Reamer for chair sockets etc

[Jacob]

Want to make tapered sockets for chair legs. Not something I've looked at before.
What's the lowdown on reamers? Buy or make one? A turned cone with 80 grit paper stuck on?

PS home made turned cone with piece of sawblade slotted in seems a popular option I might go that way

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Hi Jacob

I made this one, along with the tenon cutter. The angle is 7 degrees ...

Also made a couple of these travishers ...

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Jacob]

Hi Jacob

I made this one, along with the tenon cutter. The angle is 7 degrees ...

Thanks Derek. Looks just the job!
I presume the blade just floats in the slot and the screw pushes it further out for deeper cut?

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Thanks Derek. Looks just the job!
I presume the blade just floats in the slot and the screw pushes it further out for deeper cut?

Yes.

And the reamer is used to make the tenon cutter.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[rob1693]

I followed this guide to make mine

https://arivinghome.wordpress.com/2015/10/19/making-the-tools-part-i-the-tapered-reamer/

 

[johnnyb]

I also made a scraper in a similar style to Derek's! my take on this is quality blind holes and tenons in dry stock always outlast tapered and wedged ones( despite the wedged ones looking amazing).basically they always end up protruding and involve loads of tedious fitting. I also insist the stretchers really are stretching as if there not years later the stretchers pop out.

 

[Trafalgar]

I also made a scraper in a similar style to Derek's! my take on this is quality blind holes and tenons in dry stock always outlast tapered and wedged ones( despite the wedged ones looking amazing).basically they always end up protruding and involve loads of tedious fitting. I also insist the stretchers really are stretching as if there not years later the stretchers pop out.

Yep, the key is the stretchers pushing outward more than it is the tapered joinery. Straight hole with wedged tenon is fine if the stretchers really push. If the stretchers don't push, tapered holes won't save the chair. She's a 'coming loose at some point unless the chair is only rarely used. The best design IMO in terms of durability is Thos. Moser's take on Windsor chairs -- not purely traditional but you couldn't blow one apart with a stick of dynamite. I like them, though a lot of people don't.

https://www.thosmoser.com/product-category/windsor-chairs/
He wrote a book on making these as well.

 

[johnnyb]

blind mortices just work really well with tight stretchers. just have to be careful not to burst through the seat when framing up.damhik.

 

[Jacob]

Yep, the key is the stretchers pushing outward more than it is the tapered joinery. Straight hole with wedged tenon is fine if the stretchers really push. If the stretchers don't push, tapered holes won't save the chair. She's a 'coming loose at some point unless the chair is only rarely used. The best design (in terms of durability) is Thos. Moser's take on Windsor chairs -- not purely traditional but you couldn't blow one apart with a stick of dynamite. I like them, though a lot of people don't.

https://www.thosmoser.com/product-category/windsor-chairs/
He wrote a book on making these as well.

Seems that tapered holes only for legs where they are pushed in and tightened by use. Everything else straight and wedged if not blind, as they are likely to be pulled out and loosened, especially stretchers.

 

[RobNichols]

I think I may be in a similar place on the learning curve of chair making. My main recommendation so far is to try cutting tapered holes in some thick hardwood scrap wood. It's not straightforward because the holes aren't perpendicular. That means the taper cutter hits one side of the hole first and it is not easy (or it hasn't been for me) to stop it kicking out to over cut the opposite side.

 

[johnnyb]

can I recomend a slightly flawed book. Jack Hills country chair making. the tapered wedged hole is an American thing and the seats were commonly made in pine. all uk made windsors I've ever seen have blind seat mortices. the old boys drilled with spoon bits but most use sightlines and a tilting table. quality forstners work well at an angle. bit over an inch deep at an inch diameter. these need to be a nice tight ish fit. the stretchers need to be 1/4 to 1/2 inch longer than measured using 2 overlaping story sticks. the leg sockets and stretchers are assembled together ( with glue) and the ends of the legs knocked in evenly until you feel the solid thud of it hit the bottom then stop( otherwise you may inadvertently create through tenons!)

 

[Jacob]

can I recomend a slightly flawed book. Jack Hills country chair making. the tapered wedged hole is an American thing and the seats were commonly made in pine. all uk made windsors I've ever seen have blind seat mortices.

Yes I'm sitting in a "captains" windsor chair as we speak. Elm seat and everything else beech. All the mortices are blind. They've all come loose over the years except the 6 back spindles, though the two arm supports have loosened. All have been glued back at some time, some with a bit of cotton fabric around them to pack them out. No nails in it yet but I'm not precious about these things!

 

[johnnyb]

they come loose because they weren't dry and they didn't have decent glue. also chairs are under real strain. the ones I've built have lasted over twenty years and haven't loosened. at least the best ones.

 

[johnnyb]

American seats are quebec yellow pine so really soft. hence there quite thick as well. I bet tapered mortices would also loosen after 100 years

 

[johnnyb]

this is the bible



that chair is 1760 anI think it's got through tenons. but it's an exception although many stools do.

 

[Jacob]

they come loose because they weren't dry and they didn't have decent glue. also chairs are under real strain. the ones I've built have lasted over twenty years and haven't loosened. at least the best ones.

Actually it's fairly old (100 years?) and been around so it's doing OK. Found it in a derelict building about 50 years ago.

 

[johnnyb]

English windsors are truly beautiful things I copied all my chairs from a yew windsor made in a village called rockley in the east Midlands somewhere. some of the eighteenth century ones are exquisitely crafted and really delicately made from yew. I doubt they were working mans chairs. Yealmpton was another village that made chairs down south.

 

[Inspector]

If you decide to buy ready made Lee Valley sell them so there should be UK sources you can get them from. You can oder direct from LV should you need/want to. They also sell spoon bits too.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/hand-tools/54865-veritas-pro-taper-reamer?item=05J6101
https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/hand-tools/drills/54864-standard-taper-reamers
https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/hand-tools/drills/57713-lee-valley-spoon-bits
Pete

 

[Jacob]

English windsors are truly beautiful things I copied all my chairs from a yew windsor made in a village called rockley in the east Midlands somewhere. some of the eighteenth century ones are exquisitely crafted and really delicately made from yew. I doubt they were working mans chairs. Yealmpton was another village that made chairs down south.

Mine's a very ordinary office chair but still a nice job.

 

[Jacob]

Have made a reamer resembling Derek's and rob1693's above.
Doesn't cut very well at all.
The blade is off-cut of old saw blade 1mm thick, maybe too thin?
Have made it adjustable by packing behind it in the slot and tried various settings from zero. And repeat sharpenings.
Have I missed something?
Tried it with 80 grit paper in the slot instead and that seems fine and reasonably fast - maybe I'll stick with that.