1 + 3 Dining Chairs

[John15]

I am well on with the 3 chairs to match my first one to make up a set of four.
I have a minor change of design question. I'm thinking about forming a single splay to the inside of the front and back legs as marked on the photo, say 75 x 10mm. I've seen it before and to me it looks very effective.
Having only just thought of it, I've already tapered the legs from 40 to 30mm on all sides. So my question is - will this short splay look OK on the already tapered legs?

John

 

[custard]

I'm not entirely clear on this John. A splay is generally taken to mean that the centre line of the leg is angled, where as a taper just means the leg is smaller at the bottom than the top, so a tapered leg doesn't necessarily mean it's splayed and vice versa.

 

[John15]

Sorry for the confusion Custard. Yes, 'splay' is the wrong term. I've tapered the legs on all four sides from 40 to 30mm, and I'm thinking about adding a further taper at the bottom of the inside faces, say 75 x 10mm.
Would this lower taper look OK as well as the taper from the underside of the seat rail or would it look messy? You can see the lower taper marked on the photo.
Hope that's clearer.

John

 

[custard]

I see now what you're aiming for. That small additional taper is a very common design device, it really helps furniture look lighter and more agile. You'll have no problems with that and, at a pinch, you could even amend your previous chair to match.

 

[John15]

Thanks for that Custard. Yes, I'm confidant I can amend the first chair OK.

John

 

[John15]

Custard, the taper is on both inside faces 100mm high and leaving 20 x 20mm for the base of the leg. The chairs are not expected to have any rough treatment so hopefully 20 x 20 will be robust enough.

John

 

[custard]

I normally take chair legs down to about 25 x 20mm, but I don't see a problem with 20 x 20mm. I've seen chairs that have lasted over 100 years that are down to about 18 x 18mm. As always with woodworking, it's not so much about the dimensions as about the quality of materials and workmanship, good quality straight grained hardwood plus accurate, tight joints means you'll be fine.

 

[John15]

I'm on my third chair of the set of four - photo attached prior to sanding (abranet). Nos 1 and 2 have turned out well and I'm finding things fairly straight forward although it is a simple design. It's only been the angled tenons that I have had to take extreme care with marking out. I'm going to have a go at the upholstery myself, using 12mm ply rather than 18mm as first planned - thanks Custard for the advice on thickness.

John

 

[custard]

I'm going to have a go at the upholstery myself, using 12mm ply rather than 18mm as first planned

Don't forget to drill some holes in the ply base, if the air can't escape from the foam then you'll be wobbling around like you're on a space hopper!

 

[John15]

I’ve completed the joinery for my 4 dining chairs. It seems ages since starting the first one. This first one was for just a single chair to see if I really could make one. It would be the most difficult item I had attempted and I had no idea how successful it would be, but by very careful marking out and cutting from a fully dimensioned drawing, the individual elements all took shape and came together to form a perfectly presentable chair. It was with this success that I decided to make another three.
I was worried about the wood match as the first chair was made up from bits and pieces of Oak I had lying around. Not a brilliant match but not too bad especially after the finish was applied.
The mortice and tenon joints were straightforward except for the angled tenons on the side rails, but even these came out well once I understood the method.
I’m now at the stage of starting the upholstery and am as nervous about this as I was with the joinery. I’ve ordered the foam from JA Milton mentioned in another thread – not cheep, and am going to Northampton to look at some material tomorrow.
I know there are several members on here who are wondering if they could make a chair, and especially now with Custard’s thread on Fine Woodworking’s piece, I would say to you ‘Go for it, it’s not as difficult as you think’.
John

 

[thetyreman]

they look exceptionally well made john, very clean tidy work! =D>

 

[gasman]

Yes agreed very well done they look lovely
I almost love upholstery more than woodworking. Its not hard but worth watching a few videos. The JA Milton website has lots of videos and I think there are some specifically to do the sort of drop in cushion you will need here
Good luck to you
Mark

 

[John15]

Yes agreed very well done they look lovely
I almost love upholstery more than woodworking. Its not hard but worth watching a few videos. The JA Milton website has lots of videos and I think there are some specifically to do the sort of drop in cushion you will need here
Good luck to you
Mark

Thanks for the complement Mark, much appreciated. I've been watching several videos including JA Milton's. They make it look reasonably do-able. I'm undecided whether to do the stapling with an air gun or a manual stapler - do you have a preference? I bought some upholstery material yesterday from The Mill Shop in Northampton. They have a massive range of remnants for sale and quite cheap.

John
I've been watching

 

[gasman]

For years I did up chairs, sofas etc and used an electric staple gun. Whole different thing once you get an air stapler. You really need one with a 'nose' that enables you to put staples into narrow spaces (there is an electric one which JA Milton sell but its almost £300). I got a Tacwise type 71 air stapler off Amazon for about £60 and it is the dogs whotsits. The compreessor is a bit of a bore, granted, but the performance etc so much better. Im just re-upholstering a wing chair which needed the frame fixing too in velvet and this stapler is a game-changer
Good luck

 

[John15]

Thanks for the advise Mark on the staple gun. I see what you mean about the long nose. The manual one doesn't have that - I'm getting more excited than nervous now!!

John

 

[John15]

For years I did up chairs, sofas etc and used an electric staple gun. Whole different thing once you get an air stapler. You really need one with a 'nose' that enables you to put staples into narrow spaces (there is an electric one which JA Milton sell but its almost £300). I got a Tacwise type 71 air stapler off Amazon for about £60 and it is the dogs whotsits. The compreessor is a bit of a bore, granted, but the performance etc so much better. Im just re-upholstering a wing chair which needed the frame fixing too in velvet and this stapler is a game-changer
Good luck

Mark, What size staples do you use in your type 71 for upholstery into Oak?
John

 

[gasman]

I think they are 10mm

 

[AES]

I have no experience whatever of real upholstery, but have done a bit of "rough stuff" (e.g. a cloth-covered bed head after re-sizing it, and now a seat and back rest with foam cushion and "leather" cover for a child's pedal car). I started out with a big (-ish) manual stapler but found that either A) the staples (10 mm) wouldn't always drive straight, or B) you needed 3 hands, otherwise the recoil of firing the stapler allowed the staple to bounce back out a bit.

So I "upgraded" to an electric jobbie (B&D DIY model). Just as bad if not worse - exactly the same problems as above, especially re a 3rd hand to hold the machine hard flush against the job to prevent bounce on recoil.

Then Aldi (or maybe Lidl) had a cheapo air stapler and as I already have a fair-sized compressor with tank I decided to give that a try. Completely different world, and zero "bounce" problem. Really, the dog's doolies IMO. The only downside is the row the compressor makes, but for me anyway, that's a small price to pay for knowing that I can now drive fairly heavy duty staples reliably.

HTH

Edit for a P.S. Very nice looking chairs BTW. Certainly at my present stage of woodworking (non) "expertise" I wouldn't even dream of attempting such a thing. MAYBE (that's a definite maybe) I might have a go at such a project. Well done you. =D>

 

[John15]

I have no experience whatever of real upholstery, but have done a bit of "rough stuff" (e.g. a cloth-covered bed head after re-sizing it, and now a seat and back rest with foam cushion and "leather" cover for a child's pedal car). I started out with a big (-ish) manual stapler but found that either A) the staples (10 mm) wouldn't always drive straight, or B) you needed 3 hands, otherwise the recoil of firing the stapler allowed the staple to bounce back out a bit.

So I "upgraded" to an electric jobbie (B&D DIY model). Just as bad if not worse - exactly the same problems as above, especially re a 3rd hand to hold the machine hard flush against the job to prevent bounce on recoil.

Then Aldi (or maybe Lidl) had a cheapo air stapler and as I already have a fair-sized compressor with tank I decided to give that a try. Completely different world, and zero "bounce" problem. Really, the dog's doolies IMO. The only downside is the row the compressor makes, but for me anyway, that's a small price to pay for knowing that I can now drive fairly heavy duty staples reliably.

HTH

Edit for a P.S. Very nice looking chairs BTW. Certainly at my present stage of woodworking (non) "expertise" I wouldn't even dream of attempting such a thing. MAYBE (that's a definite maybe) I might have a go at such a project. Well done you. =D>

Yes, I quessed the hand stapler wouldn't be very efficient especially in hard Oak so I'm going down the air stapler route as you and Gasman recommend.
Don't be afraid to have a go at a chair. If you study each component hard it's not so mysterious.
John

 

[AES]

John wrote, QUOTE: Don't be afraid to have a go at a chair. If you study each component hard it's not so mysterious. UNQUOTE:

That only applies if one has a certain amount of innate wood working "intelligence". I'm not so sure I fit into that category John!

As said, MAYBE, one of these fine wet days. As it happens, our very old set of rather nice dining chairs ARE beginning to show their age, but SHHHHHHHHHHHH .... not a word to SWMBO.