Gaines Chair

[Mike Callihan]

First I have to do something that I always try to avoid, that is to apologize for the photography. I really don’t have a good place to take pictures of some of my furniture pieces and this attempt was less than satisfactory in my eyes. The truth of the matter is that I am just too lazy to go back and find better lighting to retake the pictures.

That being said I would like to share with you my first attempt at period furniture chair making. The chair makers in an 18th century cabinet shop were always considered the elite. After building this chair it was easy for me to understand why. There isn’t a square corner or mortise on the entire chair.

My objective was to leave no finger print of modern power equipment on the finished piece. While I will admit to using power tools in building this chair, the power tool marks were all obliterate by hand tools. All flat surfaces were hand planed and all mortise and tenons were hand cut. The detailed beads on the edges of back were scraped with a custom ground blade. No router cutters were used; all trim detail was scrapped, carved or planned using wooden planes. Also no modern nails, screws or fasteners were employed. The few fasteners used were reclaimed authentic 18th century square cut nails. The glue was hide glue. Not even X-ray examination of the chair will reveal any modern tool marks. The finish is milk paint, black over red, with BLO as a final coat. The distressing was done with a hemp rope. My goal was to perplex some antique dealer long after I am dead and gone.

My patterns and measurements came from Norman Vandel’s wonderful book Queen Anne Furniture History, design and construction. The original chair is attributed to Thomas Gaines II an 18th century cabinet maker from Ipswich MA. The Gaines chair is considered to be a transitional chair, one of the first to have an ergonomically curved back seen later on all Queen Anne furniture.

Thanks for letting me share.

Mike


Front View


Side View


Crest Rail



Front Legs



Spanish Foot

[Larry Rose]

Great work. No need for any apology.Any one who can craft a chair like that doesn't need to know how take pictures

[skeeter]

Mike, I think the pictures are good, because they show an awesome chair. Great job!

[woodrat]

I agree, no apology needed. Got to add that that is no
weekend project either.

I can't make anything if it does not have square corners
and edges. But, then I have trouble even getting square
corners and edges.

Great work. It sure would fool me into believing it is
antique.

Thanks for sharing,

[RandyJ]

No apology necessary, Mike. That is a beautiful chair!

[woodArtz]

Jaw-dropping good!

[PeteM]

Very nice work.


If you want to make it a "Real Antique" you could bury it in the back yard for a few weeks like Nora Hall did for the "antiques" she sold to the Germans during WWII

pete

[TracyP]

Very Nice, you should be proud of that fine looking piece of furniture.

[Travis Porter]

Is it comfortable?

[sawduster]

WOW !
It absolutely amazes me what comes out of the garages, basements and workshops of the members of this group

Thanx for also sharing the details of the construction ...fascinating

Mike that is simply awesome craftsmanship

[Charles Lent]

That's a beautiful chair. The only thing that a professional photographer might have done to take better pictures of it would be to place the chair in a period setting. You have done very well with both the chair making and the photography and have no need to apologize for either.

Now when are you going to make the other 5 to complete the set?

Charley

[PurpleThumb]

Great job, Mike. Your hard work and loyalty to tradition is certainly rewarded in the outcome of your chair. Now are you going to build 7 more?

[lwhughes149]

Beautiful work Mike. I especially like the carving. Will you make it into a set?

[nelsone]

Awesome chair! You did it justice! How detailed is the book for the patterns?

[Tar Heel]

Outstanding work. You are quite a craftsman. You, and many others, continue to raise the bar. Maybe I should sell my tools and take up badmitton.