53 ⁄ 8 "
2"101 ⁄ 4 "
(^1) ⁄ 4 "
23 ⁄ 8 " 23" 23 ⁄ 8 "
273 ⁄ 4 "
(^11281) ⁄ 4 "
(^3) ⁄ 8 "
43 ⁄ 8 "
221 ⁄ 4 "
(^15) ⁄ 16 "
23 ⁄ 8 " 23" 23 ⁄ 8 "
6"
33 ⁄ 4 "
1911 ⁄ 16 "
(^5) ⁄ 8 " dia.
2611 ⁄ 16 "
36" radius
223 ⁄ 8 "
13 ⁄ 4 "
11 ∕ 2 "
187 ⁄ 8 "
11 ∕ 2 "
31 ∕ 2 "
15 ⁄ 8 "
23 ⁄ 4 "
11 ⁄ 4 "
97 ⁄ 8 "
1 grid square =^1 ⁄ 2 "
BACK ASSEMBLY
CORBEL PATTERN
BACK LEG ASSEMBLY FRONT LEG ASSEMBLY
1136 36
a time and seeing how far the tenon will go into the mortise.
I generally start with a shoulder plane, being careful not to in-
troduce a taper in the tenon. As I get closer, I switch to a float.
The float is easier to control and leaves a nicer surface.
Hatch marks made with a pencil on the tenon indicate
high spots that keep the joint from going home. The graph-
ite smears at the sticking points, and I used the float to take
off the smeared spots. I don’t use a mallet to try to drive the
tenon in; if that much force is necessary, something is likely to
break.
Hand pressure is enough, and when the tenon can be insert-
ed about two-thirds of the way, I can look from the outside
to see if there are any problem areas. The first assembly is the
hardest. I usually take joints apart and put them back together
several times as I’m working to tune the fit at the shoulder
and to make trial runs before making a final assembly with
glue and clamps.
When I was happy with the fit, I marked with a pencil where
the outside of the leg lands on the exposed tenon. I cut the
tenon^1 ⁄4" beyond that line, then chamfered the end of the
tenon back to the line with a block plane, rasp and finally
sandpaper. Leaving the line ensures that the visible intersec-
tion of the tenon and the leg looks tight.
Bring on the Glue
Assembly of the base of the chair is done in stages; fi rst the
vertical slats are glued between the top and bottom rails for
each side. I used liquid hide glue to gain some extra open
time, and held the angled offcut from the top rail in place
with painter’s tape to keep the clamps from sliding. I used a
block of soft wood and a mallet to fine-tune the lateral posi-
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