Chair modification pt. 1

The first step in modifying this chair for our space was removing the front legs to see what sort of shape the tenons were in. Getting the legs off in good shape would also provide me with a model of what the replacement legs should look like.

This step had to take place up in the apartment, as I couldn't put a kettle on down in the storage area. A little hot water poured on the joint softened the glue right up.

The chair knocked apart without any trouble.

Here's the shape of the upper part of the leg I will have to reproduce.

I started by smoothing up the stock I got for the front legs. The pair I'd hoped to retrieve from a dumpster were buried under a ton of junk by the time I got back there, but I found a nice piece at a hardwood reseller right in the center of Stockholm. Working at a proper bench for once is a pleasure! This planing stop mortised into the benchtop was a revelation.

Being too wide, I needed to make it squarish, and started the long rip with my plow plane and a 1/8" iron to make a pair of grooves to lead the saw.

I sawed at the bench rather than pull the sawbench out from under the tool chest. I need to make a smaller sawbench to keep up front. The sawing took 15 minutes, and while it is hard birch I probably need to sharpen the saw. This is my converted crosscut to rip saw, and I haven't sharpened it since reshaping the teeth. I then got out the crosscut saw and cut it in half. Two legs to square up and get ready for mortising.

While I was sawing I clamped down the remaining part of the chair to remove the back legs. Here I needed to use a little toolbox saw as I was working at the bench and didn't have any space behind me.

As suspected, cutting off the back legs went right through a couple of tenons. 

These joints don't look too healthy, either. I'll have to take them apart, clean them up, and clamp everything together again. Then I'll cover the exposed mortises with a piece of felt or something for it to ride on when resting on the windowsill.

And here it is! This is what the chair will end up doing when completed.