The March/April 2007 FWW had plans for an Arts and Crafts Side Chair by Kevin Rodel. There appears to be an error (or perhaps I should characterize it as an omission), and I just want to confirm what I am seeing and see if any others have run into this. And hope that the FWW editors look into this.
The side stretchers go into the back leg at an 94.5 degree angle because the back legs are spaced closer together than the front legs – the article describes that, so far, so good. What is not mentioned is that the side stretcher is also meeting the back leg at an angle from top to bottom. This is because the front edge of the back leg is angled (tapered) top to bottom. Since the article instructs you to cut the legs to shape first, and then cut the mortises, you find yourself needing to cut a mortise that is angled both side to side and top to bottom. Or to put one of the angles on the tenon. Nothing in the article mentions the top to bottom angle.
Again, perhaps I am just missing something, so I wanted to see if others have tried to follow these plans and run into this situation. I’ve come up with a method to deal with the error, but I am thankful that I only cut the legs for one chair instead of a whole set before discovering this.
Thanks,
Jerry
Replies
Look closely at the exploded view on page 51, it shows a "flat area at seat rail, 4 in. long" where that mortise is located.
I might be wrong but I believe that addresses your concerns.
Good luck
Doorboy,That 4" flat section is where the seat rail meets the back leg. It is where the side stretcher meets the back leg that is the issue for me.Jerry
My bad.
But if you look at the same page--in the gray drawing, there's a note that says "fit angled shoulder during assembly."
So I think I'd do a dry-fit and just cut it accordingly.
That IS a tricky little fit. Angles all over the place.
Come to think of it, those cross stretchers would also be of slightly varying length
Edited 3/2/2009 7:03 pm by doorboy
Doorboy,Thanks for pointing out the little note. I think I read it when I was thinking about the side to side bevel and it didn't occur to me that it could refer to the top to bottom bevel. But I bet you are right.I suppose the angle is small enough that one can ignore it for purposes of the mortise and get away with it - just need to whittle down the tenon a bit.Thanks again,
Jerry
I am currently building 6 of these. The article that accompanies the plans shows the need for a double bevel on the back of the side stretchers. As far as the loose tenon, I just made mine a bit narrower because I made the mortises square to the stock.
renthal,Thanks for your response. I'll have to go back and reread the article as I admit I missed the comment about the double bevel. I was just commenting to Doorboy that I suppose one could ignore the angle for purposes of the mortise since it is not much off of 90 degrees- and you seem to be saying the same thing with your comment on simply making the tenons a bit narrower.What species of wood are you building your set of chairs from? I'm doing one in cherry to match other cherry furniture, and my longer range plan is to also make a set of 6-8 for a dining room set, assuming that I am happy with the result of this one.Jerry
I really like the design. I am making mine out of QSWO. The best thing I did regarding construction is use the Rockler/Incra STS Slot Mortiser for all the mortises. I was able to get great repeatability, so the chairs are assembling nicely.The tenon doesn't need to be much narrower. At that point the tenon will be subject mostly to tension, so a tight vertical fit is not necessary, like it would be on the seat.Marco
Edited 3/3/2009 8:28 am by renthal
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