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I made this chair from the February Fine Woodworking designed by Tom Manney. I have made a number of Windsor and post and rung chairs but this one proved to be a challenge. The design uses a number of special jigs for the rung and slat morticing which were new to me. I had trouble bending the maple back posts and had to repair some splits. I don’t have a plunge router and tried to cut the slat mortises with a regular router and messed it up. Once I fixed my mistakes the chair went together easily. I painted the frame to cover up my repairs instead of the clear finish Tim recommended.
For the seat I wanted to try Danish cord for the first time (its cheaper than hickory bark). There is a steep learning curve and its a lot of work but I am pleased with the results. I would like to building another one, probably out of oak, to get more use out of the jigs. I hope I have learned from my mistakes. Here is the picture.
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Very nice! I'm not familiar with Danish cord, but it looks great.
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I remember this issue and thinking what a great chair it was. Kudos to you for making one! Very nicely done
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Location: Irving, Tx
Kudos indeed. The contrast looks great.
"I tried being reasonable..........I didn't like it." Clint Eastwood
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Nicely done. Congrats on your efforts. Some chairs are looming in my future. I suppose the first couple will tell if I make a dining set or buy them ;-)
When I was young I sought the wisdom of the ages. Now it seems I've found the wiz-dumb of the age-ed.
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(01-26-2020, 02:32 PM)Tom Wiarda Wrote: I made this chair from the February Fine Woodworking designed by Tom Manney. I have made a number of Windsor and post and rung chairs but this one proved to be a challenge. The design uses a number of special jigs for the rung and slat morticing which were new to me. I had trouble bending the maple back posts and had to repair some splits. I don’t have a plunge router and tried to cut the slat mortises with a regular router and messed it up. Once I fixed my mistakes the chair went together easily. I painted the frame to cover up my repairs instead of the clear finish Tim recommended.
For the seat I wanted to try Danish cord for the first time (its cheaper than hickory bark). There is a steep learning curve and its a lot of work but I am pleased with the results. I would like to building another one, probably out of oak, to get more use out of the jigs. I hope I have learned from my mistakes. Here is the picture.
Very nice job Tom. I have been eyeballing those FWW plans. Now that you've done it up well, wondering what your top 3 or 4 tips might be?
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(01-26-2020, 06:45 PM)aruuk Wrote: Very nice job Tom. I have been eyeballing those FWW plans. Now that you've done it up well, wondering what your top 3 or 4 tips might be?
My first tip is to not make the stupid mistakes that I made. The instructions in the article are really quite clear. Remember that there are right and left posts that need to be positioned facing the correct way in the jigs. Take your time to make sure the pieces are positioned correctly in the jigs before you drill. Use a plunge router as directed for the slat mortises. If everything is drilled correctly the chair goes together easily. Good luck.
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(01-26-2020, 08:41 PM)Tom Wiarda Wrote: My first tip is to not make the stupid mistakes that I made. The instructions in the article are really quite clear. Remember that there are right and left posts that need to be positioned facing the correct way in the jigs. Take your time to make sure the pieces are positioned correctly in the jigs before you drill. Use a plunge router as directed for the slat mortises. If everything is drilled correctly the chair goes together easily. Good luck.
Muchly appreciated!
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(01-26-2020, 02:32 PM)Tom Wiarda Wrote: I made this chair from the February Fine Woodworking designed by Tom Manney. I have made a number of Windsor and post and rung chairs but this one proved to be a challenge. The design uses a number of special jigs for the rung and slat morticing which were new to me. I had trouble bending the maple back posts and had to repair some splits. I don’t have a plunge router and tried to cut the slat mortises with a regular router and messed it up. Once I fixed my mistakes the chair went together easily. I painted the frame to cover up my repairs instead of the clear finish Tim recommended.
For the seat I wanted to try Danish cord for the first time (its cheaper than hickory bark). There is a steep learning curve and its a lot of work but I am pleased with the results. I would like to building another one, probably out of oak, to get more use out of the jigs. I hope I have learned from my mistakes. Here is the picture.
Great job Tom, it looks great!
