dining chair idea

From the looks of your description, you've already built these. Is that correct? If so, how does the back rest feel? It looks like it's about 90º from the seat. Is it comfortable like that? If you haven't built them yet, you might consider tilting the back a little bit.
 
kerry - one is done and upholstered, the other 3 are waiting to be sanded, and finished. i'm just waiting for better weather.

vaughn - the back is a straight up 90 degrees. i was worried about the comfort level, until i sat down on the pine prototype, and found it to be quite comfortable. my wife has been using the first one for the last six months, and no complaints from her yet. :thumb:
 
lets see 6months for one to be finished and the others are gonna be done 2yrs from now then huh:rofl::D.. so how do you like making chairs? i had 6 that i needed but i backed out didnt feel upto the challenge..
 
lets see 6months for one to be finished and the others are gonna be done 2yrs from now then huh:rofl::D.. so how do you like making chairs? i had 6 that i needed but i backed out didnt feel upto the challenge..

no larry, the first one only took a couple three days to finish, but it took another month or so to get permission from the boss to finish the others. at first she said we didn't have the room for the other 3, but then changed her mind. i liked making the chairs, as it was a new challenge for me. since they were my first all up design, i drew up the plans full size, then made a pine prototype to see how it would all fit together, made a few adjustments, and went on to cut the parts. since i wanted 4 of them, i cut the parts for all 4 at the same time. 4 sets of front and back legs, 4 sets of short spindles, etc., and divided them up. as i didn't know who would be sitting on them in the future, like your quote says, i built them a touch on the stout side, and they wiegh in at about 25 lbs each.
 
a question about leg thickness

I dont know sketch up, so please forgive this cave man drawing, but Im also about to start 6 chairs. (all mahogany ofcourse, to match a table)
This is the basic design, around 41 inches high back, will look something like this picture, large slat, 2 thin slats, basic chair, slight curve on rear legs, 16x16 area for seat 18x18 seat cushion.

What is the minimum thickness I should use for the legs, both rear and front?
I was thinking 1.5-1.75 inch, will this serve well? (can I get away with one inch)

My reasons for asking:I dont have a bandsaw, so Im going to rough cut all the rear legs(angled legs) with a jigsaw, then use a template and flush trim route the legs. I dont have a bit wide enough to do over an inch, so I want to know which bit to buy before I start dressing up raw lumber.
 

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Allen you could try Freud for a flush trim bit in the larger sizes, I have a 2" x 2" long with bearing It looks dangerous but is one of my favorite bits.
 
After going out at 9 to start recoating my cabinet, the humidity squashed that idea, still had a slight tackiness to the touch, so Ill have to wait till tomorrow, or at least tonight.
I have a few hours to kill this morning, and its warm out(raining ofcourse), but I grabbed the old 2x4s sitting around and some old mdf, and put together the chair Im thinking of.
I wanted my wife to see it. There is not curve in the back legs(no angle)
This is straight legged. Im hoping shes says ok, cause it will save me wood, a ton of time, and I wont have to buy any new bits for the router right now.
I slapped on some reddish stain(to make it look more mahogany like) so she could visualize the chair better, Im really trying to sell her on this one.
Simple, easy cuts, this one took me 1 hour 20 minutes from start to finish staining, ofcourse I missed some spots, but its going into the trash anyway.
The cushion is off my current chair, Ill use them till we make new ones.
Does this design look stable enough?
(this was put together with a nailer and a few pocket screws, the mahogany chairs will be all MT joints)
 

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you may want to add a stretcher between the legs, from side to side, to provide stability that way.

if you're worried about stability, then i nominate larry to test the prototype... :D:rofl::thumb:
 
I outwiegh larry, easily, and I only had 1/2 inch of brads going into wood and the glue was still wet and I sat on it. Hehehehehe........ofcourse I held on to my tablesaw first!
I have a stretcher going from rear to front legs, but can always add two more.
Its the straight back Im not sure Ill sell her on.
But the time saving, not that Im in a rush, but straight back on six chairs, just so much easier and less stressful, not to mention so much 8/4 mahogany Id save.
Ill know by the morning. Gotta go rub my cabinet a bit.
Im off to the hospital today, getting an intensive review of my eyes, just hoping its nothing serious. I was told to prepare to spend most of the afternoon and early evening there, so Im not looking foward to it, but I do want some answers.
 
hey allen your gonna get my butte in to trouble ,,i dont dare have the better half see your plan to make 6 chairs and then to throw one together in a 1,30 mins even if it just a proto type thats scary.... i think you need to look at a lean back version and the use of 8/4 isnt that big a deal.. also your layout can get more than one outa a width, you can put one next to the other and get a couple. just pay attention to your grain direction. thanks for the compliment on the weight thing but you aint see but just my noggen the rest of me spreads out quite alittle:)
 
good and bad news

My eye problem is not as bad as was first thought.
Although Im going to have to try new glasses, again, theres no degenerative disease and nothing directly effecting the optic nerve.
Seems I had something since birth, just never bothered to acknowledge it till I got old. He asked me if I suffered any blunt head traumas.
So seems like next week Ill try to get some new glasses, maybe my lines will be straighter?


Now the good and bad news with the chair. She loved the design, but will not accept the straight back legs. So Ill have to cut and make a template.
 
allen, here's a quick idea based on your chair design. the back legs have a 5 degree angle, and overall height is 41". i hope this helps with your chair making. :thumb:
 

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hey, thats my chair with one small change, maybe 2.
Id put that center stretcher on the bottom between the rear legs, and Id raise the back to be a bit closer to the top of rear legs, other than that, you drew it out perfectly.
 
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