# Morris Chair



## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Hey everyone:
Here's a few images of a Morris Chair I've been working on. I used regular rift-sawn white oak for the chair, and the ottoman was built using some recovered white oak that was lying in a yard, exposed to the weather. It was wormy and stained, but for the effort to recover it I got about 32 bd. ft. of free lumber. The clean-up yeilded many fine Christmas gifts, this project and still have some left.

The Morris Chair and ottoman are all mortise/tenon joinery except for the slats on the side rails, where I cheated and used biscuits. The back is fixed, not adjustable like is seen in many plans. I used medium density foam over plywood for the cushions; they are wrapped in 3/4" polyester batting and covered with a vinyl material. I will get some pics of those when the finish dries. 

As always, comments appreciated.
smitty


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## jdixon (Nov 21, 2007)

Nice work my man! Good to see you back on here. Can't wait to drop by and get my peepers on it in person! :laughing:

John


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

jdixon said:


> Nice work my man! Good to see you back on here. Can't wait to drop by and get my peepers on it in person! :laughing:
> 
> John


Yea thanks pal.... and pick up the plans so you can get to work and start your own copy for Mrs. Dixon to find a place for....

smitty


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## Geoguy (Feb 22, 2008)

jdixon said:


> Nice work my man! Good to see you back on here.


Yeah, Smitty, I thought you had fallen off the face of the earth. So, I see you're putting that new shop and those new Grizzly tools to good use. The chair is great - love that quarter sawn white oak. And, those worm holes just add character. How you gonna finish it (color, products, etc.)? Nice job! And, welcome back.

I've still got some white oak and a mission bed on the back burner - maybe, I'll get started on it soon.


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## Streamwinner (Nov 25, 2008)

Looks great so far. Can't wait to see it finished.


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Thanks Geo, appreciate the comments all around. 

The finish is already on...I used plain gloss lacquer this time. I like it much better than polyeurathane. Much more forgiving. However, I wish I would have put a little color down on the chair first, because the ottoman came out _much_ darker, I think due to the age and weathering of the wood. At any rate, I'm going to enjoy this piece immensely. It's going to be my reading the Sunday newspaper chair, with a floor lamp over the back. 

Pics of the finish and a better perspective of the chair/ottoman when I'm done.

regards,
smitty


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## bb71 (Jan 23, 2010)

Very nice! :thumbsup:


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

Now remember, I think I'm a better wood-worker than I will ever be an upholsterer. Wow is there some kinda trick to making nice corners! And I haven't figured it out yet. 

Anyway, the old white oak I salvaged turned out much darker than the new stuff I bought, but its part of the character of the project. The old salvaged oak was used in the ottoman, as you can plainly see after the finish was applied.

comments welcome...
regards,
smitty


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## rocklobster (Jun 18, 2008)

I don't think the corners look bad. It looks like a great combination. Makes me want to sit down and take a load off. 

The colors work well together, too.

Rob


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## G Fresh (Mar 22, 2009)

rocklobster said:


> Makes me want to sit down and take a load off.



I second that! Nice work.


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## jdixon (Nov 21, 2007)

Smitty she looks great! How does it sit?........ and nap?:laughing:

John


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## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

thanks guys...very gracious of you. 

John the back is almost too vertical to nap in...part of my adjusting the design. I made mine for sitting and reading, and sometimes staying awake is a chore when I sit down at the end of the day. 
So...no naps in it, but it sits very comfortably. I might change out the foam from the high density to some medium density. That will give me the chance to rework my corners, too.

thanks again
smitty


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## ash123 (Mar 14, 2010)

Nice clean job! Thanks for posting the pictures.


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## Martin Roy (Mar 16, 2010)

I am also planning to make a wooden chair to sit on for my studies from the old stuff in the store room..........

Nice inspiration .............................


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