Thursday, August 15, 2013

Squared2 Dining Chair x2


We now have two of Ana White's Squared2 Dining Chairs, a "Knock-Off-Wood" rendition of West Elm's overlapping squares chairs, in our eat-in kitchen.  The chairs I built are slightly modified from Ana's plans, adding 1" to the back legs and the chair back pattern to accommodate a 1" seat cushion I have yet to make.  See my previous notes about that here.

For building plans, please visit Ana White's Squared2 Dining Chair post.

Keep reading for my informal notes about how I built our second chair.  And in grand movie theater preview style:

The following are poor photos of our two Squared2 Dining Chairs.
Viewer discretion is somewhat advised.  :)





My Building Notes:

I was a better, more prepared builder the second time around.  :)  Here's a few things I did the second time that would have helped the first time:

1.  I cut the back legs with a circular saw, rather than a jigsaw this time:

Before any of the assembly happened, I spent some time watching videos on how to use a circular saw, because I had purchased one and was deathly afraid of it.

Here's a video that helped me:  How to use a circular saw

The 2" notations mean that I measured 2 inches in from each side, per Ana's plans.
I used a jigsaw to cut the small 2 1/4" high inside portion, 2" in from the left.

2.  I had a method to assemble the chair back:






I took the above (poorly lit) photos to show the order in which I assembled the patterned chair back.  Before I attached the large Ls, small Ls, and 3" spacers, I filled the pocket holes in the Ls, sanded them smooth, and painted them teal.



I then drilled pocket holes on the outsides of the Ls to attach them all together, filled them, sanded them smooth, painted them teal again before drilling the final pocket holes on the back of the assembled pattern to fit into the frame of the chair back.

3.  Building took less time the second time around:

I used less active work time, since I knew how everything would go together now.
  • Cutting the lumber to size:  28 minutes
  • Making the back support (Pocket holes, glues, screws, filler): 37 minutes
  • Filling, sanding, and painting the Ls in the back support: 33 minutes
  • Repeating this process once the back support was assembled: 34 minutes
While I waited for filler to dry at various stages:
  • Assembling seat from 5 - 1"x4"s (Pocket holes, glues, screws): 30 minutes
  • Sanding pocket holes, seat with 60 - 120 grit, and painting: 51 minutes
  • Assembling seat back and back support pattern: 40 minutes
In total, it took me less than 4 hours of active time to get this chair together, compared to the days it seemed to take to assemble the first chair.  This does not include inactive time, such as impatiently watching paint dry.

4.  Somehow, my second chair was spared a bowed seat, like the first chair donned:


I hope these notes on my second chair and the notes from my first chair build are helpful to someone!



All our
kitchen
projects


Link Party @

18 comments:

  1. Wow! and Wow! 2 of these chairs! They are amazing! The design and execution are gorgeous, love the touch of teal inside the squares. You definitely have some "instant heirlooms" here! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am glad you like them, Joanne. :) I nearly gave up on the first one, but the second was a bit simpler since I had learned some key lessons from the first. Thank you for your constant kindness. =D

      Delete
  2. You have some mad skills! I have wanted to try a few different projects on Ana White's site, but I just haven't. Thanks for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Ashley! Building furniture has been empowering for me. It gives me an amazing feeling of accomplishment, so I hope you get to try it sometime. :)

      Delete
  3. OH MY GOSH, I LOVE THESE!!! They turned out so nice and that teal touch is so gorgeous! WOW. So impressed. I'm going to have to pin these.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Sharon! I hope my idea for the coordinating table works out; I'm pretty excited (and anxious) about it. :)

      Delete
  4. Wow Yvonne!! I am super impressed with these chairs. So much work went into them and they look fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your kind comment, Katja. :) These are our dream dining chairs, so I was determined to build them. =D

      Delete
  5. Replies
    1. Thank you for taking the time to leave such an uplifting comment. :)

      Delete
  6. Gorgeous chairs! The backs are beautiful. I'd love if you'd link up to The DIY'ers: http://homecomingmn.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-diyers-and-our-country-weekend.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kayla. I'd love to link up at your party. :) Thanks for the invite!

      Delete
  7. This is beautiful! I am constantly impressed by your handy-ness!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Katelyn! I'm seriously looking forward to seeing all the great things you and Evan build and customize in your new home. :)

      Delete
  8. WOW!!! I am so impressed! You did a fabulous job, and your chairs look fabulous. Thank you so much for sharing at A Bouquet of Talent this week. Enjoy the rest of your week. :)
    Hugs
    Kathy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kathy for uplifting me and being a fantastic party host. :)

      Delete
  9. Nice job! I looked at those plans, drooled over them and then moved on, lol, it was a little intimidating to me. Those look really awesome though you should be proud.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They do look intimidating, but I decided I had to try. It took a while the first time, but it's not so bad. I'm working on a coordinating table top right now. Hoping this one is not so bad either. :)

      Delete

Let's start a conversation. Seeing comments makes me want to do a jig. I love hearing from you, so please remember to leave your mark here. :)