7L - Roundabout Chair

Roundabout Chair - 2017
Mahogany and Ash

This project is a roundabout chair for a difficult client, Rick Green. The project is based on the chair pictured which was made by John Goddard around 1760 in Newport Rhode Island which is about the time they stopped making them. This chair is on display at the Met. The main distinction of a Goddard roundabout chair is the way the ball and claw feet are carved. It will be made from one board of nice dense slightly figured mahogany plus some ash for the frame of the leather covered horsehair stuffed seat.

Cutting out the leg blanks

sample legs, New York and Newport styles

All four legs cut

Ball and Claw 1

Ball and Claw 2

Ball and Claw 3 done

Ball and Claw #4 finally

another shot of #4

beginning to look like a chair

a little more shaping

Practice Shell on the practice leg

Splats cut and fitted

Pattern traced out on paper and glued onto splat

Splats cut but not carved

Finished backsplat

All Glued Together

Headed to the finishing room, seat still to be upholstered

First Coat Satin

Final Coats medium sheen waterlox

Upholstering slip seat

Adding Horsehair

Enclosing the horsehair and cotton batting in linen

Final covering is dark green leather

Professional Photograph

Well Sedated Customer