Michael Fortune #1 Chair Build


pkinneb

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This is my kind of journal. Thanks for posting Paul. Few questions; 

First, with the steam bending it's my understanding there usually is a little bit of spring back. I've always wondered if thats the case, how is detailed joinery done if you get a little spring back? Are the bent pieces oversized slightly and the jigs and patterns correct this? Or is this spring back I'm concerned about not a problem?

Secondly, is that a through dowel that will join the front leg, back leg, and arm?

Finally, will you be doing the upholstery?

 

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Awesome work. It's really cool that we have resources and places like this in the world. It just doesn't seem like something that should work given the massive change society is making towards throw away furniture. That kind of seems like it is slowly changing though.

The chair looks awfully complicated. Also ebonizing walnut? That seems odd but i guess it's cheaper than the original chair. I suppose there are very few woods that fall into the category of easily steam bent, and a similar grain pattern to ebony. Did steaming the walnut get messy? Given steaming is how they even the color out it seems logical that steam bending walnut will release that color and make a mess but maybe not?

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So @pkinneb, I just keep coming up with questions on this build, it looks complicated for sure, but I do think there are some aspects of the build that he has made easier with the jigs. So if you don't mind being so inquisitive, here are some more questions, for now...

The back support, are those individual slats attached to the back of the seat frame? I looks to me as though they are not attached, but I wasn't sure from the pics. 

Did he discuss bent lamination in place of steam bending? I'm thinking with the ebonizing the grain match won't matter as much, but I'm interested if both techniques would work. 

I had the same line of thought as @Chestnut, ebonizing walnut seems odd. Do they use different woods at the school for this chair or just walnut (like cherry, oak, etc)?

As for the arms, I now see the dowel in the top of the front legs in your pic where everything is deconstructed. It also looks like you'll get a decent area of long grain to long grain surface area for gluing the arm to the arm/back leg piece. Will you still have the dowel extend into the top piece that forms the arm or will you just rely on the long grain gluing surface? 

With the shaping and sculpting, what do they teach in regards to tools?

Finally, good luck finding some air dried walnut. I've got a lot of it here in Delaware and if you lived closer I'd be happy to help out.

Thanks in advance for your patience with all my questions and thanks again for sharing this!

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6 minutes ago, Bmac said:

Finally, good luck finding some air dried walnut. I've got a lot of it here in Delaware and if you lived closer I'd be happy to help out.

Air dried walnut is pretty easy to find around here. Cremona doesn't live too far from us afterall.

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Loving this Paul and thanks for your responses to my multiple questions!

One quick followup ques, so the back slats are attached to the crest rail and the bottom rail, but they do not attach to the back of the seat frame, correct? 

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  • 3 months later...
On 10/5/2021 at 7:08 PM, Chet said:

With all the forms, templates and jigs used in this project, do you make your own set or does the school provide them?

We made our own 19 jigs and 23 templates so far...

On 10/5/2021 at 8:13 PM, wtnhighlander said:

150 hours?!?! Wow, and I thought my projects took a long time!

That is a beautiful chair, though. Are the back legs steamed, bent lam, or segmented? Can't tell from the photo.

So, have you given the Mrs. an ETA on the remainder of the dining suite?  :ph34r:

I hear you good thing I didn't realize this before i signed up LOL

Thanks! The legs and arms are both steam bent

LOL yeah no think one more to use by our digital Pacman table in the basement but we will see. I think I could do the second one in about half the time since the jigs are done and I kinda know what I'm doing now.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

What better way to spend a week, than to be a student at the Marc Adams school (MASW).  I was last there in 2007 for my rocker and I was both completely fulfilled and completely exhausted when I left.  Looks great.  I'll be watching this one for sure!

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