# Another Morris chair



## PPBART (Oct 7, 2011)

After reading Geeze's thread on his chair (nice build!) I decided to start a thread on my own chair. I've developed a real interest in the Morris chair, and my daughter and i will be building two next week. I plan to use cherry and (maybe) walnut) for mine. I'm old school and just drew my own plans after browsing and viewing different versions -- still in progress, but here's .the current version -- still working out some details.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

I've never designed a chair from scratch, but I have some experience in automotive seating where we studied car seat dimensions and the dimensions of people's lower extremities so they could all reach the foot pedals comfortably and easily. The upper leg/thigh support angle were critical for comfort. A flat horizontal seat was not comfortable, but a slight rearward angle was. You might consider something like that for your chair's seat?


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## Wingedwheel (May 17, 2021)

I like your design for its lines. How does the retaining rod for the back adjustment work? How do you move it to the different positions? Is it fixed or loose? Just asking because I’m curious.


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## PPBART (Oct 7, 2011)

Wingedwheel said:


> I like your design for its lines. How does the retaining rod for the back adjustment work? How do you move it to the different positions? Is it fixed or loose? Just asking because I’m curious.


I saw that feature in several pics of old Morris chairs. The rod is essentially a 3/4" dowel that loosely rests in a notch on top of both armrests. You position the back at the desired angle, then place the rod in the appropriate notches.


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## PPBART (Oct 7, 2011)

woodnthings said:


> .. A flat horizontal seat was not comfortable, but a slight rearward angle was. You might consider something like that for your chair's seat?


Good point!


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

i like it! will be watching. much of the look of these chairs is all about the cushion!


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## PPBART (Oct 7, 2011)

woodnthings said:


> ... a slight rearward angle...


I think I can lower the back of the seat by 1.5" with only minimal other changes.


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

woodnthings said:


> A flat horizontal seat was not comfortable, but a slight rearward angle was.


I agree with Bill, feels like you are going to slide off the seat, esp if the cushion is smooth (leather). but you will find many (Stickley styly) plans both ways, slanted and horizontal...


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## RepairmanJack (Aug 4, 2013)

I built my own Morris Chair and matching stool as a test of my skills back in 2006. This was right after my daughter was born. I built the stool from Walnut. But because I was a poor (and temporarily unemployed) grad student at the time, I couldn't afford to buy any more walnut. I built a slat-sided Morris chair from 5/4 clear pine that I had been collecting for a couple years at that point. I always expected that I'd come back and build a Walnut version when I could afford the wood, but now that it's 2021.. maybe it's time  My chair is a "knock-down" style so I can take the arms and back apart for transport and storage. Unfortunately, something dripped on the front piece when it was in storage and stained the wood badly.










Based on my experiences, my suggestions are:
1) Cut the bottom of the legs to give the whole chair a rearward slant as Woodnthings suggests.
I did that by assembling each half, then putting a long straightedge across the feet - flush to the front-facing leg, and 1 to 1.5 inches up at the rear. I marked them and then I disassembled the arms and cut the leg angle on my miter saw before gluing them up.

2) You don't necessarily need the slats for the bottom seat. My seat bottom has a piece of 1/4" or 1/2" plywood. I have cleats on the front and rear cross pieces and the seat cushions rests on those. It's quite solid. If you go that route, remember to cut "vent holes" into the plywood cushion base before you upholster it.

3) Consider using 3/8 stainless steel rod for your pivots. I made wood ones for both my pivots and the adjustment pins for the backrest. They all broke. I replaced them with stainless rod and they've been very solid. I'll probably turn a wooden "cap" for each of the seatback adjusters to avoid wear and tear that you see on the wooden back of my chair. a hardwood chair back might hold up better but a 3/8" oak pin wasn't suitable in my application









Those are my most relevant experiences building my own first-time chair.

I initially finished with golden pecan minwax stain, but I later found that boiled linseed oil and fine steel wood was excellent in improving the appearance and strength of the wood. 

I still plan to make a "better" chair, but this one is quite serviceable and comfortable for myself and my guests.


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## RepairmanJack (Aug 4, 2013)

woodnthings said:


> where we studied car seat dimensions and the dimensions of people's lower extremities


Ah, Anthropometry, the study of the sizes and shapes of people.


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## PPBART (Oct 7, 2011)

RepairmanJack said:


> I built my own Morris Chair and matching stool as a test of my skills back in 2006...from 5/4 clear pine... remember to cut "vent holes" into the plywood cushion base before you upholster it...Consider using 3/8 stainless steel rod for your pivots...


Thanks for the post and great info! It's most interesting that you built your chair out of pine 15 yrs ago. My daughter saw a video on YouTube where a guy built a Morris chair out of 1x12 clear pine and decided that's what she would use. I had my doubts about the strength and durability of the chair, but maybe I was wrong; anyway, she's pretty stubborn.

FWIW, here's that video... 




Good point about the vent holes -- I doubt we would have thought of that.

I've seen numerous Morris chairs that use the "pin in armrest" for support; however, the back support rod I copied for my design was a 3/4"(+/-) dowel, some type of hardwood I'm sure, extending across the back. I don't remember how old that chair was, nor if the rod was original, but it was clearly well-aged. That said, I don't really like the "rack" the rod fits into, so that feature might change.


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## RepairmanJack (Aug 4, 2013)

I own several books on A&C period furniture projects and almost every one has a Morris Chair, there are at least three type of holding/adjusting mechanism. For reference, I used this book in building my first projects including my chair.









Building Arts & Crafts Furniture: 25 Authentic Projects That Celebrate Simple Elegance & Timeless Design: Kemner, Paul, Zdila, Peggy: 9780806994185: Amazon.com: Books


Building Arts & Crafts Furniture: 25 Authentic Projects That Celebrate Simple Elegance & Timeless Design [Kemner, Paul, Zdila, Peggy] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Building Arts & Crafts Furniture: 25 Authentic Projects That Celebrate Simple Elegance & Timeless Design



www.amazon.com





That Morris chair was actually like my 3rd or 4th attempt at A&C furniture. I actually cheated a bit by using some poplar scant wood for the slats, but the rest of it is built from 5/4 pine - yellow pine I think - that bought bit by bit from the local Habitat For Humanity ReStore. The quality of the wood is another reason that I used boiled linseed oil when I "refreshed" it most recently as it's known to harden and improve woods. Overall, it's still a "test piece" but I learned a lot from making it.

I've also upped by skills and tools significantly since I built that chair. I didn't have a spindle sander, mortising machine, jointer, planner or router table when I made it. Just a Jet JTS-10 contractor saw, Dewalt 10" miter saw, mortising gauge and a variety of el-cheapo hand tools from the bin at the hardware store.


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## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

You might want to angle the back legs a bit to both prevent tipping back, but also to relieve some of the stress on the joint. If you have anything close to a teenager in the house you KNOW they can't help themselves from rocking backward on chairs until they have to buy their own chairs.. Once your kids have to buy their own first chair you will automatically become 99% smarter. It's the universal law enshrined in age..


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## RepairmanJack (Aug 4, 2013)

..or you make them make their own chairs... 

Also, about strength, I built from actual 1" thick lumber, not the nominal 1" but actually 3/4" 1-by stock. It's also a lot denser than big box store wood - even the so-called clear pine that they sell. I think it's yellow pine, not more common white pine.

[Edit: the wood _that I_ used was probably yellow pine, not what they carry at Home Despot, bLowes, or Me'nads]

If she's set on building from pine, I know of a good plan for a very simple Morris Chair lawn/patio chair that uses off-the shelf lumber and cushions and looks pretty fantastic. I think it's in Popular Woodworking - both magazine and in a book. Cheap, easy, and quick to build.


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## RepairmanJack (Aug 4, 2013)

The outdoor version looks like this:









It's from this book, but was also included in a set of project plans that I purchased from the magazine online.








Amazon.com: Popular Woodworking's Arts & Crafts Furniture: 25 Designs For Every Room In Your Home eBook : Editors, Popular Woodworking, Popular Woodworking Editors: Books


Buy Popular Woodworking's Arts & Crafts Furniture: 25 Designs For Every Room In Your Home: Read Books Reviews - Amazon.com



www.amazon.com


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## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

RepairmanJack said:


> ..or you make them make their own chairs...
> 
> Also, about strength, I built from actual 1" thick lumber, not the nominal 1" but actually 3/4" 1-by stock. It's also a lot denser than big box store wood - even the so-called clear pine that they sell. I think it's yellow pine, not more common white pine.
> 
> If she's set on building from pine, I know of a good plan for a very simple Morris Chair lawn/patio chair that uses off-the shelf lumber and cushions and loots pretty fantastic. I think it's in Popular Woodworking - both magazine and in a book. Cheap, easy, and quick to build.


Yellow pine is a bit denser than "white" pine. If you're going to use it shop around for the boards with nice tight growth rings. Yellow pine with tight rings is usually quite a bit heavier than that with open rings, but a lot more durable and less prone to splitting.. I usually get 2x10s or 12s and cut away the pith.. a 12 foot 2x12 with real tight growth rings may be heavier than you care to carry around on a long meandering hike..


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

I have a Morris Style recliner that I sat in a friend's house and immediately asked where to get one! That was 15 or so years ago and it's as comfortable now as when I first sat in it. The arm rests had sharp edges, so I used a palm router and a 1/4" radius bit to round them over. Otherwise they would cut off your circulation, but I suffered for 10 years prior. It looks very much like this:








Mission Leather Morris Recliner Chair


Palance Sable Bonded Leather 3-Way Recliner Chair Style # W7798 http://www.lampsplus.com/products/palance-sable-bonded-leather-3-way-recliner-chair__w7798.html http://www.jonesglassanddecorating.com/lane-mission-recliner-.html 2769- Lane Mission recliner. Shown in 5514-22...




www.horizon-custom-homes.com













It's heavy as all get out because of all the steel in the reclining mechanism and the upholstery is real leather. The arms slope back towards the rear making it even more comfortable, at least to me.


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## cynrich (Mar 27, 2020)

It's interesting how popular these Morris Chairs seem to be. I picked up a Morris Rocker a couple of months ago and am in the middle of putting it back together. They are really fascinating chairs. Mine has little slots for a sliding footstool which was missing, but I think I can make a replacement from pictures I've seen. lol just what I need, another project


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## RepairmanJack (Aug 4, 2013)

Got any pictures?


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## PPBART (Oct 7, 2011)

RepairmanJack said:


> ...For reference, I used this book in building my first projects including my chair...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I bought a copy of that book -- especially like the (large) section devoted to several versions of the chair..


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## PPBART (Oct 7, 2011)

RepairmanJack said:


> ...Based on my experiences, my suggestions are:
> 1) Cut the bottom of the legs to give the whole chair a rearward slant as Woodnthings suggests...
> 
> later found that boiled linseed oil and fine steel wood was excellent in improving the appearance and strength of the wood...


I've reviewed several versions/plans for these chairs and agree that trimming the legs to slant the chair is the best approach. I've already got the base assembled, but even so, cutting the legs shouldn't be difficult.

I've put BLO on some scrap to evaluate and compare the finish with other options.


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## PPBART (Oct 7, 2011)

RepairmanJack said:


> Got any pictures?


Here's the current status of both chairs... On the left is my daughter's pine chair; the right is my cherry version. Fortunately my small shop is big enough for two workbenches so we can stay out of each others way. Daughter has been out of town for past week, but plans to come over tomorrow morning for a work session.


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## RepairmanJack (Aug 4, 2013)

Nice work! Unfortunately, the photo of your daughter's chair seems to be thumbnail only. 

I like the nice sharp lines on your Cherry version. It'll look gorgeous with the right finish.


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## RepairmanJack (Aug 4, 2013)

PPBART said:


> I bought a copy of that book -- especially like the (large) section devoted to several versions of the chair..


That book is actually one of the best of the 8-10 or so that I've purchased. It was also my first such book. I thought the section on tools and techniques was very helpful. of course it seems most such book have such a section, but this one was for me, at least, a primary reference. as I was getting started


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## Geeze (Jan 28, 2021)

Good looking design @PPBART !

Look forward to your build progress!

Russ


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## PPBART (Oct 7, 2011)

My daughter came over early this morning and completed the build for her pine chair. She intends to paint it and make the cushions this week. My cherry version should also be done this week.


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## PPBART (Oct 7, 2011)

Finally finished my Morris chair. It's solid cherry, assembled with mortise & tenon and dowel joints, finished with multiple coats of Minwax Oil-Modified Polyurethane. Back assembly pivots on two steel pins, and is supported in the desired position by an additional two steel pins. Seat panel is 3/4" birch plywood. It's not perfect, but it does provide a comfortable seating option to my home office.


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## Geeze (Jan 28, 2021)

Nice looking! 

Like you I'm doing steel pins.

If you're still in the hunt for cushions and you want leather check out Dakota Bison in Rapid City. My dad found them [lives in RC] and they quoted $450 for 30x24x6 buffalo hide cushions. The best I could do on line was 500-800 for vinyl.

Russ


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## PPBART (Oct 7, 2011)

Thanks for the info!


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

very nice, there is a family heirloom. hope you signed it somewhere...


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## PPBART (Oct 7, 2011)

TimPa said:


> .... hope you signed it somewhere...


Yes. I've always signed any significant piece. It's not a vanity thing. I just like the image of someone browsing through an antique store decades from now, seeing my signature and wondering about me. There's an old (Irish?) proverb that says something like "As long as someone thinks about you, you're never really gone."


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## tdubb22548 (11 mo ago)

Does anyone know of a set of plans for a Morris Chair with Glider. I sat in one the other day and the action was better than a rocking chair. Tom.


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## Bob Bengal (Jan 2, 2021)

tdubb22548 said:


> Does anyone know of a set of plans for a Morris Chair with Glider. I sat in one the other day and the action was better than a rocking chair. Tom.


Welcome to the forum.

You might not find plans for exactly what you want, so consider looking at related plans and combining the features you want.








Woodcraft - Woodworking Project Paper Plan to Build Glider Chair


Build this smooth action glider rocker from any hardwood Make wooden glider hingesandnbsp;shown in planandnbsp;or purchase metal hinges insteadandnbsp; Cut all shaped piece




www.woodcraft.com












Walnut Morris glider rocker


Orange008's Project




www.lumberjocks.com




Also try searching for: Mission glider


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