This weekend was all about laminate flooring. Not for our place, but installing it at a friend’s condo. There wasn’t much time or energy for anything else, but I did manage to complete a pair of pillows that will sit on the new chairs. They are red with white polka dots and trimmed in dark blue fabric.
And now we know: installing laminate is easy but tough on the knees and hips…I am so sore
The chairs are almost done and I’m really happy with the way they are turning out! I started work this weekend with stretching the webbing on the 2 remaining frames for the backs. Using shorter staples that I had bought, the work was much easier and went much faster.
Once those were complete, I applied 2 coats of clear semi-gloss Verathane with a light sand between. The finish is really nice, there is a subtle sheen to it and it really enhances the stain.
The next step was to install the webbed seat and back frames into the chair frames. After clamping the seats in place, I drilled into the chair frame from underneath every 4 to 6 inches. For the back pieces I first stapled on a layer of fabric overtop of the webbing then screwed them in as well. This will give a more finished look if the back cushion shifts or is removed. The 2 seats went in no problem as did the first back piece, but the 2nd back wouldn’t fit into the frame. I ended up taking it apart at one end, cutting off 1/8” on the table saw and putting it back together. It only took 15 minutes and ended up fitting perfectly.
All that is left to do is stuff the 2 remaining cushions, sew all 4 closed and finish off the backs of the chairs. For the backs I will staple a piece of fabric and add piping around the edges. At least that is the plan so far…I could also staple the fabric to a piece of cardboard and use finishing nails to secure it. We’ll see how I feel next week.
And now we know: I think my husband is actually impressed! He asked if I though I had gone into the wrong line of work, which is nice to hear.
After a semi-fun week of vacation, I am ready to get back into the workshop and am determined to complete these chairs before our second Christmas party on February 11th. First on the list was a second coat of stain. Both frames got a light sand and a wipe down with the tack cloth, before a second coat went on. The red oak accepts stain really evenly and the colour was a pretty deep brown so there seems be no need for a 3rd coat.
While the stain set, I got started on stretching the wedding on the inner frames. This was a new experience; I read up online and watched a youtube video but was still a little hesitant that I had enough webbing. At the fabric store, the guy told me 3 strips of webbing in both directions were enough for a 24” square seat. I decided to trust his advice, however for the back, which are an extra 4”, I added a fourth horizontal strip.
Using my electrical nailer, I attempted to attach the first piece. After adjustments to the gun and attempts to push harder to counteract the recoil, I realized it was just not powerful enough to staple into the hard oak. Out came the finish nailer and compressor which had no problems stapling into the wood. The only staples for this gun that I had on hand were 1.25”, a little long and sometimes tricky to get all the way in, but I managed to complete the 2 seat frames.
I must say it was new and fun experience to use the webbing stretcher, the tool which allows you to pull the webbing tight. There will definitely be more projects using this technique in the future.
As for the cushions, 2 are now stuffed and ready to be sewn closed. The foam got wrapped in 2 layers of quilting batting before they were inserted into the covers.
And now we know: electric staple guns are not powerful enough for some woods, good thing the finish nailer can also be loaded with staples!
Before we depart for a week in
And now we know: wear long sleeves when staining
As I caught a cold/flu/sore throat bug, the wood shop was not the place for me this week and I didn’t really have the energy anyways. I’ve been working on the covers for the chair cushions; there will be 4 in total @ 24” square by 4” deep. The fabric I got is a textured neutral that feels really soft and the piping will be a charcoal grey. A few weeks ago the cat helped me cut out the fabric, very helpful of her I might add.
I started by sewing all the piping, 8 strips of 8ft each, 2 for each cushion. Then came sewing the piping to the 24” square pieces and sewing a 4” band between each set of square. Once complete I headed to my mum’s and serged the inside of each cushion cover. The edges of the fabric were shedding so much that the cat was eating the strips and even pinking shears wouldn’t do the trick.
All 4 covers are now complete and ready to be put on the foam cushions and had sewn in place. Unfortunately I have only bought 2 of the foam inserts and ran out of batting to wrap them in so the actual assembly will have to wait till after the Christmas season.
And now we know: the cat really like to eat the strings that fray off the edge of the fabric…wonder how bad that is for her?
Since the frames are complete, my least favourite step (and my husband’s least favourite) was next. With my new orbital sander, downdraft table and dust collector all running, I got to work sanding the chairs down. A few very dusty hours later they are nice and smooth and ready for stain.
And now we know: I still think the downdraft table is not quite right; maybe even less holes or a tighter seal where the hose comes in? There is less dust but still loses suction as you work.
The chairs are progressing well and are now mostly assembled. It was slow going as I only have 1 corner clamp so I would glue and clamp 2 pieces, wait an hour, add the screws, then repeat with the next 2 pieces. Despite that, all went very smoothly until I started attaching the arm support on the 2nd chair. I’d run out of my standard type of 2 ½” screws and found a box a friend had left at my house. After pre-drilling the holes, I started inserting the 2 screws. At about 2/3 of the way in both of the heads just snapped clean off. Had there not still been a gap between the 2 pieces of wood, it would have been fine to leave them in place but unfortunately I had to remove them somehow.
I tried hammering the wood together, using an extractor bit to remove them and adding more screws to pull the pieces together but nothing worked. Finally after a few days of contemplation and frustration, I borrowed my dad’s reciprocating saw and just cut right through the screws at the point between the 2 pieces of wood. I re-glued the pieces together, added a couple of screws (NOT from my friend’s box) and it looked good as new.
Also complete are the inner frames for the seat and back of both chairs. Webbing will be attached to these, and then they will be screwed in place from the inside so the frame remains without any visible connectors.
And now we know: there are different quality levels of screws and the cheap ones are really terrible
