Gothic Chippendale Chair

Other materials:  Old World Weavers Carlos Small Damask gold color silk upholstery

Finish:  Cherry oil stain with hand rubbed satin urethane and crystalline wax top coat

I first saw this piece of furniture in a May/June 2008 issue of Fine Woodworking magazine in an article called “Greatest Commission Ever?” by Jonathan Binzen. I studied similar chairs by Norman Vandal and others and finally located a book by Ron Clarkson called Making Classic Chairs.

Ron’s book was of great help in understanding the design and construction of Chippendale chairs. I started the project and soon found that many construction details were not discussed and ended up spending time researching from many additional sources. The project was put on hold after the second year and at that time I had only completed the back legs, shoe, back splat, and crest rail portions. Late last year, after I retired from work, I undertook the completion of the project. In addition to the wood construction, I completed the upholstery of the slip seat.