Low back welsh chair build

[Sheffield Tony]

I really need to sweep my floor :roll:

Nah, it looks great. Just don't try any hot work ...

As an APTGW (Association of Pole Lathe Turners and Green Woodworkers) I get that esteemed publication "The Bodger's Gazette", which has a list of green woodworking courses, including chairmaking. So if anyone is desperate to get back to nature with a quieter and more gentle approach to woidworking, I could perhaps scan the relevant bits.

 

[AndyT]

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:

I do like that! Quick, effective and costs nothing. Clever people those Estonians.
.

 

[Jacob]

............

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:......

Brilliant! I bought Woodworking in Estonia on-line but haven't really looked at it yet.
Craft trades used to have loads of spiffing wheezes like that - they couldn't get the gadgets everybody buys nowadays!
"Saddlers clam" is similar idea - it stands vertically and the jaws are closed with pressure on the stirrup.

 

[ro]

I really need to sweep my floor :roll:

Nah, it looks great. Just don't try any hot work ...

I showed your reply to the better half and she rolled her eyes and threatened to ban me from the forum.

As an APTGW (Association of Pole Lathe Turners and Green Woodworkers) I get that esteemed publication "The Bodger's Gazette", which has a list of green woodworking courses, including chairmaking. So if anyone is desperate to get back to nature with a quieter and more gentle approach to woidworking, I could perhaps scan the relevant bits.

Yes please! I had a course booked earlier in the year with Mike Abbott, but unfortunately work commitments stopped me from being able to attend - I was absolutely gutted.

Brilliant! I bought Woodworking in Estonia on-line but haven't really looked at it yet.
Craft trades used to have loads of spiffing wheezes like that - they couldn't get the gadgets everybody buys nowadays!
"Saddlers clam" is similar idea - it stands vertically and the jaws are closed with pressure on the stirrup.

It's definitely worth a read. Loads of great ideas.
Love the look of that "Saddlers clam". I'll have to find an excuse to make one at some point...

Onwards with making the crown...
I laid the arms over the remaining piece of sycamore and marked out the rough outline of the crown, making sure the grain runs along the back.

Cut it out on the bandsaw and then decided on the length I wanted. I then marked off tangents at the ends by lightly holding a square against the edge. I find this takes a couple of goes to get it right. Has anyone got a better way of marking tangents off a curve?

Marked off a radius on each end and kerfed down to the line a couple of times on the bandsaw

And then removed the waste with chisels and gouges - using the "rope vise" again

The crown is simply glued to the top of the arms. I felt guilty for using clamps instead of figuring out some solution using the bench, but life is short and this build is taking ages!

When the glue was set, I used Custard's method of turning the plane on it's side to smooth the back of the arms and crown

Hopefully I'll get the spindles done this afternoon...

 

[xy mosian]

Cracking looking work, and a good pace too.
I see you are using a combination square. If that includes the bit with two 45 degree arms, one each side of the blade, then the blade is square to the line across the points, if they are the same length, works well on curves well circles anyway. Now that set up might be too much for your present job, but should provide ideas for a smaller version.
I am looking forward to seeing spindles.

xy

 

[ro]

Cracking looking work, and a good pace too.
I see you are using a combination square. If that includes the bit with two 45 degree arms, one each side of the blade, then the blade is square to the line across the points, if they are the same length, works well on curves well circles anyway. Now that set up might be too much for your present job, but should provide ideas for a smaller version.

Thanks
Great idea about the combination square. By utter coincidence I have just ordered a new 6" combination square from Axminster which has that bit on, so I'll give it a go. I'ev also ordered a curved base spokeshave for the inside of the arms.

Right, to make the spindles I started with a lump of inch thick ash with fairly straight grain in places

Ripped into 22mm squares 12 1/2 inches long (plus a couple of longer ones in case I cock anything up)

I was going to shave them, but I had left the shaving horse outside in the rain and I didn't want to get a wet bum. So I decided to use the lathe instead 8)
I turned them into rough cylinders about 21mm diameter. I really need to practice more on the lathe. The only tool I can use us the roughing gouge and I'm not too hot with that!

Marked up the tenons and extent of the hump in the middle

Turned the tenons to size, again with the gouge, using a 16mm spanner as a quick caliper. Then I put in a quick transition between the middle hump and the tenons.

A quick sand with 180 grit and I have 10 spindles!

3 quick holders for the arms made out of scraps. One slightly shorter than the other two to lower the back

I then tried the spindles in a variety of positions until I came up with an arrangement that i liked and held them in place with blu-tack.

I marked the rough position of the spindles and then used far too many sets of dividers to step out the actual positions, equally spaced.

All marked out, ready to be drilled

It's too cold to drill now, so that can wait for another time. Warning: the next instalment will include lasers.

 

[Jacob]

Just realised there is a "Woodworking in Estonia" in print - large excerpt here https://lostartpress.com/products/woodw ... in-estonia
I bought a PDF from a library which is a crude mimeograph with poor quality pictures but it does have 344 pages! I'll have to buy the new one now.

Re marking up - I'd be inclined to do the trad thing and draw up full size drawings on a board, then take off all marks direct from the drawing. Especially those seat outlines and arms details. Has it's limits of course but it's what I'd have a go at first. I suppose not possible in green woodworking if you are out there in the woods

 

[El Barto]

Love the 16mm spanner caliper cheat. And the blu tack!

Are you going to drill with a hand drill? Or a drill press? Looking great so far.

 

[custard]

the remaining piece of sycamore

If you run out of Sycamore there's a fair few boards in the woodstore, you're just down the road from me so you're welcome to some. Great project by the way, excellent to see ingenuity and determination trumping tools and gadgets!

 

[Sheffield Tony]

As an APTGW (Association of Pole Lathe Turners and Green Woodworkers) I get that esteemed publication "The Bodger's Gazette", which has a list of green woodworking courses, including chairmaking. So if anyone is desperate to get back to nature with a quieter and more gentle approach to woidworking, I could perhaps scan the relevant bits.

Yes please! I had a course booked earlier in the year with Mike Abbott, but unfortunately work commitments stopped me from being able to attend - I was absolutely gutted.

I haven't forgotten this, until I get around to scanning the paper list, there is an APTGW list of course tutors on-line here:

https://www.bodgers.org.uk/index.php/55-courses

Are you within striking distance of Weald and Downland Museum ? The bodgers will be gathering down there in May:

https://bodgersball2018.wordpress.com/

 

[ro]

Just realised there is a "Woodworking in Estonia" in print - large excerpt here https://lostartpress.com/products/woodw ... in-estonia
I bought a PDF from a library which is a crude mimeograph with poor quality pictures but it does have 344 pages! I'll have to buy the new one now.

Re marking up - I'd be inclined to do the trad thing and draw up full size drawings on a board, then take off all marks direct from the drawing. Especially those seat outlines and arms details. Has it's limits of course but it's what I'd have a go at first. I suppose not possible in green woodworking if you are out there in the woods

Yup, that's the copy I have. The pictures are excellent quality!
And, yes you're right, it would be much simpler if I made a drawing, or even a template for this part. I'll try to do that next time...

Are you within striking distance of Weald and Downland Museum ? The bodgers will be gathering down there in May:

Awesome. I'll try to head down there for that.

If you run out of Sycamore there's a fair few boards in the woodstore, you're just down the road from me so you're welcome to some. Great project by the way, excellent to see ingenuity and determination trumping tools and gadgets!

Thanks for the offer, if I cock the arm up I'll take you up on that offer!
I think this post might contradict your statement about the lack of gadgets though...

Are you going to drill with a hand drill? Or a drill press? Looking great so far.

Read on...

I finally managed to grab an hour in the workshop to drill the spindle holes. The first thing was to make a new laser lever, as one of my existing ones was far too ghetto to post pictures of.

I started off with a laser line module (4 quid from ebay) and a battery holder. I then made up a 3/4 inch dowel and drilled a 12mm hole down the middle of it. I bored a 3/4 inch hole in a scrap of ash and made a tiny peg.

Put them together and I get a cheap, ghetto (but better than the last one) laser level

Before I removed the arm I had made some alignment marks on it and on the seat, and I now used a combination square to put it back in exactly the same position

I then clamped the lasers to the end of the arms and aligned them to the marks for the upper holes and lower holes and drilled the through the top of the arm.

The trick is to keep both laser lines parallel with each other down the length of the auger bit.

Once I'm through the arm, I can then put the auger point on the bottom mark and bore down an inch into the seat

All the holes drilled, as you can see I had to move the rear clamps to drill the middle holes

And obviously I couldn't resist a trial fit of the spindles 8)

 

[MusicMan]

Neat!

 

[AndyT]

Now that's clever! Precise but without the need to buy an expensive one-purpose tool. I had no idea you could get a laser module on its own for so little money.

 

[DTR]

A laser-guided hand brace?! That's amazing :lol:

Good work =D>

 

[Racers]

A laser-guided hand brace?! That's amazing :lol:

Good work =D>

Not really...

DSCF0030 by pete maddex, on Flickr

:wink:

 

[Woody2Shoes]

A laser-guided hand brace?! That's amazing :lol:

Good work =D>

Not really...

DSCF0030 by pete maddex, on Flickr

:wink:

Haha - that arrangement looks like its intended to make the pointy end look smaller... ??

 

[xy mosian]

Lasers wow! Spanning a significant chunk of woodworking history in one project fantastic.
xy

 

[Brian18741]

Lasers!

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

 

[MusicMan]

Just waiting for Jacob's reaction ... !

 

[Jacob]

Just waiting for Jacob's reaction ... !

Impressed. Amazingly cheap, so that's good!
In terms of this job though, shouldn't hand and eye skills be sufficient?
All tools are "gadgets" but some gadgets are less necessary than others and may even diminish craft skills; just think of the struggle that gadgetised sharpening has become!