50 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING
Limbert Side Chair
15 Form the pyramid shape atop the front legs with an oscillating belt sander
and miter gauge.
16-18 Drill a^5 / 8 " diameter hole in the end of the armrest approximately^5 / 8 "
deep. Use dowel centers to locate a receiving hole in the rear legs. Next, glue
11 / 4 " long dowels into the armrests. Finally, install the armrest by inserting the
dowel and coaxing it into position over the front leg tenon.15
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sides. Size the sticks about 1" wide,
and long enough to hold onto both
ends. Back-bevel the mortise wall
slightly and check the fi t frequently.
Before long you’ll have a snug joint
without visible gaps.
Once the mortise fi ts the tenon
you can cut a scrap to 26^1 / 8 " long
and clamp it alongside a rear leg.
This will allow you to easily set the
armrest on the tenon shoulders and
the scrap board to transfer informa-
tion from the chair to the armrest.
Clamp the armrest to the chair and
mark the extent of the rear leg on
the armrest. Since the front legs are
wider apart than the rear legs you’ll
need a thin spacer placed between
the armrest and rear leg. The spacer
is approximately^5 / 16 " thick, but size
yours to make the blade of a combi-
nation square fl at across the rear leg.
Then remove the spacer, and swing
the armrest over to contact the rear
leg and transfer the angle to the
armrest. Calculate the width of the
notch (approximately 1^11 / 16 " wide),
and cut it out at the band saw. The
tables on most band saws actually
tilt left and right, however you may
have to adjust the bolt that stops the
table at 90°. After making the angled
cuts and straight cuts at the band
saw you’ll need a stroke or two with
a dovetail saw to remove the notch
from the armrest.
After spending some time work-
ing on my precious armrests I got
a little gun-shy about cutting the
notch. In fact, I remember feeling
this way with every single armchair
I’ve built. To allay my fears, I made a
mock armrest out of^7 / 8 " thick stock.
After chopping a quick mortise, I
was able to confi rm the notch size
with the temporary armrest and
proceed with confi dence.
Now that the bulk of the joinery for
the armrests is complete you can have
some fun shaping them to fi nal size.
Prior to Assembly
The hallmark of an Arts & Crafts
armchair is the pyramid-shaped
through tenons. My preferred
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