
Been a while since I posted, but was waiting until I got the back cushions from the upholsterer. I’m very happy with their work. The woodworking part was finished sometime in February. I made the bottom cushions which was fairly straight forward, but opted to have the back cushions made which was definitely a good idea.
I thought I’d go through some of the details of things I did and things I think can be tweaked a bit.
Cushions….
I made the seat frames out of poplar with mortise and tenons on a Leigh jig. I put small dadoes in them to accept the clips for the rubber webbing.

Next time…I’d make the frames about 1/2″ narrower on the length and width. I first made them with just 1/4″ spacing which was not quite enough for the room the leather and batting took up. The frames can be secured to the chair from underneath if you end up with a little play.
I added a layer of burlap over the rubber webbing.

Then, used 4″ high density foam.

And covered that with 2 layers of batting which was just like wrapping an X-mas present.

Then, covered with a piece of leather to wrap over and stapled to the bottom of the frame.

The upholsterer did a nice job on the back cushions with a bead around the edge, and a zippered bottom.

Now onto the woodworking.
I’m pretty happy with the results, but of course you’re always your best critic…I always notice my mistakes when I walk into a room, and try my best to not make them again…not always successful. That’s one reason I like this blog, I can look back and see what I did previously. One of my favorite quotes is from Thomas Edison: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10000 ways that won’t work”.
Here’s another pic of the chair.
The through mortises on the arms. Back one sloped to match arm slope.

The back pegs to adjust the chair’s back. I think I’d add one more peg, so it could lean back just a little further. I find I keep it set at the furthest back position, but I think when I make a stool to match, it would be just a little more comfortable to recline more.


The corbels which support the arms. I glued, screwed and then plugged the holes. This worked well. With the arm slope, I had cut the wedges to attach to the underside first, then glued them on. Next time, I’d glue a full block on the underside, then cut the wedge off the piece. If you can see in the pic, there is a small gap at the back of that wedge on the underside of the arm. Probably could eliminate that.
The through mortises of the side stretchers and the front stretchers that I pegged to hold in place. 
This project was fun. The slope on the arms was the most challenging portion. I didn’t curve the back slats like some others had done, but chair is still comfortable. The back foam is a little stiff, but I think with time will conform and give a little more.
Any comments or questions are welcomed.
The first photo shows the chair with an end table I made about 2 yrs ago, and the clock I did about 5 yrs ago (which is NYW design). 
Special thanks to the http://www.leatherhidestore.com/ where I purchase the leather, and to http://www.sunsetstripandupholstery.com/ who made the back cushions.