Attached are photos of the El Tovar Hotel Chair from the December 2008 issue of Woodworker’s Journal.
Finish notes
- General Finishes golden oak (WB) gel stain
- Minwax Antique Oil Finish
- Minwax Polyurethane Gloss
Construction notes
- The legs were laminated from 3/4″ white oak with the front and rear faces covered with 1/8″ white oak to hide the lamination.
- Mortise and tenons are all 3/8″ thick by 3/4″ deep.
- The front legs are splayed about 7.5° from right angles.
- The front rails were cut to length and tenons cut per measurements taken during the dry fit process.
- All mortises are square to the surface.
- The angled tenons were cut on the table saw using a tenon jig in the right angle position and the blade at 82.5°.
- The tenon shoulders were cut with the blade at 82.5° using a repeatable miter gauge set to 82.5°.
- The seat is supported by 1/2″ Baltic Birch with four breathing holes.
- The seat back rails were cut to length and the tenons added before the curved surfaces were cut on a band saw.
- The mortises in the seat back rails were cut using a simple jig to hold the rail at the appropriate angle.
– Rich Flynn
Huntington Beach, California
