I like using heartwood or sapwood in my furniture. I know some don't. I think it's all part of the wood that gives it character. It's different and you won't see it in production pieces.
The material I use for this router jig is hard maple. You can get it at Home Depot. Don't use soft wood like pine for jigs. Every dent and chip will follow you later so again, take your time in making your jigs.
I need to correct myself in regards to the number of seat pieces Sam Maloof used for his seats. He also used 4 pieces about the same size in width. He did bevel the sides of each piece 3 degrees I believe to give his seats a wavy look on the bottom. This eliminated some of the shaping needed. The results are the same for the final top of the seat but the bottom of my chair seats are flush and straight. I do contour the bottom a little in the front.I like to cut the front and rear leg dados before glue up of the seat pieces. It is much easier to do this with one small piece rather than the whole seat. Same with the rear leg corner notch. The finish seat width will be about 22". The depth will also be about 22". The material is 1-3/4" thick.This is a medium size seat. You will see that I'm using a piece with heartwood on the edge. The front right piece also has the same heartwood on the corner as I'm trying to make the seat semetrical. It doesn't have to be but this is where pre planning your wood really pays off in the end. Keep in mind that the seat is one of the first things the eye will focus on.
I use a very good saw blade in my table saw to cut all the pieces to width. I don't use the joiner as the rip cutting saw blade leaves the edge very smooth. It pays to get a better blade otherwise you will need to join the edges before glue up. If you are not sure about what kink of blade to buy do a little research on the internet or visit your local woodworking store and you will get plenty of opinions and help. Don't use a general purpose blade. Get one for ripping up to 2" thick wood. When I'm doing crosscutting on the table saw, I switch to a TCG blade. Triple Chip Grind. You could also use a dado blade for the front leg dados but I like using a router. I made a simple jig which is clamped to the side ofa the piece in my vice and then route to a depth of 1". The finished dado will be 1" deep x 2" wide and 1-1/2" in front the front edge. I use a 1/2" spiral up cut bit. The same bit I used for the headrest. Be very careful with these cuts as the bit that shapes the rounded edges will follow these lines. Make multiple passes and go slowly but not to slow as to burn the wood. Pratice on some scrap wood if you are not sure. I make practice cuts on everything. I always have some poplar wood laying around which I like to use as it's not too hard or soft a wood and cheaper than cherry or walnut. You will need some poplar for the forms we will make to form the back braces and the runners.
The front leg notches in the seat are fairly easy to do. The rear leg cuts are a little more involved. I use my table saw. I'm going to be making a corner notch 1 -1/2" deep x 3" long. There are a couple of methods used to make this joint. One is to make the notch with 90 degree cuts on both cuts that form the right angle. This is not hard to do on the table saw using a miter fence guide. It's straight forward and easy to do. It becomes more involved when making the rear leg piece. Most of us that build these chairs will want the rear legs to open up at the top of the chair by 5 degrees. In other words, if you look at the chair straight on from the front, you will see that the rear legs slant to the outside by 5 degrees. This gives the chair a very relaxed look and feel. A dining room chair would be straight or maybe a 3 degree slant to the outside or even to the inside. If you chose to make straight cuts on the rear corners, but you will have to add small tapered pieces to the rear leg material for this joint. I have done it this way for some chairs but now use the same router bits that Sam did for his joints. They are specially made for his work buy a company called Woodline. You can order them online. They come as a set, about $75 for the top and bottom bits.
This pic shows the 5 degree top, bottom and straight 1/4" dado bits I use. You will need all three. It also shows the rear seat notch looking from the back of the seat piece. You can see the bevel on the right side. This is a scrap pc of walnut that I keep for reference.
FLR means flair or bevel. I had to make some adjustments with a small thin shim to get the corner to match due to the bevel. If you have ever seen one of Sam Maloof's videos or were lucky enough to watch him route this notch you will think it's easy. He makes it look easy but he knew where to make the adjustments from making thousands of these joints over the years. Me, I have to take it slow, check, recheck, cut some trial pieces and then hold my breath when finally making the cuts and routs on a good piece of walnut or cherry. Which ever method you use, make sure you get your router bits from the same company. I think this is important. Don't mix and match trying to save a few dollars. The video that helped me was called, A Fine Woodworking DVD Profile, Sam Maloof. It's fun to watch him just grab pieces and route them in his hands using routers that are many years old. He would be the first to tell you not to do it this way as it is extremly dangerous. I respect any tool that spins with sharp objects so I will take the time to make sure the pieces are securely clamped to my work bench or in a vice.
This pic shows the 5 degree top, bottom and straight 1/4" dado bits I use. You will need all three. It also shows the rear seat notch looking from the back of the seat piece. You can see the bevel on the right side. This is a scrap pc of walnut that I keep for reference.
FLR means flair or bevel. I had to make some adjustments with a small thin shim to get the corner to match due to the bevel. If you have ever seen one of Sam Maloof's videos or were lucky enough to watch him route this notch you will think it's easy. He makes it look easy but he knew where to make the adjustments from making thousands of these joints over the years. Me, I have to take it slow, check, recheck, cut some trial pieces and then hold my breath when finally making the cuts and routs on a good piece of walnut or cherry. Which ever method you use, make sure you get your router bits from the same company. I think this is important. Don't mix and match trying to save a few dollars. The video that helped me was called, A Fine Woodworking DVD Profile, Sam Maloof. It's fun to watch him just grab pieces and route them in his hands using routers that are many years old. He would be the first to tell you not to do it this way as it is extremly dangerous. I respect any tool that spins with sharp objects so I will take the time to make sure the pieces are securely clamped to my work bench or in a vice.The seat will be tappered in 1" at the rear notch but don't cut the taper until you finish the complete joint. First cut the 90 degree notch, then route the dados and then you can glue up the seat pieces. That is if you are confident about the legs fitting as they should. If not sure then set the seat aside without glueing up the 4 pieces and move on to the legs. I'll continue with the glueup of the seat and then get to the dusty job of plowing out the seat contour. It will get messy.
The first cuts need to allow for the back taper you decide on. My taper will be 1" on each side. So I need to allow for this when making the cut in from the side edge. My leg material is 1-3/4" thick plus the 1" taper minus 1/4" for the dado. This means my actual cut length will be 2-1/2" in from the edge. When you route the dado it will add another 1/4" to the overall measurement from the edge. If you make the cut too shallow or deep that is ok as we haven't cut the taper yet. I won't cut the taper until I have made the leg and dry fitted it perfect into the seat notch. It's a custom chair so I don't worry if the taper is changed a little.
