07 – Arm Posts and Tapered Holes

  1. A Walnut Windsor Chair – Introduction
  2. The Log
  3. Transport
  4. Rough Lumber
  5. Seat Blanks
  6. Legs
  7. Arm Posts and Tapered Holes
  8. Carve the Seat
  9. Turn the Undercarriage
  10. Assembling the Seat and Undercarriage
  11. Spindles
  12. Arms
  13. Assembling the Spindles and Arms
  14. Crest Version 1 — The Form Bent Laminated Crest
  15. Crest Version 2 — The Steam Bent Crest
  16. Final Assembly
  17. Detailing
  18. Finishing a Walnut Windsor Chair
  19. Final Notes

Entry 7

Arm Posts and Tapered Holes  –  12/31/2007

Next – turn the arm posts.  Then, taper the holes in the seat for the legs and arm posts.

The arm posts are turned along with the legs.  Even though they are not a part of the lower seat (the part from the seat to the floor), they do sit in tapered holes in the seat.  Since this is the point when I taper the holes, the arms have to be turned first so that they can be fit into the tapered holes.

The traditional way to make tapered holes is with a tapered spoon bit that is used with a hand brace.  I have this bit and a brace, but have never been very good at using it.  Instead, I drill a regular hole in the seat blank (5/8 inch).  Then, I use a tapered reamer to taper the hole.  Ann and I found this tool in an antique store in Brown County, near Bloomington, Indiana.  I have cleaned it up and sharpened it.  I remove the handle that it has and use a longer dowel which make the process of turning it easier.  Note that Veritas makes a tapered reamer that functions very similarly (sold by Lee Valley).

The angles of the leg are checked using the sliding bevels.  If a leg is off a bit, I can adjust it by applying pressure to the reamer to one side.  These two photos show a seat blank clamped to the bench while the leg holes are tapered.  The upper photo shows the reamer in the hole while the bottom photo shows the reamer on the bench and the leg angle being checked.

I also use sanding fids (see Fine Woodworking #136).  These are tapered wooden cones with a slot.  Sandpaper is wrapped around the taper and these can be used to make small changes in the diameter of the tapered hole.  (February, 2007)