Stickley Prairie Chair build suggestions...

[Rob25]

I am currently building the Prairie Chair, and I have all of the panels made, but not glued up. The panels fit into the legs with a long mortise and tennon joint. Should I glue up the panels and make the cut, or should I cut the tennons as single parts?

I was thinking of gluing the panels together, and making the initial tennon cuts, then using a router to mill the rest of the ends on the tennon. Hope that makes sense... Here is a picture of the chair on the stickley site...

Also, how would you attach the arms to the chair? I was thinking with dowels...

http://www.stickley.com/OurProducts_...omplex&finish=

Comments or suggestions welcome.

[JR]

I'm having trouble understanding you (probably too much two-buck chuck). Are you refering to the panels on the sides of the chair? I'd expect them to fit into grooves on the legs, spreaders and stiles. The grooves would normally be a width matcning the thckness of the panels.

JR

[Rob25]

I think I know what you are saying. So, there would not be a mortice and tenon, on the side and back panels?

I need to get some pictures to show what I mean... I will post some tommorrow.

[phi1l]

Normally the panels "float" in a channel so that they can expand & contract with changing humidity. If the panels do not fit snug in the channel, you would use a spot of glue in the middle of the panel at the top & bottom to keep them from rattling around.

The structural strength in that design is joints between the massive lower rails & the chair legs. Those are what you want to get right.

[SARGE..g-47]

Ditto Phi1l.... the panels should float in grooves to allow for expansion. I use small strips of styrofoam to shim for rattle. As for attachment of the arms dowels would work even though I would use mortice and tenon personally.

Good luck...

[Rob25]

Here are some pictures. I guess when I say panel, I didnt mean the recessed panel... Here are some pictures. I am looking for ways to attach the legs to the whole assembly...


And yes, the panels are cut so they float.

[Rob25]

Ditto Phi1l.... the panels should float in grooves to allow for expansion. I use small strips of styrofoam to shim for rattle. As for attachment of the arms dowels would work even though I would use mortice and tenon personally.

Good luck...

How would you do the mortice and tenon on the arms? Would you make the legs a little longer on the top and create tenon on the tops of the leg, and mortice the arms?

[radhak]

That chair looks designed for M&T :
(a) tenons on the lower rail - (just the front one, as I assume you have designed the other three as part of a 'panel'), matching mortise on the legs.
(b) 3-way tenons on the panels - to the adjoining legs, and to the section of the arm above each panel
(c) tenons on the legs at the top, matching mortise on the arm

whooo! That's a lot of M&T! I don't grudge you the thought of using dowels to join the arms to the panels / legs. I've found dowels pretty strong, and you don't really need extraordinary strength here. But you'll need to be very neat with the cuts on the top of the panels and the legs to seat the arms (almost) seamlessly.

But looking at your neat work-in-progress pics, you are definitely up to the task! Now if it were me, my w-i-p looks like cr** !

[SARGE..g-47]

How would yo u do the mortice and tenon on the arms? Would you make the legs a little longer on the top and create tenon on the tops of the leg, and mortice the arms?

Yep.. if you are going to tenon one end (or two) you have to allow the amount extra on one of both sides the lenght of tenon to get your show piece to exact lenght. Frankly I would put tenons on both ends of the panel you have already made to attach to the legs. The design you have there is a sure prescription for mortice and tenons as they are strong joint.

The joint needs to be strong to resist rack from weigh of getting up and down from the chair and there is always the kid or teen-ager who loves to flop into a chair. You have already made the panels to lenght without the allowace for a tenon but... you can use a floating tenon in that case and use the existing panels as they are.

BTW.. I assume you know what a floating tenon is? If not.. ask and I or someone will explain. Very simple really... probably more simple than doing a standard M & T if you don't do a lot ot tenon cutting.

Good luck...

[phi1l]

Hmmm...

From the first picture, I was expecting the lower side rails to be a bit more substantial that 3/4. The front rail looks to be about 2" wide. If you can, I would sister another piece of lumber along those lower side rails & mortise those into the legs as well, it may seem like over kill, but chairs get a lot of front to back shear stress & it is much easier to built it sturdy the first time than to comeback later & try to repair.

Then, how are you going to construct and support the seat?

[Rob25]

Thickness is 13/16". The outer stiles on the panels still need the 3/4" tenon that runs the entire length of side of the assembly. These are just dry fit together.

[jrnewhall]

Rob,

I might suggest you try your local library for a book on Arts & Crafts furniture (mission is really the same). There are more books on this type of furniture than any other. I live near the Stickley store (#2) and have been all over the showroom with a notebook and a tape measure. They're really very gracious about it and say guys with sawdust in their hair are in there all the time.

The reason I suggest a little more research is I think you are being fooled a little by the photo of the chair. There really are not any vertical stiles to the left and right on that chair, just the one in the middle.

The panels fit into a groove in the legs. The legs are probably 2.25 square (stack 3 pieces and veneer the sides). Top and bottom rails are M&T to the legs. The panels and center stile fit into the legs and rails (floating) in a groove. The wrap around arm is likely M&T at the back joint. The top of the legs have 5/8 high, 1.5" square tenons that fit into square mortises in the side arms. Top rails extend above the shoulder of the top of the leg and fit into a groove in the underside of the arm. Those long corbels you see on the side of the legs are important for keeping the arms level. There is also probably a hidden pin through the arm into the tenon of the leg, going in from the seat side of the arm. You can't see it in your picture but there are corbels on the back of the back leg as well. The corbels are attached with nearly full length "stub" tenons of about 3/4" depth. Stickley pegs nearly all their tenons. I actually set mine to pull the tenons together then squared opening and put in square contrasting wood pegs. - There - 1 paragraph for the whole chair! (better go get that book -I'm not that good)

Good luck with the chair. I did my own version of a Morris that I finished up last fall. Great place to sit and tie flies. I put the vise right on the arm.

~JRN