The Great Morris Chair project

[Jeff Nicol]

Walt, I looked through the whole list of posts and I believe that I may find the time to do something along these lines! I have built some end tables in the same style and have been getting ready to build a dining table for our small kitchen/dining area. I have about 1500bdft of QSWO so I will have enough to get the job done, all air dried for about 4 years so should be good. Everyone did a fantastic job on their chairs and ottomans. I love the color of yours Walt and the joinery is excellent! I will someday just post something!

Great group project!

Jeff

[Brian William]

Hi Walt. Glad some people can use that link for the hardware for the chair. Larry is a pretty nice fellow. I kind of like the hardware he manufactures. I will keep the guy's informed about the springback on the steam bent arms. Frankly I was quite suprised as to just how flexable 1 1/8 oak was. I had my doubts about it. But we'll see what happens when the come off the form. By the way. With some of the completed projects I've seen here. You guys are certainly not hobby guy's as you put it. Your chair case in point. Beautiful beautiful work. I don't know what it is about that style of furniture. But it certainly is intriguing. I can just see some Ceo at some exclusive mens club,with a big cigar and a brandy snifter in his hand sitting in that chair. Since I've started this project.I now have two more people that want one. Then my wife spotted the Morris style bed on FWW. Yep you guessed it. So thats on the list. Oh I got my camera back.

[Jeff Nicol]

Walt, I have about 15 years of Wood magazine and I knew I had the copy that showed the plans for the Morris chair. The box with year 1999 was by my lazyboy and I did not have to look in all the others up in the storage room! So now I have the plans and the wood maybe some time will show up soon and I can give it a try!

Here is me with the Feb 1999 issue, it once belonged to my uncle who has passed away and I ended up with all his and my Dads old woodworking mags!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jeff

[gary Zimmel]

And yet another chair build...

Looking forward to seeing yours Jeff..

[Ben Martin]

Then my wife spotted the Morris style bed on FWW. Yep you guessed it. So thats on the list. Oh I got my camera back.

That is my next project too, perhaps another group build thread??

[Walt Caza]

Good Day Sawdust Hounds,
I want to send a formal thanks to a special Creeker, we call him Sarge.
He is a solid forum citizen, a prolific hobby furniture maker and very generous to hand out 'atta boys' to anyone who posts a project.

He is a terrific Creek contributor, and other wood forums too!
His work in the Arts & Crafts style has been a real treat.
Sarge is making sawdust fly, and he is in the trenches most days.

Watching our comments to one another might give the misleading impression that we are perhaps throwing stones.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
It is constructive criticism offered in a spirit of kindness.
We share a passion for this stuff, and try to offer meaningful responses to each other.

Back in May of 2008, I posted a bottom view of my umbrella stand,
which showed a countersunk screw under the cleat which held up the bottom.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=85669

Sarge said:
"Next time around I would consider plugging the screw holes I saw in one of the pictures with a plug you make...
or you can buy them already made. It would do more justice to your work not to allow the screw head to show.
You could even contrast the color of a plug just for effect.

Now... with that said which is a very minor thing as most probably wouldn't even notice or
you could have done it on purpose to send a sub-limenal (however they spell it) message or somthing.. "

It did not ruffle my feathers, as I put my ego aside, and saw it for what it was... another clue in this deep craft, from a fellow soldier.
Fast forward to my Morris chair...
After glueing on my seatframe cleats, I decided to augment them with a few well-placed woodscrews against sheer forces.
Say you were in the chair, and lucky enough to have a sweetheart climb into your lap? How could a few screws hurt under there?

As I lovingly laid out my screws I well remembered what Sarge TAUGHT me. In that moment, I knew I would someday make this post.

Here they are Sarge, my lesson manifested as an improvement in my personal craft.
Our private messages have touched me, and I am proud to show you...


As a touch of whimsy, in a crazy world, I used walnut plugs on my oak chair. Noone will know, nor care. But I do... and I thank you.
You see, wood is my first love., and this was my first chair, and when I built it, you were there. Meant plenty.
blood - sweat - and tears, man
play safe,
Walt

ps They say there is No back. You taught me there is also No bottom. Damn Straight.

pss I'd love to someday lean against your big monster saw and talk shop...
hope I get the chance

psss The seed for this thread was planted in the postscript of post #5 of the linked umbrella stand thread.
I doubted I could build a chair, but marched ahead and found a way.....
this strange new animal called the internet - never forgets
thanks GZ

[Ben Martin]

Walt,

Thanks for the link to your umbrella stand, what a great looking project! You did a wonderful job on that too!

I bookmarked it since that seems like a fun, not so involved, project after the Morris. I would love to have a whole A&C basement room.

On a side note, I have piece of bowling alley that I promised the Mrs. will become a shuffle board table, now just how to do one in the A&C style...

[John Thompson]

Well Walt... not knowing what to say in response to post #426.. I will hit this little key on the key-board.....

Once there was a platoon of 30 soldiers who worked diligently over-night for 8 solid hours throughly cleaning a platoon barrack as the Commadant General of the base was going to inspect it the next morning at 0:800 hours. Everything in clear view was inspected from floor to ceiling. Support poles waxed.. floor with mirror shine.. iron bunk bed frames dusted.. etc. We knew we were ready!

Ten-hut.... as the General entered the large bay room. He scanned around and smiled before he began checking details more throughly. We stood at attention and and crooned our eyes to see if he found anything that was less than the clean-li-ness of an operating room. We knew he would come up short as we were convinced we nailed every detail he would check.

He proceeded to the door to leave after finding absoulultey not one speck of anything short of clean. As he got to the door leading out he stopped.. reached in his pocket and pulled out a white silk glove he slid over his right hand. At that point he reached high and slid his finger across the top of the door frame casing.

He turned toward us and held his finger high in the air for us to see the obvious dark mark on the white finger of the glove made from the dust his finger found. He spoke the first word he had spoken during the entire inspection.... "Excellent job today troops"... pause.... and I bet you do and "Out-standing" one next time". He winked at us as he smiled... turned and left the premises.

Detail.. detail.. detail.. even one in some cases. The difference between "Excellent" and "Outstanding"!

Regards...

[Walt Caza]

Good Day All,
Good news that Brian W. got his camera back.
We'll keep our fingers crossed that he will show some pics soon.
The bottom line is... everyone prefers the 'show' part of show'n'tell.
And on that note...
here's a little something to tide you over...
not a great photo, but it's the only one I have to share, of the back of my chair.


Again, no shadows because the photo was taken in the shade.
I'd love a better camera, and maybe a couple lights, but there is only so much time, and so much money.

My usual construction, the top and bottom backrest rails were neighbours,
as well as the left and right.
The back stretcher was chosen similar to the front stretcher.
The legs are grain matched too. (there is No back - remember?)

I put the better side of the backslats to face the chair back, as the cushion will always hide the other side.
Keen eyes may spot that even the pair of corbels are matched with love.
The arm ply's are discreet because all 4 were taken from an 8/4" slab, minus a few bandsaw kerfs.

Some may recall that I posted a poll asking for input on which board would be my front, and which the back.(link)
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=90630
That thumbprint ray can be clearly seen now! I was sorry to lose most of my sunburst pattern to trim.

In a deliberate effort to hone my ability, I used quiet and loud grain in strategic places.
Ex: flamboyant backslats in a quiet, straight grain frame
You really gotta work it hard, when you only have a small pile of lumber to draw from...

Hopefully someone else will post up some pics, as I'm running out of bullets...
thanks for looking,
Walt

[Walt Caza]

Hi All,
Someone asked me how I 'found' my F & B stretchers.
I chose them out of my 10 foot rough boards, after a little hit'n'miss planing to reveal the grain.
They were the first parts selected, pencil marked as stretchers, and set aside out of reach.

First I pencil marked the desired pattern centers of what would become stretchers.
rough-stretchers.jpg

Then I carved away some bad oak and bandsawed some grain correction.
stretcher-correction.jpg

Further planing to sneak up on thickness. They barely cleaned up without getting too thin. eek
F&B-stretchers.jpg

Big tenons at the tablesaw with just my homemade crosscut sled.
I was sorry to lose so much of my sunray patterns to trim and tenons.
stretcher-tenons.jpg

My extra efforts yielded pleasing stretchers for both the front and back.
The sunshine makes the oak look warm... but it also makes shadows.


That's all there is too it. Thanks for asking, and the kind words by pm.
Sorry if anyone is getting tired of these pics.
Your welcome to skim'em or skip'em.
Hopefully someone else will soon share a peek with the Creek!
w

[Rob Parsons]

Walt and others - Great thread.

One of the best I've seen on any forum.

When I start my chair, I will reference it all the way through.

Thanks.

[Brian William]

Today is the day my steam bent arms come off the bending form. I'll let you know what the results are. Pics to.yipeee. I'll show the steam box set up to. It's a rube glodberg invention,but it sure works. I know you'll laugh, my wife sure did.She came in to the kitchen a thought I was making my own hooch. Hmmm never thought of that and Christmas is a coming.

[Walt Caza]

Very, very nice Walt!! Glad to see you are up and moving some.
You guys deserve some kind of medal or award for doing this project - major undertaking!

Thanks for your kind words John,
on my project and on our Morris chair thread.

There is a little-known way that you can give a Creek thread recognition.
If you appreciate the hundreds of hours of effort, and the hundreds of photos...
and feel this thread deserves it...
everyone gets a chance to make a vote for a star rating.

Just call up the thread, and then search the upper right-hand corner for ratings, by the 5 yellow stars.
Simply click the stars, and you can give your rating out of 5 possible stars.

Few seem to know about this Creek feature, and few threads get any votes.
A warm response from fellow woodworkers can only encourage future group-builds.(?)

*It would be great to get some kind votes from anyone who enjoyed this thread!*

Remember now, you can only rank any particular thread one time.
Maybe you will be feeling generous and give us 5 out of 5 stars?
Thanks for your comments,
and your vote!
play safe,
Walt

ps At the time of this posting, this thread has 16 votes, all of them 5 star.
Thanks everyone, glad to feel our efforts are appreciated. That is very kind...

pss JK - Did you notice that your walnut table thread got a pair of 5-star votes?
One of those was my vote, John! It was a terrific project and thread.

[Walt Caza]

Walt and others - Great thread.

One of the best I've seen on any forum.

When I start my chair, I will reference it all the way through.

Thanks.

And thanks back at you, Rob
That is tall praise indeed... not that we made this thread seeking applause.
The comraderie, shoptime and shared experience was rewarding.
But it was/is lots of work, and it is nice to hear our efforts are appreciated.

Ya know, you climb out on a limb, you put yourself 'out there',
and you hope it might be well received, never really knowing...
Let's give our many thread contributors a big thumbs UP!

Looking forward to someday seeing your chair build.
Hope you get some shoptime,
Walt

ps Can we count on your 5 star vote for this thread?
thanks!

[Roy Wall]

I doubted I could build a chair, but marched ahead and found a way.....

Walt -

You have built more than a chair. You have given us inspiration.

You are a Humble Man - full of generosity and kindness......
and you have fashioned a beautiful piece of furniture.

From the rough cut boards, all manner of details where analyzed and completed most thoroughly - porportions & scale, grain orientation & matching, joinery, symmetry, accents and finishing.

With determination, talent and skill (yes Walt, you have tremendous skills!) - a great chair has been fashioned - and you should be proud.

It is a knockout, home run, and touchdown all the way around!!

Can it be anymore perfect? I doubt it.

-----------------------

And I like your photography too! It shows lots of details and interesting composition.

Don't worry about hard shadows.......it's part of the fun! Shadows show depth and hard lines........cool stuff!

Walt - you REALLY have built a SPECTACULAR CHAIR! It is a wonderful thing to admire one's work..........your kindness and humbleness are woven into the grain of this piece.