Popular Woodworking 2000-06 № 115, страница 54

wood that grows too fast is sometimes hard to work and has a greater tendency to warp and check while drying. Because of this I don't like to use wood that has growth rings much smaller than ¹/l6", or larger than ³/l6".

I always make my chair pieces from green wood and let them season before they are assembled. Along with other advantages in this process, it's important to assemble the chairs while the wood in the legs is a little green, but the spokes should be very dry. If done right the joints shrink tight and the spokes won't ever come loose. If green wood isn't convenient, dried wood can be used if properly glued.

Making the Pieces

I split out my green pieces from the log and shape them with a drawknife. If this is too rustic for you, you could use a table saw to cut pieces from milled lumber and shape the pieces on a lathe.

I start by making the back legs, starting with 1⁵/8" square by 48"-long stock, tapering the square pieces on the inside and front faces. Orient front and back on the legs so that the growth rings run side-to-side, not front-to-back. Start the taper 20" up from the bottom and end with the top at 1¹/8" square. Then bevel the edges on the whole leg so that it is an even octagon in cross-section (this brings you halfway to being round, but still leaves you with sides).

Make the front legs about 24" long and 1⁵/8" square with the edges beveled to also form an octagonal shape.

Now prepare all the spokes. If you're working green wood, make the spokes longer than necessary and trim them to length later. The front seat spoke and the top and bottom spoke for the back need to be the thickest, about 1¹/8" in diameter. The other seat spokes can be from 1" to ⁷/8", with the rest of the spokes finishing not less than ³/4" in diameter. All these pieces have their long edges beveled to an octagon shape.

Care should be taken when

Most woodworkers don't list a hatchet as part of their tools, but when I'm chopping out the shape for the top slat it's my best friend.

The jigs I use are fairly simple 2x material with blocks added to space and shape the pieces.Two sets of back rails are shown.The jigs for the back legs are even simpler.

making the two side rails for the back because they will receive a compound bend. Make these two pieces about ⁵/8" x 1 Vs" x 26". The extra length helps during bending. The growth rings should run parallel to the width (which will end up being the front and back faces of the rails). Selecting the wood for pieces that will be bent is important. The grain should be clear and straight with no small growth rings. Bevel these as octagons as well.

The two back legs and the two side rails for the back are put in the bending jigs right after I make them. The green wood bends easily and I don't need to do any preparation other than follow the grain and keep the dimensions even. The back legs are placed in the bending jig so the growth rings are perpendicular to the sides. The top of the legs are bent back about 5"- 6". Use the scaled diagram to lay out and build a jig

for the back side rails.

I mark the date on the pieces after they're in the jigs and set them aside for a month. Even after this time, the wood will be green enough to contract on the tenons and form a solid joint. If you use milled lumber, I would suggest steaming the pieces to be bent for about 20 minutes before putting them into the jigs.

10 Popular Woodworking June 2000