Learn from one's mistakes!

Project: Making "rustic" chairs to go with the cypress (camp) table.

I wanted to do the woodwork with hand tools, mostly, and this, I think, made for some inaccurate fitting-of-parts together or fitting them disproportionately.

I used the bandsaw for some rip cutting of the back legs.... at an angle, so that the back legs angled backwards 7°. You might can see this in the practice-making of the Maloof joint (scroll right for more pics).
https://www.flickr.com/photos/438361...posted-public/

The front legs angle forward 7° and sideways 7°, i.e., splay legged.

I first designed this chair in my head, put a few notes and drawings on paper, then started the build, piecemeal, somewhat designing/modifying elements as I went along. Maybe pics show this better than my description.

Using the plastic chairs in the shop as my size model, they are a little small for comfort. I wanted something a little larger, i.e., seat wider and backrest taller. The camp scenario is not just for dining, but often for general seating, slouching, watching TV and the like.... not always perfect posture.

6 Pics, scroll right: https://www.flickr.com/photos/438361...posted-public/

This first chair is a little shorter than I want and the seat is too wide. I can rip the seat's center to narrow it, though this will alter the backrest slats. I'll re-do/re-fit the center backrest slat, in order to figure out the modifications for the remaining chairs. As is, this chair looks disproportionate... squat - wide and short.

The backrest slats don't align, quite right (unsightly), with the backrest frame members. The slats' contour need to be reworked.... and lengthened, if I am to make the backrest taller. These initial build-results don't match my initial imagination and paper drawings.

Some of these design errors may be that, I started out with 4X4 stock, with the intention of carving the legs and backrest supports to 1) reduce bulk and weight and 2) to give the chairs some basic rustic curved/contoured elements of design. The seat will be gouged out (Windsor chair-like), also, so, at this stage, the seat is still thick and bulky.

I'm not crazy about this first chair, after putting in lots of hand work, but it's allowing me to see some errors in design and build. This chair looks more awkward in person, than in the pics. I think the design/build anomalies will be relatively easy to correct, though the actual work won't get easier.

I want to build 5 chairs for the 9' table, two captains chairs and 3 side chairs. An 8' bench has already been made for one side of the table setting. https://www.flickr.com/photos/438361...posted-public/

Side note: I was to have a curved scorp made, for this project, by a local blacksmith. I haven't heard back from him, despite texting him, as to the progress. I suspect he won't produce the scorp, after all. He could, at least, let me know something, one way or the other.

Despite the issues I'm having, I'm pleased with the general goings-on and am enjoying building this project. I can visualize the subsequent good results.

Sonny

replying to Sonny, Iggy wrote:
I think it's recoverable and even not bad at all for a Rustic intention. I
think I might play with it to end up at a final result for the rest of the
chairs. Yes, I agree that the legs and back should be taller or longer. But,
you can simply put feet on the legs, like a Ball and Claw sort of thing or
even join the fronts and backs with a Sled Runner under them.

And, you can Scroll-Cut or Thin-Down the top backrest board and simply put on
a Crown or Fan or U-Bend (cut-out) rail a few or more inches higher. I've had
a number of chairs in my life that had vertical and horizontal sections in
their backrests. Doing stuff like that may very well put the seat and entire
chair back into appealing proportions.

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/woodwo...be-812652-.htm

On Wednesday, November 29, 2017 at 1:44:08 PM UTC-6, Iggy wrote:
Yes, I agree that the legs and back should be taller or longer. But,
you can simply put feet on the legs, like a Ball and Claw sort of thing or
even join the fronts and backs with a Sled Runner under them.


I should have given a little more info. It's not the legs that are too short. Actually, at the moment, they are too long. I plan to cut them to best length, later. Once I contour the seat, then I'll trim the legs, so that the seat height is 19" off the floor. I think, at the moment, the top of the seat height is about 22" off the floor. Presently, the seat is 2"+ stock and I'll gouge the seating area to 1.25" thick, there abouts.

The seat is presently 28" wide. That's too wide and that's why the chair looks squat. I can trim the seat sides, 1.5" each side, but the splayed feet will stick out the side edges too much. I plan to rip out about 3" of the center section of the seat, hence, alter the central backrest slat.... Correcting this alteration on the subsequent chair seats, before slat placement.

One of my initial reasons for the seat being so wide is to have plenty of space for installing comma shaped arms, a' la, https://www.flickr.com/photos/438361...in/photostream
https://www.flickr.com/photos/438361...in/photostream
https://www.flickr.com/photos/438361...in/photostream
https://www.flickr.com/photos/438361...in/photostream,
and I didn't want the arm supports to displace any leg/hip/seating space. But 28" is too wide, I've now realized, even for installing arms.

Sonny

replying to Sonny, Iggy wrote:
Oh, that makes sense, that's a freaking wide seat. A 3" trimming will be great
and you can leave the outside of the maloofs filled, I wouldn't cut anything
out of the seat's center. While you might think that ruins the chair and the
front legs will be trip-overs, it's actually kind of a good thing for you.

As, you definitely can't durably do the arms like the Swing Bench. You don't
have the very much needed apron for arm support. But, moving the legs in
another inch+ OR removing them entirely, will leave their old holes perfect
for either mortise and tenon arms or as a good notching candidate for
straight/plumb maloof front legs for the arms.

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/woodwo...be-812652-.htm

Trimmed the width of the seat 3".... a little from each space between the stiles and splats. Revised the splat mortises, also.

The bottom curve of the splats don't align with the stiles, so new splats will be made. The mortises on this seat are a little too far forward. Subsequent mortises will be about 1/2" further back.

The basic design looks better, now, but a little more tweaking, here and there, is needed.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/438361...in/photostream

A little more trimming of the bulk wood is needed, also. I'll contour the seat before trimming other bulk areas. As is, the chair's weight seems about 30-35 lbs. Bald Cypress dry weight is 32 lbs/ft³.

Sonny

On Tuesday, December 5, 2017 at 10:13:55 PM UTC-5, Sonny wrote:
Trimmed the width of the seat 3".... a little from each space between the stiles and splats. Revised the splat mortises, also.

The bottom curve of the splats don't align with the stiles, so new splats will be made. The mortises on this seat are a little too far forward. Subsequent mortises will be about 1/2" further back.

The basic design looks better, now, but a little more tweaking, here and there, is needed.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/438361...in/photostream

A little more trimming of the bulk wood is needed, also. I'll contour the seat before trimming other bulk areas. As is, the chair's weight seems about 30-35 lbs. Bald Cypress dry weight is 32 lbs/ft³.

Sonny

Nice tweaks. Getting real close.

It looks like you and I used the same plans for our outfeed table. Mine
has a custom slot, just like yours. ;-)