Couple of Mission style chairs for the commision

Don Baer

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Here is what I have come up with for the Priest and decon for the commision. The taller one is 50" Tall the other one is 40" tall. The seat will be upolstered in the same fabric as the pews.
As alwas your coimments and suggestions are welcome.
 

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I was wondering on the bent stiles, but if you don't have access to a steamer it sounds like you are ready to build one. The design for the chairs are RIGHT on Don. Please bore us/me. I am so enjoying/lookin' forward to what you come up with on this build :thumb:
 
Don, the design for those chairs is really neat and unique as well.:thumb: Some folks just make a long box out of cedar planks with a hinged door on one end and a hole in the other end to inject the steam. Others have made them out of 6" PVC. In either case, you need some cross pieces to slide your material on to keep them elevated so they get even heat/steam on all sides. Some have used a large teapot type kettle but one fellow bought a metal gas can and dedicated it to that use and it really looked good and he was satisfied with it's performance. Tilt the steamer and inject the steam on the low end.
 
Im not questioning how you are going to achieve the bent angles, youve mentioned steam.

If it were me, (it wouldnt be, because I wouldnt attempt something as difficult), since you mentioned oak.
Couldnt you just take, lets say for example, a piece of 12/4 , maybe 6 inches wide,if the bend is 3 inches wide from end to end, cut a template out, then trace and cut it out on the bandsaw. Cut all the boards first,to the template shape, then fine tune them all together,(sand, plane) lets say 3 boards all 6 inches width.
Then slice off 1/2 inch spindles and each one will be exactly the same since they come off of the same piece of wood, or use one piece for each side of chair, so each spindle on each side is exactly the same?

Am Im totally off the mark, is my idea anywhere reasonable?
 
I figured since its plain white oak, at maybe 3-4 dollars a board foot, its not a prohibitive waste/loss as far as money, since I thought about time spent steaming wood and the possibility of damaged pieces during steaming and bending process.
Ive never steamed anything, except vegetables, but it doesnt seem like an easy process or time wise/cost wise procedure, although I dont speak from any experience doing it.
regardless how you approach it all, Im certainly looking foward to seeing these chairs. They look like pure winners!

oh, btw, you are my favorite poster on FWW, having mentioned my name and Sam Maloof in the same sentence.
 
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