Some Spindles

After making patterns and a couple mockups, adjusting patterns, it was time to get cranking.

Further Sitting by the Mortiser

It did occur to me that I could also get a mortising gimp. Each gimp with their own dedicated task. but that's taking it too far. I can easily cut the mortises myself. In fact I have become one with the mortiser during project Easy Rider, really enjoyed firing these in, and the machine has been purring like a kitten.

And here's how the rails dry fit into position between the front & back stretcher, these bad boys will receive some kind of shaping treatment of course. Glueing up will be another matter, but very happy with the fit. Best day in the shop ever. I had to stage a small celebration.

Get the Gimp

Can't say how much time passed sitting, staring at the chair dry fit in this position, before the epiphany struck me. I was contemplating the seemingly impossible strategy for putting in two rails between the front & back stretchers. Never before had something so difficult been attempted in the history of bunkhaus. All kinds of angled joinery...on both ends... That's when it hit me. I needed a dedicated angle-finding gimp. A gimp with a predisposition for detailed work, that I could bring out when this type of situation arose. If only my shop had a basement...

In the meantime, all this thinking about gimps prompted my second epiphany; the bevel I had made on the top of the front stretcher would make the perfect starting point, a solid foundation upon which to build. Yes, this is how the angle-finding gimp would do it. To find the compound angle for the curved rear, first the horizontal angle, using the highly technical method of drawing a line on my bench:

Then the vertical angle, using the equally technical method of clamping the stock to the foundation, the bevel on the front rail. The angle on the front of the rail would be the foundation bevel angle, of course.

Then it was a matter of precisely cutting the test piece to length. I started by cutting the rear compound angle on a test piece, and making the front angled cut on a trial & error basis, using crazy glue to stick small pieces of wood back on to the test piece whenever I got too greedy.

Cut the rear on the live stock and transfer the length from the test piece, being careful to use consistent corners of measurement.

Sides, Back and Front

Time to start blending the legs into the armrests. Shaped the leg interface closer to the arm before glueing up the two chair sides. Then onto the front and back stretchers. Some shots of the back stretcher, concave side on the bandsaw first as usual.

And layout and drilling of the spindle mortises. Yes, the Easy Rider will need some sexy spindles, 7 to be precise. Dividers are the way to go for spindle mortise layout. This is one of my dad's old dividers that I always enjoy using.