Building a Set of Dining Chairs

In early 2019, I started building a set of Arts & Crafts style dining chairs. The process was an exercise in maximizing efficiency and developing methods of repeatable production in a small shop setting.

The set consisted of two arm chairs and four side chairs and made from premium Pennsylvania Cherry. All of the mortise and tenon joinery was done using the PantoRouter. The exposed through mortise and tenons are wedged with Walnut accents and pillowed to a smooth polish. The crest rail and back rail both have a slight curve matching curve, and the back splats have a serpentine curve for lumber support.

A huge thanks to Michael Colca, a furniture maker based out of Austin, TX , for allowing me to make a replica of his chair; and to Philip Morley for mentoring me through many of the jig making processes.