chair). I guess your mother didn’t teach you that. For a chair, mortise and tenon, dowel or other kind of joinery (+ glue, obviously), are stronger and resist in time. I’m sure the chairs have been upholstered and I can’t wait to see the final result! Just what I was thinking! I didn’t need or want arms chairs, but I wanted those two chairs to be different from the ones that I’m planning to use around the table. It’s cut, tucked, and wrapped the same way as the 1/2-inch foam, except that it’s longer in the front so that it can actually wrap under the seat framing. It totally intimidates me! I bought a Critter paint sprayer off your recommendation. I have talked with porter cable people via email and they gave me a list of staples to use, NONE of which I can find. The rug that you mentioned is not what this blog post is about. Would you please tell again the kind (and brand name ) of your stapler ? And I thought HE was good when he curved the legs of the benches so they would fit in the space better. So in the end, each corner support was attached with wood glue, four nails, and three screws. You give me such inspiration to DIY and I always say if Kristi can do it, I can do it too. It worked! I did end up using one screw between the nails on each side of each corner support, but I failed to get a picture of that. Didn’t expect this! On the top corners where the wings meet the seat back, I brought the foam straight back and stapled around the edges. I got the basic frame built for one of the chairs yesterday. And here’s a view of the back, where you can see the fabric (and underneath that, the foam and the batting) shoved between the stretcher posts and stapled into place on the inside of the framing. Front Porch & Exterior Makeover (In Progress), click here to see the second and final part of this project, Finished Bathroom Artwork & Dining Room Rug Indecision. So, know you are a motivator and inspiration to lots of folks who might otherwise just say “I wish….” Thanks for putting yourself out there and letting us glean from you! Phew, it’s HOT. AMAZING !!! Then I held that piece in place on the frame and marked where each piece needed to be cut. Use it to anchor your master suite in glam style, then top it off with your favorite comfy blankets. Trim the seam allowance to 1/2″ to remove any excess bulk. I often document my work at www.dovetailsandales.blogspot.com Sign up for eletters today and get the latest techniques and how-to from Fine Woodworking, plus special offers. I know you are not a carpenter (neither am I), and I know that these are good for start, but it is a pity to work hard on these two chairs and have them fail in a few years if heavier people sit on them. I’m so impressed! Next, I cut a piece of 3/4″ plywood for the seat using my jigsaw and attached it with wood glue and 16-gauge nails. Here’s a look at the outside of the arm with the fabric stapled into place and trimmed. It doesn't make sense if you expect to make a profit. You really should teach! Very inspirational, I tell ya! It’s Porter Cable. Love all the step by step progress photos and your attention to detail is incredible and is a real credit to you. There’s no glue between the two center pieces. There are many creative uses for it, but it’s original purpose is for upholstery. . This is a necessary took if you’re going to use jute webbing, because there’s no way to stretch it tight enough by hand. Wow Kristi! And to be honest, it’s probably a good thing I’m breaking the upholstery process into two posts, because I have over 35 pictures to show you just for the front! My years of retail on concrete floors and outdoors at a garden center lifting 40 lb. I can’t wait to see the finished chair! Chairs as we know them have been around since at least the 1700s. In order to upholster the back, nothing could be protruding beyond the framing. Make It Happen Monday – Bookcase Turned Pantry Finished! Were you an Egyptian master builder in a former life? Is there anything you can’t do? I can’t make up my mind what I want. Here’s how it looks…, Of course, almost the entire thing will be covered with foam, batting, and fabric by the time it’s finished. I don’t think the screws will cause a problem. $599.00 $119.00. Coming along great! http://www.homedepot.com/p/Porter-Cable-18-Gauge-Pneumatic-1-1-2-in-Narrow-Crown-Stapler-Kit-NS150C/203555606 Ugh. Don’t overdo in that heat, keep hydrated and take an aspirin! Los Angeles, CA 90016-3095 . I took off the fabric on four dining chair seats this weekend and replaced it with new fabric. Those areas also needed to be perfectly straight, so I lined them up with the very edge of the 2″ x 6″ board. This is truly a DIY made-from-scratch wingback chair. You haven’t said but did you finish the table. I’d dare bet it’s pretty darn short. Each one required a slight angle (which you can see in the photo below) to fit against the back supports and the arms. For the front legs, I wanted them to be 2.25″ square, so I cut two lengths of 2″ x 6″ lumber for each DIY chair (FYI, 2″ lumber is actually only 1.5″ thick), glued the two pieces together, and clamped them until they dried. And here’s a look at the outside. I placed it onto a 2″ x 6″ piece of lumber, and traced around the entire side piece, from the bottom of the leg to the top of the side back. I don’t seem to have all the skills you have (funny how that works, huh?) But for now, here’s the 360-degree view of the basic DIY chair frame. You need to order the Porter Cable staples on-line. But a hanging seat can go just about anywhere; unlike a chair… Two areas I really concentrated on lining up correctly were (1) the very bottom (i.e., “foot”) on the leg. Part 6 of 10: How to Reupholster a Wingback Chair – Create a Pattern for Seat and Arms and Sewing. I used 1-inch foam, attached with spray adhesive and tucked into the stretcher rails/posts. I’ve wanted 2 wingback chairs for our dining table and now with your pics and instructions…..I just think I could also do this. When you tear the engine out of the jet, I want to be there. Oh, it’s Thursday. Front Porch & Exterior Makeover (In Progress), Dining Room Crown Molding Progress, Problems & Solutions. I made an upholstered headboard once out of a striped fabric & swore off stripes after that. She wouldn’t be the first! You are incredibly talented to think, design and make your own wingback chairs. I have a box fan set up, but it’s not doing much good. I actually have this narrow crown stapler. Build it from the floor up, so assemble the base seat, then the large back frame, and then the wings. Twice. As usual, Great work! Open in Google Maps Furniture. This job definitely requires patience, and with the heat I don’t know how you can “keep your cool”! Thankfully, I think it’s actually going to work out! The one at Joann Fabrics looks like this, and has instructions on the back of the package. It’s funny the things a person can learn when reading a blog. OMG! Can’t wait to see the finished chairs. Incredible! I then used that piece as a template to trace three more pieces (since I’m making two chairs). Well, I did. And then using a separate piece of fabric, I covered the wing. Simply Amazing, as usual. I did the same thing on the arms as well. OMG, this amazing! Your cat may be trying to take over your blog! Haha! I don’t do nearly enough upholstery to perfect those types of things. I love that you can staple so tightly and close together. Do you need Herculean strength to operate it ? But for now, I’m just relieved to have the basic frame done, and to see that it actually looks like a chair! I like you using the screws while figuring it out, (easier to fix/try again while experimenting), but how are you going to avoid hitting them when upholstering?! After creating a pattern with paper for the arched top, I traced the arch onto the board and cut it out with my jigsaw. I left the front of the seat unfinished for now, and turned my attention to the arms and wings. I am simply at awe of all the projects you do. If you decide to take on a DIY dining chair building project and don’t have a dining chair to use as a template (especially for those back support pieces), I highly suggest taking a trip to Goodwill or Salvation Army and picking up a cheap chair that you can use as a template. (I’ve started so many comments with WOW, that I had to come up with something different, LOL) You are truly a Renaissance woman! Hi again! . Introduction A seat like this is usually called a "porch swing," and a porch certainly is a good location for it. It looks nice on that chair. I did get all of the front upholstered, though.