Low back welsh chair build

[ro]

Next I cut a large 6" radius curve on the bottom with the bandsaw and then spokeshaved the sides down to a 3" radius.

I then tried lots of ways to transfer the shape of the bed to the blade, but in the end I just wedged the blade into the plane and put it on the belt sander until the blade was level with the bed.

I then sharpened the blade freehand on diamond stones and honed it.

Shaped the wedge, again using the notched stick so I could use a diagonal cut with the chisel

I grabbed a piece of scrap softwood and tried it

IT WORKS!!!

A bit of knifework to ease the edges and corners

And a bit of wax on the outside. It's not pretty but it works nicely. The mouth occasionally clogs up, but a little work with the knife should fix that.

 

[AndyT]

Wow, that's resourceful!

I've only ever shaped the seat of a chair once, on a short green woodworking course at Clisset Wood. I learnt two things that might help you with your inshave.

One thing was that the inshave cuts best when used across the grain. Not what I expected, but it seemed to be true.

The second thing is that there is a subtle relationship between the curve along the blade, the sharpening bevel across the blade and the positioning of the handles. On the course, there was a selection of inshaves, all slightly different. If one of us was having trouble getting a clean cut, sometimes swapping to one of the other shaves made a huge difference. Maybe more experienced workers can always make their shave work across all species and grain patterns - chairmakers are famous for using a very minimal toolkit - but swapping tools helped us beginners.

I expect you will be using your new plane for the rest of the job!

 

[ro]

One thing was that the inshave cuts best when used across the grain. Not what I expected, but it seemed to be true.

The second thing is that there is a subtle relationship between the curve along the blade, the sharpening bevel across the blade and the positioning of the handles. On the course, there was a selection of inshaves, all slightly different. If one of us was having trouble getting a clean cut, sometimes swapping to one of the other shaves made a huge difference. Maybe more experienced workers can always make their shave work across all species and grain patterns - chairmakers are famous for using a very minimal toolkit - but swapping tools helped us beginners.

Yeah, so I am working across the grain. I found out the hard way that it digs in like heck when you work along the grain

As for your second point, I'm limited to one inshave. Maybe I should take a course and try other tools and techniques, would you recommend the course you went on?

Just a quick update, I found the plane worked best when I pulled it towards me. I balanced it on the bed just in front of the mouth and lowered the back as I pulled it towards me until the blade just started cutting

I have to say, I'm impressed with the surface the plane leaves behind, it's not perfect, but it's more than good enough to be refined with a scraper. This is the surface straight off the plane

 

[Jacob]

Not my thing but I have done as tiny bit. I think your plane might be good for finishing but too small a bite for hollowing and removing a lot of stuff. Your surface looks nibbled more than gouged if you see what I mean

 

[xy mosian]

Interesting that I do not have an inshave and came to the same solution. Mine shown here, note the handles for use on the pull stroke.

As a follow up I made a scraper, the extra knob allows for some extra weight to the cut, blade from a hardpoint saw.

Strange that it looks very similar to a Veritas scraper.

Thanks for the update. I hope you are enjoying the whole affair.
xy

 

[ro]

Interesting that I do not have an inshave and came to the same solution. Mine shown here, note the handles for use on the pull stroke
As a follow up I made a scraper, the extra knob allows for some extra weight to the cut, blade from a hardpoint saw
Strange that it looks very similar to a Veritas scraper.

Thanks for the update. I hope you are enjoying the whole affair.
xy

Wow! What a coincidence, thanks for sharing. Can I pester you with a couple of questions?

How large is the mouth on your plane? I'm wondering if I should increase the size of mine.

Do you sharpen your scraper flat across and then burnish?

I love the look of the scraper, I'll have to make up one. But after I finish the chair.

 

[xy mosian]

Interesting that I do not have an inshave and came to the same solution. Mine shown here, note the handles for use on the pull stroke
As a follow up I made a scraper, the extra knob allows for some extra weight to the cut, blade from a hardpoint saw
Strange that it looks very similar to a Veritas scraper.

Thanks for the update. I hope you are enjoying the whole affair.
xy

Wow! What a coincidence, thanks for sharing. Can I pester you with a couple of questions?

How large is the mouth on your plane? I'm wondering if I should increase the size of mine.

Do you sharpen your scraper flat across and then burnish?

I love the look of the scraper, I'll have to make up one. But after I finish the chair.

No problem at all.
I'll find the plane tomorrow take an image, or two, and measure the mouth. Of course the geometry of the curved sole means that the mouth is wider towards the side of the iron.

As for the scraper I found that it is easier to use with the handle at some angle to to surface being scraped. Therefore the scraper edge is at about 45 degrees before burnishing, Again hopefully images tomorrow, meanwhile as I said earlier this is suprisingly similar. http://veritastools.com/Content/Assets/ ... 3380AI.PDF

xy

 

[Sheffield Tony]

A travisher is the tool you are looking for.

 

[AndyT]

As for your second point, I'm limited to one inshave. Maybe I should take a course and try other tools and techniques, would you recommend the course you went on?

Definitely. If you want to have a go at green woodworking, it makes sense to go somewhere with lots of trees, a shelter, a kitchen, all the tools and equipment and experienced, friendly tutors.
I had the extra advantage of perfect midsummer weather so we could work to the sound of birdsong and talk all evening as the sun went down.

I just checked the website at http://www.greenwoodwork.co.uk and the courses for next season are almost all booked up, but there are plenty of similar venues around the country.

 

[xy mosian]

As Tony said earlier, a Travisher would be the way to go. After all it's only a Pull Shave with sole man!
Images as promised:-

The sole of the plane is 55mm x 75mm, the blade is 39mm wide, and the mouth has 2mm clearance on the blade at its narrowest.

I included the rear end button shot to give some idea of the angle of the handles on this non too pretty plane.

Sorry I couldn't put my hands on the scaper but the Veritas link has all the details.

Keep up the good work with the chair and bench.
xy

 

[Jacob]

A travisher or similar for finishing but the bulk of the waste removal needs adze, and/or big gouge plus big mallet IMHO.

 

[ro]

Definitely. If you want to have a go at green woodworking, it makes sense to go somewhere with lots of trees, a shelter, a kitchen, all the tools and equipment and experienced, friendly tutors.
I had the extra advantage of perfect midsummer weather so we could work to the sound of birdsong and talk all evening as the sun went down.
I just checked the website at http://www.greenwoodwork.co.uk and the courses for next season are almost all booked up, but there are plenty of similar venues around the country.

Thanks, I'll look at booking one!

As Tony said earlier, a Travisher would be the way to go. After all it's only a Pull Shave with sole man!
Images as promised:...
The sole of the plane is 55mm x 75mm, the blade is 39mm wide, and the mouth has 2mm clearance on the blade at its narrowest.
...
I included the rear end button shot to give some idea of the angle of the handles on this non too pretty plane.

Thanks for the pictures, that's really useful. I think I'll give myself a bit more clearance on the mouth of my plane.

A travisher or similar for finishing but the bulk of the waste removal needs adze, and/or big gouge plus big mallet IMHO.

Any recommendations on a good travisher (or is the Veritas pull shave any good)? And a good adze for shaping seats? I'm dying to try hollowing with an adze!

Anyway, after I had done some smoothing with the new plane I moved the seat up to the end of the bench where the hole spacing allowed me to turn it round to work along the grain instead of along it. Then I used a couple of spokeshaves to ease the front edge. I'm still loving the sitting down to work thing I have going on with this bench. Even for detail work with spokeshaves and scrapers it's nicer than standing up.

Scraping the seat with a goose-neck scraper (I've got to make one like xy's)

A bit of hand sanding and I have a seat that I'm quite happy with!

I seem to have a bit of dark staining at the front which won't plane out (without removing too much material). Does anyone know of any way of removing the dark stain?

Flipped the seat over, held it in place with the holdfast and chamfered the edges with a drawknife and finished them with a spokeshave. Diagonally opposed pegs here stop the seat pivoting on the holdfast.

Put the legs in place and drew round the tops to cut the tenons to length - it's starting to look like a chair!!!

And then DISASTER!!! I glued up the first leg and pounded it into the mortice. I hit it one too many times and the seat split!

I'm pretty sure the air in the shed turned blue at this point!!!

Anyway, after a calming cuppa, I opened up the split a bit by flexing the seat over a wedge and packed the split with glue. Clamps were then applied and fingers tightly crossed...

Wish me luck!!!

 

[xy mosian]

Very sorry to read about the seat, those wedges can be visious can't they? Happen to me once then I started just twisting the tenon in, and remembering to wedge the tenon square to the grain of the seat.
xy

 

[AndyT]

Good luck!
What a shame. At least you now know how much to hit it and how much is too much.

 

[El Barto]

Nooooooooo. Fingers crossed it glues up ok.

As for travishers, I've read good things about these by James Murcell at The Windsor Workshop. Incidentally I'm going on his Crown Windsor course next week so hopefully I can find out first hand :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

 

[custard]

Oh no! What a sickener.

Still you did the right thing and glued up immediately, if you'd have left it a few days the exposed surfaces start to oxidise which then weakens the bond. I'm sure it'll be fine when the cramp comes off.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Most folk seem to use the James Mursell travisher. I made my own copy of that design, which is nice to use but has a design flaw; overtightening the iron retaining screws, or leaving them done up tight when stored in a damp place can split through the handles. Remember to loosen them after use.

Ray Iles makes a version which to me looks cruder, but I have never tried using one.

The stain looks like a sticker mark, from when the boards were stacked to season. My last chair had one on the walnut seat. I don't know if it has faded, or whether I've just got better at turning a blind eye to it.

Good luck with the glue-up !

 

[Racers]

I cracked the front rail of one of my chairs knocking in the wedges luckily I could get the wedge out, and after squirting glue into the split put a clamp across the it and tapped the wedge in carefully.

Don't underestimate the power of a wedge!

Pete

 

[ro]

Thanks All! It turns out that the glue up went fine, after a bit of sanding you can't even see the split

Incidentally I'm going on his Crown Windsor course next week so hopefully I can find out first hand :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

Cool. Let me know how that goes. I was very tempted by that course too.

So, I took XY's advice and twisted the legs into place instead of tw*tting them with a hammer. the wedges all went in fine. No splits this time!

Levelled the tops on the tenons with a gouge

And I have a stool! It's really comfy. maybe I should make one of these without arms at some point.

Onto the arms:
I smoothed an offcut of sycamore on both sides with the low angle jack and marked out half the arm using a template. I'm trying to put most of the short grain at the back where it will be strengthened by the crown later.

I really need to sweep my floor :roll:

Cut out freehand on the bandsaw leaving the ends over length, just needs finessing

To hold the arms while smoothing them with the spokeshave, I ran a piece of rope through the holes in the bench, put it over the top of the work and pulled the bottom down with my feet.

I've been wanting to try this workholding method out ever since I read about in in Woodworking in Estonia. It turns out to be really handy, quick to use and holds the workpiece really tightly, especially if I use my body as a large "meat peg" on one end of the work. I also found out that I can get better purchase with my feet on the rope if I join the two ends of the rope with a piece of wood:

Smoothed the inside curve with the plane I made earlier. A cork sanding block wedged under the arm allowed me to use the rope for this side too.

I then ripped the arm down the middle on the bandsaw against the high fence

And I have 2 identical arms

 

[ro]

As I had left the ends of the pieces over length earlier, I can use these bits to clamp them together while I hold the arms against the back of the chair and decide upon the shape I want.

I then raised the bed of the bandsaw with an offcut of ash and cut a straight line down the middle of the arms

Glued the arms together along the cut line. This is an end grain joint and so will be really weak, but it's really there to make marking out and gluing the crown much easier

Hopefully I'll be able to grab some time over the weekend to finish this off 8)