The stock necessary to make a
Morris chair
of craftsman design as shown in the engraving can be purchased
mill-planed and sandpapered on four sides as given in the
following list :
4 posts 1 3/4 by 3 by 26 in.
2 front and back rails 7/8 by 5 1/2
by 24 in.
2 side rails 7/8 by 5 1/2 by 28 in.
2 arm pieces 7/8 by 5 1/2 by 37 in.
7 slats 3/8 by 2 by 24 in.
2 cleats 1 by 1 by 22 1/2 in.
2 back stiles 1 by 2 1/2 by 24 1/2
in.
2 back rails 1 by 2 by 17 in.
3 back slats 3/8 by 1 1/2 by 19 in.
1 back support 3/4 by 3/4 by 24 in.
2 support rests 1 by 1/ by 8 1/2 in.
2 dowels 1/2 in. diameter, 6 in
long.
First make and put together the sides of
the chair. While the glue is setting on these parts make and
assemble the back. The front and back rails may next be made and
placed and the cleats and bottom slats fastened. With the
adjustment of the back the chair is ready for the finish.

The posts are to be tenoned on the upper
ends. These tenons are to project 3/16 in. above the arm and
should be slightly beveled. The lower ends of the posts,
likewise, all other projecting ends, should he beveled to avoid
their splintering. All sharp corners, as on the arms, should be
sandpapered just enough to take their sharpness off, so as not
to injure the hand.
That the chair may be properly inclined,
the rear posts are cut 1 in. shorter than the forward ones. To
get the correct slant on the bottoms of these posts, lay a
straightedge so that its edge touches the bottom of the front
post at its front surface, but
keep it 1 in. above the bottom of the
rear post. Mark with pencil along the straightedge across both
posts.
At the rear ends of the arms are the
notched pieces that allow the back to be adjusted to different
angles. These pieces may be fastened in place either by means of
roundhead screws from above or flatheads from underneath the
arms. The notches are to be cut 3/4 in. deep. If more than three
adjustments are wanted, the arms must be made correspondingly
longer.

The dimensions for the tenons on all the
larger pieces will be found on the drawing. For the back, the
tenons of the cross pieces, the rails, should be 3/8 by 1 1/4
in. For the slats, the easiest way is to not tenon them but to
"let in" the whole end, making the mortises in the rails 3/8 by
1 1/2 in. This will necessitate cutting the sides of the
mortises very accurately, but this extra care will he more than
compensated by not having to bother with the cutting of tenons
on each end of the three back slats.
To finish the chair, put on a coat of water
stain, first removing all surplus glue and thoroughly scraping
and sandpapering all the parts that were not so treated at the
mill. The color of the stain will depend upon the finish
desired, whether golden, mission, etc. Water stains cause the
grain of the wood to roughen, so it will be necessary to
resandpaper the surfaces after the stain has dried, using fine
paper. Next apply a coat of filler colored to match the stain.
Directions for its application will be found upon the cans in
which the filler comes. After the filler has hardened put on a
very thin coat of shellac