# morris chairs?



## jason41987 (Nov 8, 2011)

hey everyone.. im looking to build a morris chair with a matching ottoman.. i need something sturdy, comfortable, and with neck support, something i can relax in and im thinking of going the morris chair route with an ottoman, or maybe converted into a lounger by extending the seat...

what online available plans would anyone recommend for a morris chair?, nothings too complex for me to do, however im looking to keep the construction simple... function over aesthetics for the most part... so would it be possible to join the wood together for the sides, slats, and the frame under the seat by either drilling and gluing in wooden dowels or using 3 inch wood screws?

the stairs this chair must fit up are only 24" wide, so theres absolutely no possible way i will get a morris chair where i need it fully assembled so if the back could be completely removed and the height of the arms being no more more than 24" long i could fit it in here that way... but i was hoping to assemble this with wood screws so that i could easily unscrew the arms/legs sections from the cross piece for the seat and carry it up in sections before final assembly

would this be a good idea or is there something structurally important to the origional joins in the design?


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## DST (Jan 10, 2011)

If you like this let me know. I could get you a copy of the plans. Mine has a modified ( wider ) panel in the side because an emblem is going there. Original plan was all slats. The back folds flat into the seat or removes so no problem on the stairs.


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## jason41987 (Nov 8, 2011)

a chair like that would be perfect


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## DST (Jan 10, 2011)

I bought one set from plansnow.com check it out. Very similar to mine but not curved arms. Check it out online and see what you think. I think I used one from wood magazine. I'll go dig up the plans if you want that one. I liked the curves and the plans seemed easy to read. Shoot me a message if you want a side by side comparison or if I can help out in any way


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*really nice job*

That's a great looking chair and the stain color is awesome! 
My favorite style. :thumbsup: bill


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## jason41987 (Nov 8, 2011)

ive seen one on a website for like $10 that i like.. ill probably go that route.. but is it ok to fix the entire side sections togethers with dowels and glue as opposed to the more complicated joints they say to use?... then screw the pieces that connect those together with wood screws or some type of bolt?..

also, i was thinking of using 3/4 inch plywood for the seat and back

that being said.. i was also toying with the idea of extending the seat into a lounger so that the back could be layed flat allowing someone to sleep on it... then make a futon mattress the right length and width for the cushions.. this would allow me to replace both my chair and my bed for my bedroom with a modified morris chair


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## DST (Jan 10, 2011)

The sides with this plan are easy. There is a dado top and bottom that the slats fit into. Then little spacers fill the gaps. It's easier than a bunch of mortise work. There is enough of that on the legs. I personally think plywood on the back would detract from a classic design and create more issues with hiding the edges. You could use it on the seat easily. I used some random tongue and groove flooring pieces I had around. I'll try and post some build in progress pics. 
As for a full recliner... It wouldn't be difficult to make the back taller or to make it fully recline. Getting the cushions made was not cheap. I'm collecting wood to make two or three more for family. Will be shopping for a new upholstery option.


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## DST (Jan 10, 2011)

woodnthings said:


> That's a great looking chair and the stain color is awesome!
> My favorite style. :thumbsup: bill


Thanks Woodn,
Don't want to hijack the thread but it is by far my favorite build to date.


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## DST (Jan 10, 2011)

Here is an in progress pic. The parts a kind of just stacked so I could see where I was headed


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## jason41987 (Nov 8, 2011)

my morris chair probably wont look anything like that.. but i agree, it is nice.. im going to basically use the basic dimensions.. seat height, seat length and width, back width, adjust the back to support my head and build the rest in a more utilitarian manner

im going to use dowels on mine.. im going to build a rig to drill the ends of the boards straight and uniform and glue two dowels into each joint for the two side asemblies

then what im going to do is take the boards that go across the back and front of the seat, drill the ends of those and glue the dowels in, drill matching holes for the dowels on the side sections but NOT glue them together...

reason for this is i can take both halves to the room its going into, tape each side onto the middle boards so the dowels hold it in place, then drive a long wood screw between the dowel to hold the chair together

then for the seat im going to to put a board in between the front and rear section from front to back to add more support to the seat and use a piece of 3/4" plywood for the seat

then sticking with the utilitarian design i might actually fix the back to the seat with some strong hinges.. maybe something like a door hinge.. back piece would be 3/4 inch plywood reinforced with a frame of 2x4... the arms would probably just be a piece of 2x6...

the inside of the arms will be drilled with pins of which i might just use a decent diameter piece of drill rod cut to length and covered with something protective like what computer desks use to hold the adjustable shelves

i will also make a matching foot stool to go with this (of course)

so.. thats my idea.. utilitarian, simple, and really strong... also if the seat section ever wears out i could just remove a few small screws fixing the plywood pieces down and replace them but i doubt thatll happen

all of that being said i just need to find out the length of the seat used... the best width for myself, as well as the height of the seat and arms and i think i could fill in the blanks myself juding by photos of finished morris chairs


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## Domer (Mar 23, 2008)

I built mine from a Craftsman article from around 1910 or so. The book is about $15 and has a lot of other plans in it. 

The advantage to the one I built is that it has straight arms and so makes it a lot easier to build.

I will get the name of the book and post it.

Domer


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## DST (Jan 10, 2011)

Jason,
In my chair and in many others the seat pan sits on cleats so it can simply be lifted out.
Keep posting your progress. I'd like to see how it all turns out.


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