Custom Foot Stool for a Morris Chair (part 1)

A couple of months ago I restored an Oak Morris Chair for a customer. this restoration included having cushions made for the seat and back. While working on the Morris chair the customer asked about having a foot stool made to match the chair. We bought extra fabric and now I have been working on the footstool. Upon close inspection of the Morris Chair you will see surface carving on the apron of the seat. The customer and I agreed that eliminating this carving on the foot stool would keep labor costs down and that the shape of the apron would convey the overall feel of the Morris Chair. To see the restoration of the Morris Chair follow this link:

http://johnmarkpower.blogspot.com/search/label/Morris

The photos below detail the construction of the foot stool. I will write a second post dealing with the finishing and upholstering.

Here is a photo of the restored Morris Chair.After making measurements and drawings based on the Morris Chair I created these two templates. one for the leg and one for the apron. the apron template is flipped to create a mirror image on the lumber.After tracing the templates onto the milled lumber, I cut out the individual sections of the foot stool. The front aprons were in the process of getting the pierced sections cut out on a scroll saw when this photo was taken.Here is the front right leg after band sawing the initial shape. the following photo shows the same leg with the edges softened using a router and gouges.

Here is a photo of the foot stool being glued up. the joinery for the stool is doweling which is the same as the original Morris Chair.Here is a top view of the stool getting glued up. While the glue was drying I added the bracing for the cushion and the corner blocks.Here is a photo the seat frame for the cushion being glued up.Here is a photo of the constructed foot stool ready for sanding, staining, and finishing.Another view with the seat frame in place.

Morris Chair

One of the pieces I am currently working on is a Morris chair. This is named for designer William Morris. Below is a link to the wikipedia entry on William Morris and the Morris chair.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Morris

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Chair

The heyday of the Morris chair was between 1890 and 1920 as it took its place as the recliner of it's day. There were many made and sold during this time, and a quick search of google images will show the diversity of designs that furniture makers employed. Below is an add for a Morris chair from this period.

Because of the construction methods and the overall design of this piece, I would say that the Morris chair I am working on was made between the years of 1890-1920. It is made of quarter sawn oak and has machined carvings.

Besides restoration of the finish, this chair was in need of gluing and other repairs. The customer and I decided to replace the hardware because one of the brackets that holds up the back was broken and the rod that holds up the back had been replaced by a steel rod from a hardware store. below are some photos of the chair disassembled and glued.

Completed Foot Stool for a Morris Chair

Below are some photos of the completed foot stool which I custom made for a Morris chair. There is also a photo of the chair and the foot stool together. To view the process of construction follow this link:

http://johnmarkpower.blogspot.com/search?q=foot+stool

To View the restoration of the Morris chair follow this link:

http://johnmarkpower.blogspot.com/search?q=Morris+chair

Morris Chair (Part 2)

In a previous post I talked about bridging patches and showed one on a chair leg. When inspecting the Morris chair for damage I found a cross grain crack along the one side of the chair back. This crack was caused by a knot in the wood. If the break had been along the grain It would have been sufficient to glue the break, however since the break was across the grain it needed a patch to be structurally sound. Below is a picture of the break: I cut a patch in a trapezoid shape to cover the break. The reason for the shape of the patch is that the 45 degree angle has better strength than one cut at 90 degrees because the 90 degree cut would be across the grain like the original break:

After I scribed where the patch was going to be, I made several saw cuts into the leg to help with removing material:

Here is a photo of the material being removed:

The patch next to the cleaned out area in the leg:

The patch being glued in place:

this picture shows the patch in relation to the back of the chair:

The patch glued in place:

The patch carved down and sanded. As I apply finish to the chair I will touch this up to match the existing finish.

The brackets which hold the back in place were damaged and needed to be replaced. In addition, the rod had been lost and replaced with a steel rod from a hardware store. Below is a photo of the brass replacement rod and brackets next to the original hardware.

Oak Morris Chair (Ca.1900)

The Chair pictured above is for Sale. It is a Morris Chair made around 1900. The Frame is made entirely of Quartersawn Oak and has Characteristic Turned Balusters supporting the arms and carving on the front legs and the front apron. The back of the chair reclines to several positions.

The chair is in good shape overall. The finish is restorable but could use some work and the seat and back cushion need reupholstering. You can click on the image to view it in a larger dimension. If you are interested in purchasing this table please contact me at (703) 727-5691 0r at info@johnmarkpower.com.

Completed Morris Chair

Here are a few photos of the Morris chair I wrote about in previous entries. If you click on the "Morris" link in the Labels Column to the right you can see the previous entries on the restoration process. the chair has diamond tufting on the back cushion in keeping with the style of cushion for these chairs.Below are the photos of the chair with the cushions.

Restored Morris Chair

Here are a few photos of the Morris chair I have been working on after it has been restored. The replacement hardware has been installed and the next step is to have the cushions made. I will post photos of the chair after it has returned from the upholsterer.

A Seat Frame for the Morris Chair

The Morris chair that I have been restoring was in need of a seat frame that the upholsterer can attach the webbing to for the seat cushion. Below are a few photos of the construction of this frame.

The boards cut to size for the frame Dowels in place for joinery gluing the frame The frame in place with a 1/4 inch gap around all sides for the fabric and padding.