty bad when a project takes forever. I think the boss has come to the belief they will live in my finishing room and not in our living room.

    But that is not the reason for this post.

    Many of us have noticed Walt C. has not been around the Creek for the past couple of months.
    The reason being our buddy Walt has had yet another passing in his family.
    This makes 3 in a very short time.
    His wife is also dealing with a back injury which is also concerning to Walt.
    With everything happening in his life the woodworking has to take a back seat.
    The last time Walt and I touched base he wanted me to post something on his behalf letting his fellow Creekers know what is going on.
    Have one loss is very hard. But 3. My prayers go out to Walt and his family.

    The last time Walt and I were in contact he said "and hoping to get back into the woodshop, when I can and finish my chair and otto, or die tryin"

    Maybe a few posts on the thread he has been pivotal in making what it is would give him a little boost. He hasn't been logged on but is in stealth mode from time to time.

    .

  4. #304
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Stanwood, WA
    Posts
    3,059
    Thanks for the update Gary. Last time I talked to him his wife was ill and I was praying as I read your post that one of the three was not her! We will keep him and his family in our prayers.

    My shop is almost warm enough to restart the chair as it need to be 70 deg for the plastic resin glue to cure.

    As a result, this winter I have cranked out other project and been giving the new lathe a workout. "I'll be back"

    Walt,
    If you are looking in stealth mode here, we miss you and wish you and you family the best!
    Dewey

    "Everything is better with Inlay or Marquetry!"


  5. #305
    It has been quite some time since I checked in on this thread. Wow! - you guys have made some phenomenal progress!! And, I wondered why the price of QSWO went up My gosh at the number of pieces in these chairs!!

    I have a stash of QSWO in the barn, and actually thought about getting on board with this project, but it just didn't come at a good time. But, I sure am impressed with the quality and quantity of work being done here.

    Sorry to hear about Walt and his family. My prayers go out to him. Nothing worse than getting kicked when you are down. We all hope he will get through all of this, and that his family finds healing.

    You all have nearly become family and that is great! I envy the fellowship - and the finished (and soon to be finished!) product.

    Great job!! No wonder this thread gets a 5-star rating!!

  6. #306
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    Windsor, MO
    Posts
    761
    My Dad died of cancer right in the beginning of January, my heart goes out to Walt I hope he can deal with it. It's rough. Hug all the people you love, you never know when you won't get the chance again.


  7. #307
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Saddlebrooke, AZ
    Posts
    530
    Walt...hope you get back into the shop soon...hang in there! My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this time...hope to hear from you soon!
    Warm regards,
    Jim

  8. #308
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Manassas, Virginia
    Posts
    889
    Just ordered the book from Amazon. I'm still putting the shop together but at the very least, I'll come along for the ride! Always loved Morris Chairs!

    Good luck all!

    Harv

    Harv...I restored your poat. As you can see the ride continues and the bus driver has returned. (ps...lived in Woodbridge for 20 years...gotta love that 95 traffic!)
    Last edited by Glenn Clabo; 04-24-2009 at 4:18 PM.

  9. #309
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Windsor, ON
    Posts
    657
    Blog Entries
    3

    Arrow cobwebs and courage...

    Good Day to Sawmill Creek,
    Well, it's been a rough stretch, to be sure.

    Like the rest of the world, many near me are struggling with health and money issues.
    After 3 close family losses, and my wife's severe work injury, my own health challenges and
    a bitter-cold record-setting snowfall winter, here I stand.

    Sometimes you have to carry the team, and so my woodworking got shoved to the back burner.
    After a shuffling of priorities and a shifting of responsibilities,
    I aim to head back into my messy woodshop any day now.
    I just came home for lunch, to find the latest Fine Woodworking magazine jammed in my mailbox.
    A quick flip and it opens to page 32. Build your own bow arm Morris chair.
    Such timing ....... It must be a sign!

    So, with the disappearance of the April snow, plus a little spring sunshine...
    it feels time to end my 3 month hiatus.
    Who knows how to pick up a life interrupted?

    Thanks to all my well-wishers for their thoughtful support.
    After my sabbatical, I can only surmise.....
    life only goes two possible ways ---that we either sink or swim.

    With all due respect, I would rather not have any ongoing discussion of my obstacles, nor
    further sharing of intimate details unrelated to throwing sawdust.
    I just gotta find a way to deal and move forward.

    I try.
    I stumble.
    I learn.
    I carry on...

    Thanks for your patience and understanding.
    And thanks to Glenn Clabo for surprising me by keeping a sticky on this ongoing woodworking adventure.

    I aim to get back into my shop as soon as I can...
    to put away my abandoned tools, find the buried floor, and figure out where I am at with my Morris chair project.(?)

    As a word-loving teen, I wrote a pet line that I have carried ever since.
    Tomorrow is promised to no one.
    Well, it stings a bit, but rings truer than ever.
    I know there are endless versions, and endless people given credit for coming up with it, (maybe Hallmark?) but it came to me too.

    If you love someone, get in touch with them, or better still, hug them if you can...
    If something is important to you, go do it...
    cause there is only so much sand, in the hourglass of life.
    All that lives is born to die, and this too shall pass.

    Building a durable Morris chair is to create a legacy that will persist after we are gone.
    Further down the road, someone else will be sitting in our chairs.
    That's a nifty way to carve our name in ice, on a hot summer day.

    Looking forward to some progress,
    sincerely,
    Walt

    ps .....on we roll
    There are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going! WCC

    Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind - Dr. Seuss

    Crohn's takes guts. WCC

  10. #310
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Brush Prairie, WA
    Posts
    191
    Hey, Walt - glad to see you back!

    Sadly, though, now that you're back, I'm plum out of excuses and MUST continue on with the second chair. (No more "Solidarity with my brother in the North!" rally cries as an excuse to not work on the chair.)

    But I gotta say, I was sorely unimpressed with the design on the FWW chair this month. I don't know why - it just struck me wrong. It may be that I've gotten so intimate with this chair design we've been following, even with minor modifications (no finger pointing, here) that anything else to me looks flawed/lacking/wrong. There's a local Fine Furniture shop that prides itself on traditional methods and construction, and I got to take a good long look at one of their chairs. Meh. Notsomuch. It was put together with screws and plugs. Of course, I understand they have to make money, and can't afford to take 6 months to build a chair, but...well, it makes me appreciate our more humble methods.

    Cheers!

  11. #311
    Hey...glad to see this bus get's it's driver back!
    Glenn Clabo
    Michigan

  12. #312
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Stanwood, WA
    Posts
    3,059
    Welcome back Walt!

    It is high time I get back to the chair... the darn vortex has taken it's toll on my flatwork projects. Not to fear though!
    Dewey

    "Everything is better with Inlay or Marquetry!"


  13. #313
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Stony Plain, Alberta
    Posts
    2,702
    Looks like it's time to get those hides to finish mine off....

    Thanks for the poke to get one motivated Walt.

  14. #314
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Stanwood, WA
    Posts
    3,059

    Back to work

    Today I re-started on the chair after the winter hiatus. I had to re-learn where I was on the project, clean the shop and set things back up which took most of my time today but alas I did make some QSWO sawdust.
    It wasn't until I cut into the 6/4 stock to make the first laminate that I discovered a series of bad checks inside the wood.

    Instead of the 3/8" laminate I wound up with closer to 3/16

    Oh well...that was enough to make me quit for the night. I am sure that before it is all said I done I will have made yet another trip to the lumber yard

    Please someone tell me I am not alone!
    Dewey

    "Everything is better with Inlay or Marquetry!"


  15. #315
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Stony Plain, Alberta
    Posts
    2,702
    I feel for you Dewey.

    When I was making my laminates I used some 8/4.
    Had some great fleck in it. Downside was there was a bunch of checking in it also.
    Took a bunch of board feet to get the 12 pieces I needed for the two chairs.....

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