RUSTIC CHAIRS AND SEATS

Fig. 46.—Armchair.

 

For the armchair (Fig. 46) select four slightly curved legs about 3 in. in diameter; the front pair are 2 ft. high and the back pair are 2 ft. 9 in. high. The front seat rail is 1 ft. 2 in. long by 2½ in. in diameter, the back rail is 1 ft. long, and the side rails are 1 ft. 3 in. long, their ends being trimmed to fit the legs, and fixed with inserted ash or elm dowels ⁷/8 in. in diameter; see Fig. 47. The height from the ground line to the seat top is 1 ft. 4½ in. The battens forming the seat rest on the side rails, and cleats are fixed to the inner sides of the four legs (see Fig. 48) to support the extreme back and front battens. The arms and back are made in three parts, the scarfed joints coming immediately over the back legs. The trellis work is then added, and finally the struts and dentils are fixed around the seat. The chair can be made from unbarked wood without any dressing, or the bark may be removed and the wood, when dry, can be finished in stain and outside varnish.

Fig. 47.—Fixing Seat Rails to Leg of Armchair.

Fig. 48.—Plan of Armchair Seat Frame.

The garden-seats about to be described will look very effective if made of oak that has had the bark removed and the small twigs trimmed off clean; they should be finished in stain and varnish. In construction they are fairly simple.

Fig. 49.—General View of Garden Seat.

For making the seat shown by Fig. 49, first select the three back posts, with their natural curves as much alike as possible. In diameter they should be from 2½ in. to 3 in. Select also two arm-posts and one centre leg for the front. Next cut two seat rails for the back and one rail for the front, 5 ft. or 6 ft. long as desired, and cut two side rails (see Fig. 50) and one centre rail, each 1 ft. 7 in. long. Work the ends of the rails to the shape of the posts as shown by Figs. 51 and 52, so that they make a fairly good joint, and bore the posts and rails with a ⁷/8-in. bit 1¼ in. deep, to receive dowels made of ash or elm. These are preferable to tenons formed on the rails themselves. Now try the whole together temporarily, and make good any defects.

Fig. 50.—End Elevation of Garden Seat.

Fig. 51.—Joints of Rails and Posts for Garden Seat

Then take the pieces apart, and coat the joints with a thick priming consisting of two parts of white-lead (ground in oil) and one part of red-lead thinned with boiled linseed oil. Drive the joints home and fix them with nails or screws and wipe off the surplus paint.

Fig. 52.—Arm-rest for Garden Seat.

Fig. 53.—Part Plan of Seat.

Fig. 54.—Part Plan of Seat.

The top back rail and the arm-rest can next be fitted. The ends of the back rail are worked bird's mouth, to fit the posts. The arm-rests are treated in the same way at the back; they fit in vees cut in the front posts, and are fixed with nails.

Fig. 55.—Cross Section of Garden Seat.

Fig. 56.—Vertical Section, showing Front Rail, Cross Rail, and Battens.

Measure off and mark equal spaces for the struts, the ends of which are trimmed to fit the rails and posts. Secure them with two nails at each end. The seat (Fig. 53) is made up of split saplings laid as shown, with the ends pared to fit the rails and bradded on. Finally, fit the struts between the seat rails and the lower part of the posts.
The framework for the chair shown by Figs. 54 and 55 is on the same principle as that already described. The segmental battens forming the seat run longitudinally, and their ends are shaped to fit the outer rails. The battens rest on a flat worked on the centre cross rail (see Figs. 55, Fig. 56, and Fig. 57). Fig. 56 also gives a part cross section near the centre leg, and shows the front rail placed out of centre and the cross rail resting on the leg, to which it is firmly nailed. When the seat is more than 5 ft. in length the battens require intermediate supports, which can be cut from split saplings. The panelling on the back is fixed to the top and bottom rails and supported in the centre by a wide longitudinal rail and two vertical rails at the mitres of the diamond centres. These are fitted in and secured, and then the vertical split twigs are fixed partly on them and also on the rails. Finally, struts are fixed to the seat rails and legs and covered with short twigs, with their lower ends running in a regular curve.

Fig. 57.—Part Plan of Seat.

A rustic garden seat with canopy is illustrated by Fig. 58. Where shade is required, the back and canopy offer facilities for securing it, as they can be covered with climbers. Fig. 58 is not drawn to scale, but the explanatory diagrams (Figs. 59 to Fig. 64) are ¾ in. to the foot.

Fig. 58.—Garden Seat with Canopy.

The upright posts and all the more important pieces will best be formed of somewhat small larch stuff; the smaller straight sticks may be hazel, birch, or withy. The last named, stripped of its bark, and used in some parts only, will form a pretty contrast with the darker rods. In filling spaces in back and canopy, a few pieces of crooked stuff are used; these will probably be of apple-tree.

Fig. 59.—Front Elevation of Garden Seat.

Fig. 60.—End Elevation of Garden Seat.

Fig. 61.—Plan of Canopy for Garden Seat.

Fig. 62.

Fig. 63.

Figs. 62 and 63.—Back and Side Views of Canopy Panels.

Fig. 64.—Plan of Seat.

The two posts A, on which almost the entire weight is sustained, should be let into the ground not less than 2 ft. They rise 5 ft. above the ground-line. They are set at a distance, measuring from centre to centre, of 4 ft. apart. The smaller posts (marked B), which support the seat, stand 17 in. in advance of those last named, and should be let into the earth 1 ft. The broad seat thus given is essential to comfort when the back of the chair is upright, as it must be in this instance.
Two principal cross-pieces are nailed against the main posts. The lower one, of halved stuff, is 15 in. from the ground, and carries the back of the seat. The other is close to the top of the posts, and carries the back of the canopy. The canopy is chiefly supported on the three wall-plates, C (Fig. 59), which rest at one end on the heads of the posts, and towards the other on the struts, D (Fig. 60). Fig. 61 shows in plan the arrangement of the principal pieces forming the canopy: E E are the rafters of the gables, the lower ends of which rest on the wall-plates, and the upper against the pinnacle, F (Fig. 61). The back rafters are marked G G, and these rest their lower ends on the cross-piece and their upper against the pinnacle. Fig. 62 shows the filling-in of the two back panels of canopy; Fig. Fig. 63 that of the four side panels.
The filling-in of the back of the seat is clearly shown in Fig. 59.
In Fig. 64 the seat proper appears in plan. Its front and ends are of halved stuff, nailed to the posts. The spars forming the seat are placed with spaces between them, that they may not hold moisture; for the same reason, it is advised that they should be of peeled withy.