Wing Chair Documentary (wing glue up)

Tonight, I commenced the final step; the big glue up/assembly. Here I am starting with the wings which will then need to be clamped to the back frame. The unit(wings and back frame) will then be attached to the seat frame and, after some fine tuning/sanding, the chair will be ready for my wife to finish. I saved a small cut off of the original wing rail to use as a clamping block. The block is prevented from sliding with the help of some grip tape.

Wing Chair Documentary(arm roll)

The arm roll is roughed out. The top angle has to be precise so that the arm rest will lay perfectly flat on the roll. A chunk of the wood(waste) was removed on the band saw to minimize some of the hand work.

One arm roll is nearly complete. The shape was done mostly with a block plane, spoke shave and file.

A very incomplete dry assembly.
Everything seems to be going together just fine.

From My Archives

This is a picture of a miniature queen anne style chair that I made a couple years ago. It has a triffid, three toed, foot, small shell carving on the knee, and a compass seat. The legs were made with a large dowel at the top to connect to the seat frame in the traditional way. The dowel was pegged to lock the leg in place. The chair is made of walnut. I love to leave parts that will not be seen rough which adds to the hand crafted feel. Of all the chairs that I have made, something about the flow of this design always strikes me as exceptional.

Miniature Wing Chair with Finish Applied

I am very lucky that my wife does all of my finishing work allowing me to concentrate on building. She has learned her end of the craft from industry experts and is really meticulous. The finish is built up layers of shellac and glaze to give a antiqued look, all done by hand.

Wing Chair Documentary (wings mortise, arm roll angle)

I have completed the mortise and tenon joint attaching the wing stile to the side chair rail as well as the top of the arm roll. The arm roll is at a 4 degree compound angle which will flair the arm rolls slightly forward and out. You know the design is working when the chair looks like it is about to walk away Loony Toons style.

Craftsman Plane is a Political Symbol

With the election a day away, I thought it might be time to get a little political. I purchased this craftsman plane a few months back. It was manufactured in the USA in 1960. The tool is incredibly heavy and well made. Now, I know that there are some specialty tool companies that still manufacture high end tools in the US, but decades ago it was common place for everyday items to be made here. Men and women could count on factory jobs that would pay well enough to raise a family. Travel through any state in America and you'll pass through towns that once were robust with manufacturing and all the frill that go along. I like to make furniture and I also sell high end furnishings for a living. The real furniture I sell is expensive but mostly made in the USA. So much of the furniture that is sold in this country is made in the far east. This furniture is not only made cheaply but it often ends up in the landfill after a few years(picture below bulk trash day in any town with furniture to go to landfill). Your grandparents were used to buying real furniture and taking it to the local upholstery shop for a makeover when they needed a change or refreshing. The upholstery shop employed skilled labor.

It seems to me that if we made things in this country, we would have to get used to paying a bit more, but real income would rise because regular people could count on real factory jobs. If we can't get back our manufacturing base then we will have to concede that our economy is like Europe; only a service economy. Lets get back to it and start manufacturing tools and wind turbines and real furniture. And lets drink micro brewed beer that is manufactured here in the USA!

Wing Chair Documentary (pattern for wings)

I've started working on the wings for the chair over the last few days. Here we have the patterns with the front part of the wings cut to shape. As you can see they are mortise and tenon joined. The shape is faired with the help of files and spoke shaves. Check out the Miller Falls cigar spoke shave(middle bottom). It works great for getting into tight radius like the sharp curve of the wing.

The top part of the wing is joined and shaped together.

I felt like I was making a whale when shaping the top wing rail.

The wings are joined to the back frame with a compound angle mortise and tenon.

Moving right along!