Windsor Chair Online · Page 1 Philadelphia Arm Chair New England Comb Back Sackback’d Arm Chair...

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Date: 1/4/2007 Windsor Chair Online Assembly Instructions

Transcript of Windsor Chair Online · Page 1 Philadelphia Arm Chair New England Comb Back Sackback’d Arm Chair...

Date: 1/4/2007

Windsor Chair Online

Assembly Instructions

Page 1

Philadelphia Arm Chair New England Comb Back Sackback’d Arm Chair 13 Inch Tri Legged

Stool

15 Inch Tri Legged

Stool

Bow Back Side Chair Fan Back Side Chair

44 inch Comb and Knuckle Settee 44 Inch Double Oval Bowback Settee

Other Chairs Offered

Page 2

Table of Contents

About Us 1

Table of Contents 2

Parts and Tools needed 3

Base Assembly 4&5

Wedging and Shaping of Seat 6

Grinding and sanding the seat 7

Leveling the chair 8

Installing Spindles and Arm 9

Installing the Back Bow 10

Wedging The Arm and Bow 11&12

Installing a side chair bow 13

Installing a comb back 14

Assembling a Settee 15

Basing up a Settee 16

Wedging and sanding a Settee 17

Leveling a Settee 18

Installing an arm on a Settee 19

Installing a bow on a Settee 20

Page 3

• 2 Foot Level •

• Rubber mallet

• Metal Hammer

• Set of Drill Bits

• Set of Wood Chisels

• Good Quality Yellow Wood Glue

• Sander (Orbital)

• Sand Paper (40 grit Thru 180 grit)

• Dovetail or Coping Saw

Tools Needed

Page 4

Start by dry fitting the base stretcher system to-

gether. Insure that you have a narrow end and

also a wide end as shown in the photo.

If they are even turn one of the side stretchers

around.

Remember which way you took apart the last

stretchers. Glue the inside of the holes

(A broken pencil or small dowel dipped in wood

glue and spun in a circular motion inside the

stretcher hole will ensure enough glue)

Use a rubber mallet to drive the side stretchers

onto the center one.

Place the Stretcher system down on a flat bench.

Rock the system back and forth ensuring that

both side stretchers are touching the bench at

the same time.

Basing Up

Page 5

Time to glue the base together.

Be sure to have the base parts ready before you be-

gin. Glue the leg holes first, then glue the large

seat holes. (Bottom of seat facing up)

Now install the stretcher assembly into the leg

holes. Be sure the wider openings between the

two side stretchers are toward the front of the

chair.

The process of gluing the base together should

only take a couple of minutes

(remember the glue is drying)

Slide legs into already glued Seat.

(Only insert legs half way into seat hole. Leave

them loose in the holes to allow for stretcher in-

stallation.)

Next, prepare the seat for assembly.

The bottom of the seat needs to be sanded.( I prefer

hand planeing the bottom for authenticity).

The edges also need to be sanded. Hand sanding or

an orbital sander will work if you don’t have a bag-

ging sander. (shown)

Basing up

Page 6

Use the rubber mallet to drive the legs onto the

stretcher assembly. (Do this to all four legs, flipping

the base as you drive the legs onto the stretchers).

With the hammer, drive the wedges into the pre

split legs. (Complete each leg before you glue the

next wedge).

Right the chair, and place onto the floor. Take the

7/8 Wide wedges that are supplied with your kit.

Dip them in glue one at a time.

Flip the chair upside down so the seat rests on a

couple of thick pieces if wood. This insures the legs

that are now sticking though the top of the seat do

not touch the bench. Using the hammer, drive the

legs into the seat until the shoulder of the leg bot-

toms out, or cannot be driven further. Do this firmly

but be careful not to drive the legs too deep. (this

could split the seat). Remember, the glue is dry-

ing—the entire base assembly should be completed

in 3 to 5 minutes.

Basing Up and Wedging the seat

Page 7

After the wedge is driven in as far as possible with

the hammer, use the side of a chisel to drive the

wedge down into the leg until it drives no farther.

(When the wedge stops don’t force it).

Cut off what's left of the leg and wedge as close to

the seat as possible.

Make sure the legs and stretchers have not shifted.

Let the base dry thoroughly. (If they have moved

use wood clamps to hold them until dry).

Finish sand by hand or with a orbital sander

Next, finish grind and sand the scalloped part of the

seat. Take your time, remembering the legs sticking

though the top are a much harder wood. Work

them down first.

Wedging, Grinding and Sanding the seat

Page 8

Keep the level on the chair front to back and

measure from the bench to the bottom of the level.

The front of the seat height should be 17” from the

floor after the legs are trimmed. The back of the

seat should be 16 1/2” from the floor, to allow the

chair to lay back.

Next, determine how much leg needs to be removed

from the front legs to get the front of the seat height

to 17”. Use a pencil laying flat on a chunk of wood

of the proper thickness to mark the cut on the front

legs. For example, if the front of the seat was 17

3/4” leveled with the wedges under it and the pencil

lead is an 1/8” off of the block of wood, you would

need a block of wood 5/8” thick. Remember to take

a 1/2” more off of the back legs.

After the legs are marked you will need to cut them

off. A band saw works great for this but a hand saw

will work well too. Sand the bottoms level to the

line you marked.

Start by finding a level area on a bench or table saw

top. Using a two foot level is easiest. Level the seat

in one direction: across the seat. Use the small

wedges provided for the back spindles to level the

base.

Leveling The Chair

Page 9

Using one of the supplied dowels dip it in glue and

slide it though the arm and leave it to dry wile you

work on the rest of the arm.

Now that the arm is in position, peg it to keep it in

place. Use the 3/16 drill bit and drill thru the arm

and center spindle all the way though the back of

the arm.

Then, measure from the middle back of the seat to

the bottom of the arm in the very center of the arm.

Insure that it is 8 3/4” from the back flat part of the

seat to the bottom of the arm, as shown in this pic-

ture.

(The only exception to this is the Philadelphia Arm

as it lays the same height of the arm post.)

Finish sand and do any shaping and carving on the

arm before you begin. Next, dry fit all your spindles

and arm posts so you know where they go when you

are gluing up. Glue the arm post holes. Insert your

arm posts, and set them with your hammer. Then flip

the chair over and wedge them. Glue and insert all

the spindles. Slide the arm down over the spindles,

lining the spindles into the proper holes on the way

down. Before you slide the arm down on the arm

posts, glue the arm post holes and the short spindle

holes.

Installing an Arm on an Arm Chair

Page 10

Starting with the outside spindles first, install the

bow. The outside spindles will be the first to start

into their holes and then the second ones in. On the

third spindles in, start sliding the bottom of the bow

into the arm rail hole. (Do this one side at a time.

This sometime can be a quite difficult step—every

steamed and bent piece of wood is different. It

could be bit of a strain to squeeze the bow into the

holes on the arm rail)

Now, prepare the bow for installation. Sand the

bow by hand to remove the burs that have accrued

during the drilling process.

Glue the holes in the bow.

Use the 1/2” wedges for the arm post and the 3/8”

for the spindles. Dip them in glue and drive them

into the split you have made on the post and spin-

dles. ( Insure that when you Split the arm post from

the top and the bottom that you are perpendicular to

the grain of the wood in the seat and the arm. If you

drive the wedge with the grain there is a fear of

splitting.)

Next, wedge the arm posts and shorter spindles.

Take a sharp chisel and hammer place the chisel

blade on the end of the arm post perpendicular to

the grain of the wood on the arm. Use the hammer

to drive the chisel into the post and split the top of

each post. Split both post and what ever short spin-

dles you have.

Installing an Arm & Bow on an Arm Chair

Page 11

Cut off the top of the spindles about 3/8” to 1/2”

above the bow.

Dip one of the 3/16” dowels into wood glue and in-

sert it into the holes just drilled, one at a time.

Drill though the arm rail and through the end of the

bow with a 3/16 drill bit. Do this on both sides of

the chair.

Once the bow is on you need to make sure it is at

the proper height. It should be 22 1/2” off of the

back, flat part of the seat. Do this by knocking the

bow down with the rubber hammer. Also measure

along the second spindle in on each side to check

that they are equal. Adjust if necessary.

Installing, Pegging, and Wedging the Bow

Page 12

Dip the end of the 3/8” wedge into some glue and

drive the wedge into the splits just created until the

wedges are seated in the bow. Allow adequate dry

time.

Using a chisel that is wider than the spindles, split

the spindles perpendicularly to the grain of the

wood in the bow.

Installing, Pegging, and Wedging the Bow

At this point, the chair should be complete and ready for the finishing

touches. Trim off all of the pegs, wedged spindles, and arm posts. Sand all

the tops of the spindles and anything else that needs sanding, either by hand,

or with an orbital sander.

Always remember: sanding is much easier to do before the assembly process

has started.

Page 13

Installing a Side Chair Bow

Sand the bow inside and out: this is much easier

done before beginning assembly. Insert all of the

spindles into the bow before the bow is put on the

chair. Glue both the bow and the spindle holes on

seat. Slide the bow into the outer holes of the chair

seat. (As shown in the picture)

Gently slide the spindles down to the top of the holes

in the seat, so the spindles are just above the holes in

the seat. Using a glue brush, glue the spindles just

above the bow. Then, drive them down into the seat

with a hammer until they bottom out in the seat.

Next, measure from the back flat area of the seat to

the highest center point of the bow, 22 1/2”. Cut the

spindles off approximately 3/8 above the top of the

bow. Split the spindles with a chisel perpendicularly

to the wood grain of the bow. Now dip the 3/8”

wedges in glue, one at a time, and drive them into

the spindles. Let the spindles dry while completing

Flip the chair upside down, and use a chisel to split

the end of the bow underneath the seat. Make sure

that to split the bow perpendicularly to the grain of

the wood in the seat. Drive the 3/4” glued wedge

into the end of the bow and use the side of a chisel to

drive the wedge down until it is seated into the seat.

Use a saw and cut what is left over flush to the bot-

tom of the seat. Sand. Flip the chair back onto its

legs and cut the spindles flush to the top of the bow.

Finish Sand.

Page 14

Installing a Comb Back The comb is cut out, carved, and drilled before it is

packaged. Sand the inside, backside, and top of the

comb rounding the top cut edge. Sand thoroughly.

Glue and install the side post first, then flip the chair

over and wedge the side post perpendicular to the

wood grain in the seat. Right the chair and glue the

spindles into the seat. (On a comb back arm chair

this has already been done).

Flip the comb upside down and glue the holes. Slide

the comb onto either one of the end spindles or side

posts. Feed one spindle at a time until you have all

of them in their proper hole. Use the rubber hammer

to seat the fan down onto the spindles.

Measure from the seat to

the bottom of the comb

18 1/2”. Drill with 3/16”

bit though the comb and

center spindle, all the way

though. Glue and insert a

dowel. Repeat this on the

outside post or spindles.

After they dry, trim and

finish sand.

The height from the seat

to the bottom of the

comb.

New England: 24 1/2”

Philadelphia: 28 3/8”

Assembling a settee

Page 15

Start by collecting the three side stretchers and two

center ones. Take one of the side stretchers and one

center stretchers. Glue the hole on the side stretcher

and insert the center stretcher. Use the rubber mallet

to seat the center stretcher into the side one.

Do this to both of the side stretchers. The stretcher

with the hole all the way though is for the center

legs.

While your stretchers are drying, start the work

needed on the seat. Sand the edges smooth by hand

or a orbital sander if you don’t have a bagging

sander (shown). Sand or hand plane the bottom of

the seat. ( It is much easier to pre-sand any of the

parts before assembly.

Flip the chair upside down so the seat rests on a cou-

ple of thick pieces if wood. This insures when the

legs a put into the seat the legs do not touch the

bench. Glue the leg holes with plenty of wood glue.

Glue the holes in the legs. Place the legs into the leg

holes on the bottom of the seat. Do not slide them all

the way in yet. This allow them to be spread open to

insert the stretchers.

Lay the side stretchers out on a bench with the pre-

glued center stretchers touching one another . Notice

how there is splay on the outer side stretchers. The

front legs of the settee are set farther out than the

back ones. Insert one pre-glued side stretcher into

two end legs.

Page 16

Glue the hole on the remaining side stretcher and in-

stall it between the two center legs. At the same time

insure that the center stretcher slides into one half of

the stretcher just installed.

Next, install the last pre-glued stretcher into the

other side legs and also into the center side stretcher.

At this time hammer the legs flush into the seat.

Take the now assembled base and lay it on its side

on the floor or bench . Using a rubber mallet drive

the legs onto the side stretchers. Make sure all of the

base joints are seated together.

Basing up a settee

Next, finish grind and sand the scalloped part of the

seat. Take your time, remembering the legs sticking

though the top are a much harder wood. Work

them down first.

Finish Sand the seat and clean up any glue.

Flip the settee seat onto it legs and collect the 7/8”

wide wedges.

Page 17

Dip a wedge into wood glue and insert it into the

split in the leg. Using a hammer, drive the wedge

flush to the top of the leg. Then use the side of a

chisel to drive the wedge until it stops. Do not force

the wedge—it is deep enough when it stops. Repeat

this on all the legs. Insure that the base has not

spread apart and let it dry at least 20 minutes.

Cut what is left of the legs and wedges as flush to

the seat as possible.

Wedging and sanding a settee

Next, determine how much leg needs to be removed

from the front legs to get the front of the seat height

to 171/2”. Use a pencil laying flat on a chunk of

wood of the proper thickness to mark the cut on the

front legs. For example, if the front of the seat was

17 3/4” leveled with the wedges under it and the

pencil lead is an 1/8” off of the block of wood, you

would need a block of wood 5/8” thick. Remember

to take a 1/2” more off of the back legs.

Leveling a settee

After all the legs are marked. Use a hand saw to cut

the legs off at the lines that you previously marked

on the legs. Use some sand paper to clean up the

bottom of the legs and knock the sharp edges off.

Set the settee back onto the bench to insure it does

not rock. Adjust if necessary.

Page 18

Use some of the wedges

that are supplied with the

kit to level the settee

across its length. Meas-

ure from the table to the

bottom of the level that is

now laying across the

seat front to back.

Find a level bench or table

saw top. Set the settee on

the level surface. At this

time, the settee will rock

back and forth on the cen-

ter legs.

Installing an arm on a settee

Next glue the arm post holes and install the arm post

insure that the already split arm post is put into the

seat with the split perpendicular to the wood grain in

the seat. Hammer them flush into the seat. Flip the

settee base over and wedge the arm post then cut

them off flush to the bottom of the seat. Sand and

clean up any glue. Next glue all spindle holes and

install the spindles—the four short spindles going

toward the front. Use a hammer to seat the spindles.

Page 19

Prepare the arm for installation by sanding to re-

move any burs left from drilling. Slide the arm down

on the spindles. Before the arm is lowered down

onto the short spindles and arm posts, glue those

holes. Split the top of the short spindles and the arm

post perpendicular to the grain of the wood in the

arm. Dip a 1/2” wedge in glue and drive it into the

arm posts. Repeat this with the shorter spindles.

Measure from the center back of the seat to the bot-

tom of the arm on the center spindle. Insure that it

is 8 3/4” from the seat to the bottom of the arm. Use

a 3/16” drill bit and drill though arm and center

spindle. Use one of the supplied dowels—glue and

insert into the arm.

Cut the top of the arm post

and spindles flush to the top

of the arm and sand. If you

would like to carve the edge

of the hand on the this is the

time to do it.

Installing a bow on a settee

Use a saw and cut the re-

maining spindles off 3/8” to a 1/2” above the bow.

Using a chisel split the spindles perpendicular to

the grain in the wood of the bow. Using the re-

maining 3/8” wedges dipped in glue, drive the

wedges in one at a time. Cut the remaining spindle

off flush with the bow, and finish sand. Do a final

inspection—clean up glue and sand where neces-

sary. Page 20

Also measure at the sec-

ond spindle in from the

outside and insure both

are equal. Drill though

the arm and end of the

bow and insert the 3/16”

dowel to hold it in place.

Cut off flush with bot-

tom of arm

Slide the bow down over

the outer most spindles

first then the second ones

in from the outside. At the

same time, insert the bow

into the arm. Measure the

bow from the center of the

seat to the bow, 22 1/2”.

Sand the bow before as-

sembly to remove any

burs from drilling and

flatten the raised grain

from the steaming proc-

ess. Glue the holes.

Phone: 513-934-0292

Fax: 513-934-0292

Email: [email protected]

432 East Mulberry Street

Lebanon, Ohio

45036

About Windsor Chair Online Windsor Chair Online was started in Ohio in 2006 by Master Craftsman,

Chris Benner. Chris began his career by training with one of the foremost

cabinet and furniture makers in the country. He has specialized in building

fine antique reproduction furniture since 1991.

Chris recognized a need in the market for high quality Windsor chair kits that

were designed specifically for recreational or professional woodworkers.

Chris lives in a Colonial style home, in historic Lebanon , Ohio . He enjoys

spending his free time with his wife and son, and his faithful dog, Jake.

We invite you to join the woodworkers of the past, and explore the remark-

able world of Windsor chair building.

Our instruction manual can always be improved. Your questions and com-

ments are always welcome please email any comments to

[email protected]