Maloof Rocker - Plan Problem & Finishing the Slats

While I was working on the seat to rear leg joints I noticed that the back of the seat was 3/16” short of being flush with the back of the leg while the video showed it extended beyond the back of the leg.  The problem was on both the test piece and on the actual chair as well.

Rear Leg to Seat Problem

This was going to make a flush joint a problem.  After going back and measuring the plan templates I found that there was a ¼” error in the plans.  I had a couple of ideas on how to fix but was not really happy with either.  I tried one on the test piece consisting of narrowing the leg at the joint and feathering that down the leg but felt that it detracted from the chair’s lines.  I was also concerned that I was weakening the rear leg.  The other was to create a radius between the leg and the seat similar to the front leg joint.  I sent the author a note explaining what I had found and asking for a recommendation.  

Blended Joint

He replied that at times he had the same problem and what he did was to radius the joint.   I started going down that path but part way through found that the inside line of the leg was going to be interrupted by the 3/16” radius.  More thinking and talking to myself followed before I settled on a final fix.

I started just below the arm of the chair feathering a taper toward the inside edge of the leg increasing it to 1/8” as I moved down the leg without removing any material from the outside edge.  This left the overall line of the leg unchanged when viewed from the side.  It also minimized the wood removal retaining maximum strength.  From the seat on down I reversed the taper until it was feathered back to nothing.  The roughly 1/16” left at the joint I blended into the seat.  

With that done I was glad to move onto fitting the slats to the chair.  First is to lay out the slats where they would go and deciding what order I wanted them.  The idea was to make the grain flow from one slat to the next.

Slats In Final Order

I start the installation by measuring the depth of the holes in the headrest then marking that depth on the headrest face.  This will be used to determine the length of each of the slats.  Next is to make a mark on the slats ¾” from the bottom to match the depth of the holes they go in.

Seat Depth Lines on Slats

After clamping the headrest where it will go between the legs I set the mark at the bottom of the slat even with the top of the seat. 

Slat in Place at Seat for Marking Length

With the slat in place I go to its top and use the depth mark on the headrest I made earlier to establish the slat length.  A second mark is made where the slat crosses the bottom of the headrest.  This gives me the length of the top pin.

Lines for Length of  Slat and Length of Pin

Since the seat and the headrest are both curved the length of the slats change from one to another.

All Slats Marked for Cutting and Shaping Pins

Once cut to length there is an obvious conflict in installing the slats.  The proverbial square peg in a round hole.  The ends of the slats are square and the holes in both the seat and headrest are round.   To go from a square end to a round end fitted to the holes in the seat and headrest involve a few steps.  First using a template I draw a ½” circle on the end of the slat then mark the end point for the transition from round back to square.  The shaping starts by using the pneumatic grinder and burr to rough out the pin.

End of Slat Marked for Final Shape and Initial Grinding

From there I use a couple of rasps and sandpaper to end up with a ½” diameter pin ¾” long that will fit into the previously drilled hole in the seat.  As a sizing jig for the seat I drilled a ½” hole in a piece of ¾” thick oak.  Process is to use the rasps and jig working down until the pin is flush with the bottom of the jig and tight.  Once that is done I file and sand a smooth transition between the round pin and the square slat.   

Slat Pin and Transition Done

The end that goes into the headrest is the same except the pin is almost 2” long.  Let’s see 7 slats and 2 ends with one end done equals only 13 ends to go.

Finished Slat

With the pin fitted and the transition complete I put the slat into the seat and move on to the next one.  

Three Slats in Place - Four to go

Once all the slats are fitted I do a test with the headrest and holy cow it looks sorta like a chair!

Next up – Headrest Shaping Part 1 plus Slat & Headrest Installation