Build a Bow-Arm Morris Chair
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| The Morris chair embodies the Craftsman esthetic with its large, square legs, exposed joinery, and wide arms.
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Videos in This Series
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Introduction (Now Playing)
Get an overview of how Paolini constructs this elegant Morris chair. |
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See how Paolini builds up a multilayer bending form, shaping each new layer with a router. |
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Bent laminations can be tricky, but they don't need to be. Learn Paolini's tricks to keep the plies aligned and avoid springback. |
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Paolini shows a simple way to get four quartersawn faces using a solid core with veneers over the flatsawn edges. |
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Every joint in this chair is a mortise and tenon. Paolini cuts all the mortises with a handheld router. |
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Learn how Paolini cuts crisp shoulders on the tablesaw. |
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The legs join the arms with a through tenon. Paolini cuts this tenon on the tablesaw then uses chisels to match it to the curve of the bow arm. |
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The through mortise on the bow arm begins at the drill press. Paolini hogs out the waste with a Forstner bit, then cleans the mortise up by hand. |
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The back-slat tenons are cut before shaping the curved parts. Paoli shapes the slats using a bandsaw and power sander. |
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Paolini prepares for glue up and assembly. Also, don't miss his easy technique for turning pivot and support pins in a video extra. |
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Paolini assembles the base. He finishes the chair using an Arts-and-Crafts style finish, without harsh chemicals. |
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With the construction complete, Paolini offers a few pointers about making the cushions. |
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Gregory Paolini
Waynesville, North Carolina
Paolini began woodworking in high school and found that he had an affinity for the Arts and Crafts style. Originally from Buffalo, N.Y., he and his wife moved in 2006 to a small town near Asheville, N.C. Paolini builds custom furniture, is a frequent contributor to Fine Woodworking, and a new blogger for the Woodworking Life.
In this video workshop, he'll show you step-by-step how to make a this comfortable Arts and Crafts recliner. For the most part, the construction is straightforward. But the most distinctive part of the chair--its bow arms--presents two big challenges: making a curved lamination, and cutting a mortise-and-tenon joint on the curved arms and side frame.
He’ll show how laminating the arms gets you around those challenges. And he'll also demonstrate how to get striking quartersawn grain everywhere it counts, including a simple and authentic method for making a leg with four quartersawn faces.
Buy the plan created
by Brian Murphy of American Furniture Design. It features full-size drawings with a cutlist plus a plan for a matching footstool.
Buy now
Built this Morris chair? Or completed a similar one? Post your photos in our online Readers Gallery. Upload pictures and tag them with "Morris chair".
Don't miss our other video workshops that guide you through each step of making a workbench, small cabinet, bookshelf, dining chair, and more.
