Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Almost Done, but Need a Little Help

Joy of joy, I got some real time in the shop yesterday and today.  With the holidays, work, and the general lack of motion in my shop, it has been a real challenge getting to a couple of old projects.

Most importantly was the Welsh stick chair that I started in Denmark at Jonas'.  Here is where I am at now:
Finally - Almost done!
 Basically the chair is done except for finish.
Here is a view from above that shows what I was trying to do with the arms.
So far, the chair has exceeded all of my expectations.  I think it is really cool, and was a good first Windsor style chair.

My main problems with this build (really, I wouldn't bring it up but this bit is important to explain why I need a bit of advice) started when I tried to fit the arm rail on the sticks that I had attached to the seat.  That particular part of the glue up was very stressful.
This was what happened when I first glued the arm rail on.
I wound up getting it to look decent enough by squirting some hide glue in there and clamping it up overnight.  However, at this point I was just glad to have the arm rail on, and didn't stress too much that it didn't go all the way down to where it was originally supposed to go.  It now is an inch or two higher than my original intent.

I think this really doesn't make any difference, as it is relatively straight and looks good where it is.  I did have to get creative planing the lamination flat after this glue up so I could glue the crest on, but it worked out.

The problem is that since it is higher than I wanted, there are two sticks that don't quite stick out high enough that I could cut them off flush with the arm rail. 
Part of this stick isn't out far enough. 
Indeed, there are parts of them that sit below the level of the arm and look unsightly.
#2.  Yeah, it looks like #2.
There are a couple different ways I could deal with this.  However, I am not sure I like any of my ideas yet.  I have a couple days before I can work on this chair again, so I would love to year what you would do to fix this if it was your build.  Please leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you.
The chair is amazingly comfortable.
BTW, I am a bit slow on reading up on some of the blogs.  I just read this one today, and was pleased to see my chair mentioned in this contest!  Thanks to MWA for putting on this contest.

12 comments:

  1. Brian,
    I'm far from traditional, but I would recommend you fill the shallow hole with epoxy.

    Or, just leave it as is. Most folk won't even notice.

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    1. Thanks, Dyami. Those two solutions were directions I am seriously considering. Sometimes leaving well enough alone prevents an even bigger mess later on.

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  2. Drill the hole out (and the matching one on the opposite side) with a forstner bit and replug it to make it a decorative accent. It's not a mistake. It's a design opportunity.

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    1. Thanks, Rambling Road, the folks on G+ seem to agree with you. The idea being to drill a bit out and plug it to make it look perfect.

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  3. Probably the fill with epoxy to smooth it out is the most likely to be successful and given clear epoxy it might not look out of the ordinary at all. What is the intended finish?
    Otherwise I would do as suggested and drill it a bit deeper and put in a (laminated to look wedged?) tapered plug. Since your wedge extends further down you shouldn't loose any significant structure.
    Really like the plan view of this chair!

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    1. Hi Jeremy, Thanks! Epoxy was one of my first thoughts, too. I haven't ruled it out.

      I haven't completely settled on the finish, though. I am considering tung oil followed by wax.

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  4. FWIW, I fully agree with ramblingroad.

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  5. really a nice chair Brian! congrats!
    my choice for your restoration:
    1- drill and plug
    2- epoxy 105 from west system
    best and good luck!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Aymeric!

      There seems to be a lot of ways to do this.

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    2. I think my comment was misstated! my 1st choice would be the ramblingroad way and my 2nd would be to fill with epoxy. good luck!

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    3. That's how I read it, but perhaps it would be fun to use all of the suggestions at once!

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