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Upholstery for Woodworkers
No Limbert chair is complete
without an upholstered seat.
Learn how to make your own
with tools you likely already
have in your shop.
■ popularwoodworking.com/
upholstery19 Drill a^3 / 8 " counterbore, and a^1 / 8 " clearance hole for the 2^1 / 2 " long screw
that reinforces the armrest joint. Tapered white oak plugs tidy things up.
20 Groove and stub tenon joinery registers the corbel in position to support the
armrest. Add some glue and clamp it in place.method for making these involves an
oscillating belt sander. Tilt the table
to 15° and make use of a miter gauge
to form the pyramid shape. The
plans allow for an extra^1 / 4 " leg length
which is just about right at that angle.
I start with an # 80-grit belt to form
the basic shape, then switch to a
#120-grit belt for fi nal smoothing.
Then you’re ready to make front
and rear sub-assemblies. Glue the
front legs together with the front
rails to form one assembly, while the
rear legs plus the backrest plus the
rear rails form another. Set these
sub-assemblies aside to dry and
move on to the next step.
The armrest-to-rear leg connec-
tion is reinforced with a^5 / 8 " hard-
wood dowel and screw. Drill a hole
in the end of the armrest, and use
a dowel center to locate the mating
hole in the rear legs. Use the scrap
board you made earlier to position
the armrest at the correct height.
Counterbore and pre-drill a hole
through the side of the armrest for
a screw. Make some matching plugs
with a tapered plug cutter, and have
them ready for the fi nal steps. Then
glue the two sub-assemblies togeth-
er with the side rails. To simplify
assembly, the armrests can be added
in a separate step.
The only parts that remain are the
corner blocks that reinforce the chair
and the seat frame. The seat frame is
made with^7 / 8 " thick hardwood and
assembled with half-lap joints. The
seat frame is sized^1 / 4 " smaller in all
directions than the chair opening and
needs to follow the angled side rails
for a proper fi t. If you build the seat
frame a little wider than required you
can angle the outer edge rather than
making more angled joinery.
Add your fi nish of choice and a
cushion, and you'll have an heirloom
of your own. PW
Willie Sandry is a woodworker and
writer with an affi nity for Arts &
Crafts. He prefers projects that get his
wife and twin teenage sons into the
workshop with him.
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