Drilling Stretchers

This is the clamping fixture that holds the stretchers for drilling. It's a few blocks of wood with a v-notch in them and when the pressure from the vise is applied it holds it right where I need it.

Chair Parts

With all the chair parts done I can now begin the process of putting it all together. This is where all the hard work pays off.

Lathe tool rest

I was sick of having to move the tool rest while turning legs on the lathe. So I made this 20" long rest out of a piece of cherry I had laying around. Its just cut with a 45 degree angle on it and I drilled two holes in the under side and glued in a length of dowel that fit the tool rest locks. After a little use, the water that comes out of the maple I turn was causing the cherry to fuzz up a bit and made it difficult to move the lathe tools back and forth. I screwed on a piece of flat metal and it has helped tremendously.  A little wax every 2 or 3 turnings and it just glides over like glass. Really sped up the time it takes to turn a leg now, no more stopping the lathe moving the tool rest and going again. I just turn the lathe on and let the shaving fly.

Shaving Horse

I thought I'd show my newest shaving horse. I actually found the plans for it on the Fine Woodworking web site. It's basically a copy of Kentucky Chair Maker Brian Boggs' horse. I made a few different changes but its basically just like the one he shows how to make in the article. I have since put a new seat on it that is the top half of a Fan Back Windsor and it makes it to where you can sit at it for hours on end. The old Shaving horse I made was the German style with just a open head. I loved it but to sit at it for very long your back is hunched over and it just doesn't allow for a very comfortable position. When I made this new one, I thought I'd be in the same boat after an hour of use. It was comfortable but on those days where I need to make 50 spindles it just doesn't allow enough comfort. So with the chair seat added I am able to sit there for 4 or 5 hours without much fatigue. It went from a Pinto to a Cadillac if that makes sense. 

Carved Knuckles

I have struggled to carve like I really want to or how I see it in my head. I do think that I have become more detailed in my carvings but would like to be better. In a future post I will show steps on how I am carving the knuckles on my chairs. It's been kind of the most difficult part to get right on my chairs. I really think it adds a unique feature on a Windsor. You can just sit in the chair and rub your hands over the details of the knuckles and it's very relaxing. Without even looking you can feel the faucets left by the carving chisels and it just takes you to a place of less worry. Maybe thats why they are called "Worry Knuckles".

Spindle Work

Here you see the process of making the spindles for the back of the chairs. After buying a log from a local Logger I get the log back to the shop and chainsaw it to rough length, then split it in half and then into quarters. I'll map it out into about 1" x 1" squares and use a wedge to begin splitting up the quartered section. I use a hatchet to score across the lines I've drawn just to help aid the split better. After I get the whole quarter section split up I take it into the shop and start the rough shaping with a draw knife before it goes into the kiln to dry for 3 or 4 days. After the rough blank is dry I use a spokeshave to finish it to it's final dimensions.

Welcome to the Blog

Today I began assembling chairs for a current order. I have several more to assemble but you can see how these chairs are turning out. I really like how the proportions are on these chairs. I sit in everyone before I paint them and these are so comfortable. They really feel rock solid.