Popular Woodworking Plans

The current issue has plans for a Caleb James chair that I want to build.
I would like to buy their plans.

However, I can't do it because I just don't seem to get around in the site.
I used to be able to do so, oh well.

I will have to draw the plans. I have AutoCad, so it will not be much of a challenge.

I think I will build the chair using mesquite with the secondary wood being soft maple.

I built the Paul Sellers Brazos Rocker back when he was at Homestead Heritage.
I made the chair using mesquite and it is gorgeous.

Not sure if this is what you're looking for, but Popular Woodworking provides some patterns for that chair for free:

http://wwwcdn.popularwoodworking.com...ChairPlans.pdf

Glen, that is the chair and I downloaded the pdf. They also have patterns available, but I couldn't find them on their site.

I can make full size templates, but I would be happy to purchase them. If Megan does not respond, I will. I can do it on AutoCad,
but I can't plot full size. I may do the full size drawings and get someone to plot them for me. I think there is a charge for the patterns.

I bet Megan responds, she has in the past.

Lowell, the PDF that Glen linked to is the full-sized pattern. E-mail it or put it on a USB stick and take it to your local office supply store for printing. Or use the poster print option in Acrobat Reader to print it on multiple sheets in your own printer.

Thanks Dave.

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Originally Posted by Glen Gunderson

Not sure if this is what you're looking for, but Popular Woodworking provides some patterns for that chair for free:

http://wwwcdn.popularwoodworking.com...ChairPlans.pdf

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Thanks for sharing. It will surely help all who face the same issue.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lowell holmes

Glen, that is the chair and I downloaded the pdf. They also have patterns available, but I couldn't find them on their site.

I can make full size templates, but I would be happy to purchase them. If Megan does not respond, I will. I can do it on AutoCad,
but I can't plot full size. I may do the full size drawings and get someone to plot them for me. I think there is a charge for the patterns.

I bet Megan responds, she has in the past.

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I kinda did that - I downloaded the plans they have (PDF format) and traced them in CAD. They're full size and then I took that drawing to Fedex Office and had them make a print for me. That particular print cost me $9. Then the next month they did the weaving part of the project. There's a PDF for the weaving pattern that you can download. It's full size. I also took that to Fedex Office and had a print made of that. All very easy.

Yeah, I'm going to have to stick the drawing onto some MDF and create my own templates. Nothing I haven't done before.

John, was there some reason the FedEx office couldn't print the PDF you downloaded? It's already full sized so there should be no need to redraw anything.

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Originally Posted by Dave Richards

John, was there some reason the FedEx office couldn't print the PDF you downloaded? It's already full sized so there should be no need to redraw anything.

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I started out wanting to know the exact dimensions of the parts. For my own amusement if nothing else.

So I began by importing the PDF into my 3D CAD to trace it. But while I was doing the tracing I noticed a difference between the ends of the seat side frame and the backrest side frame. Yet there are two equal parts for those ends. It struck me as odd. In one (the backrest side frame) the rail would fit as shown. But on the seat it wouldn't fit the same. What I chose to do when I made my own drawing is make them equal on both parts. In other words I copied the CAD for the top rail profile from the backrest to the seat side frame. Now I *know* they're equal.

I might be wrong. I've been known to be wrong in the past. Maybe there was a problem with the importing of the PDF into my 3D CAD.

Anyway, nowadays before I commit to constructing anything I'll draw all of the parts into 3D CAD to see it and how the parts will fit together before I spend any time actually making anything.

Why do all that? Well, by the time I've done all that drawing I'm thoroughly familiar with the design. I'm only going to make this project once (well, twice) and I find the first of anything generally has a lot of errors or things not quite right for lack of familiarity. And a 3D model lets me pull dimensions from it very easily.

No, I do not use Sketchup. I use Solidworks.

FWIW I took the PDF of the weaving patterns directly to Fedex Office for them to print. Also, at this time, I've got an awful lot of time and money invested in this project. Not only all that drawing but I bought all the hardware and supplies needed to make it. This will be a next winter project. Right now I'm completing a king size bed project for my son. Then I've got some maintenance to do to my house while the weather is good.

John, since I had suggested that Lowell could just have the PDF file from the link printed full size, I wanted to make sure there isn't something preventing it from being printed.

I agree with the idea of drawing out a project digitally with all the parts sized correctly. It definitely makes it easier to spot errors in the plan without wrecking any wood. It doesn't matter whether it's done in Solidworks, SketchUp or some other application. All will get the job done.

I suspect that those who print the free pdf will be surprised or not know why the chair they built doesn't look quite the same as the one in the magazine. In fact, there may not be enough shoulder for the paper cord at the ends of the seat rail.

Sometimes this is the problem with using free plans or building what you saw on a TV woodworking show.