Shop Tips
Depth Gauge for Chair Seats
A workshop tip on how to make a simple depth gauge for hand-shaped chair seats.
When sculpting the seat of a rocking chair, I came up with this simple jig for gauging depth and symmetry. It’s a piece of scrap, with dowels inserted every 2 in. and marked in 1⁄4-in. increments. As I worked with my grinder to shape the seat, the jig guided me to perfect results.
—Michael Burt, Muncie, Ind.
Drawings: Dan Thornton
From Fine Woodworking #274
Fine Woodworking Recommended Products
Hedgehog featherboards
The Hedgehog's unique spiral shape and single knob make it easy to set up and fast to adjust.
Woodriver Circle Cutting Jig
The WoodRiver circle jig, which produces cuts up to 32-1/2 in. dia., and I can confidently recommend it. Unlike similar jigs that can pop off of their pivots mid-cut, ruining a panel in the process, this one has a robust pivot point that registers securely in the jig and workpiece.
Double Sided Tape
A thin woven core makes XFasten tape strong yet not too thick (0.008 in.), and helps it hold powerfully without being difficult to peel off.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google
Privacy Policy and
Terms of Service apply.
Comments
When I make a sculpted seat, the depths are deeper across the back and rises toward the front. You would need several of these gauges. Alternately drill a number of reference holes at various depths in the seat blank and carve close to those before sanding.
Pleun,
If I understand Michael's jig, the dowels slide in the holes and are marked in 1/4" increments, so a single gauge could be adjusted for various points along the x or y axes of the seat blank. It would depend on having the perfectly snug fit for the dowels that allowed for adjustment without slippage. I suppose if you were making a bunch of the same chair seats, it might be worth having a set of these jigs with fixed dowel placement.
I like this idea and am going to give it a try.
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
Sign up Log in