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Thread: Maloof Style Chair - Finished!!

  1. #31
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    New Jersey
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    13,721

    Walnut ready to finish

    Spent some time sanding this weekend.

    The 1st four pix show the walnut chair ready for finish. My sanding schedule is 60, 100, 150, 220. I used a ROS on the seat and headrest, and then followed by hand. On the legs I sanded by hand. I like to sand quickly. Once I get to 220, I rub it down with a clean cloth and can clearly see all the tooling marks I missed. Then I just spot fix. A curved scraper gets the deepest marks out quickly. Scott likes to sand up to 320, but I prefer to wetsand my finish in starting at 220 and working up to 600 or 1000; for me it produces a smoother/flatter finish.

    I curved over the back of the headrest completely to make it thinner. Since my seat is laminated 4/4, I was leery about grinding down too far. To achieve a thinner illusion, I rounded over the bottom of the seat.

    Getting the inner profile of the headrest smooth and flat is always tricky because the sanding pad is too large to conform to the radius. So, I tipped the pad at about 45 degrees to fit the profile. The danger here is that you can easily dig divots. So, I only did this with 100grit, and kept the sander moving. Every minute, I blew off the dust, and let my fingers tell me how well I was progressing.

    The 3rd pic here illustrates why I love this kind of Maloof project (and I know the rocker dudes will concur): As you shape and sand the joints, the transitions and lines just reveal themselves. The videos give you a guide, and it's nerve wracking at first to take off so much material. But as you approach the end, the lines come alive and the joint just shows you how it 'wants' to flow. It's a great feeling.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Prashun Patel; 04-04-2011 at 9:18 AM.

  2. #32
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    13,721

    Finishing Walnut

    I put the first coat of finish on last night. I'm using Waterlox high gloss. I've thinned it way back with Mineral spirits. On the headrest and seat, I wiped it on with a liberally soaked cloth, and then wetsanded with 220. On the legs, I just wiped it on liberally. Then I used the cloth to rub the chair for about 10 minutes. This gets all the 'soaky' areas sealed, and keeps it from puddling anywhere else. By the end, the seat looks like it's just been polished. It dries duller, but subsequent coats will shine it up permanently. The nice thing about this type of application is that I don't have to worry too much about getting ALL the dust off the chair b4 finishing. I just brush it off and wipe it down. Any residual dust is in the pores, which actually helps to fill them. The finish is thin and it gets abraded so any roughness or nibs get removed by subsequent steps.

    The final 2 pix show how I fix the minor gaps in the leg joints. During the wetsanding, I just rub over the offending gap, and it fills in nicely.

    I like to start with 220 wet because it fills the grain and errors fast.

    I did find a couple scratches that I'll need to spot fix. This is the beauty of Waterlox on walnut: so easy to apply, and since there's no stain/dye to contend with, spot sanding and then reapplying the varnish is an easy fix.

    On the left side of the last pic, you can see an error I made when cutting the dado. I've made this mistake of cutting too deep before. I fixed the errant kerf with a spline. I oriented the grain the same direction - or so I thought. Beauty mark!...?
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Prashun Patel; 04-04-2011 at 9:13 AM.

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Escondido, CA
    Posts
    6,224
    Great work, Prashun. I really like the detail on the bottom of the joint between the backrest and the post in picture 3.

    Thank you for keeping the pictures coming.
    Veni Vidi Vendi Vente! I came, I saw, I bought a large coffee!

  4. #34
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    5,582
    Prashun,
    First off- very nice joinery and shaping on this chair - well done. Second, curious on the dimensions - the pictures don't seem to match with your description, ie: headrest? I suspect this is the backrest and not the headrest, but maybe its made for kids? On the seat though, could you share the dimensions, seat height, front seat width, back seat width, and front to back seat depth and height of the backrest? Thanks.

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    13,721
    Pat-
    Yes, it's a backrest. Whoops! i didn't even think about that. I'll try to measure tonight.

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Grand Forks, ND
    Posts
    2,336
    Quote Originally Posted by Prashun Patel View Post
    I fixed the errant kerf with a spline. I oriented the grain the same direction - or so I thought. Beauty mark!...?
    I think I'd go with "a tough year of growth for this tree, as its obvious by the dark coloration".

    The chair looks great, its amazing how the joinery flows out so nice.

    Looks very comfy also. Great work.

  7. #37
    Really nice design.

  8. #38
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    13,721

    Finished

    I completed the chairs yesterday.
    I was planning on giving one to a friend, but can't decide which one I like better.

    The finish on both chairs is thinned Waterlox Original Gloss.
    I wetsanded the varnish at 220, 400, 600, 1000, and finally 1500.
    I used so little varnish - about 4 oz for both chairs. I wish I was better at taking pictures because the grain on the maple really popped well and I'm pleased with the texture.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    SoCal
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    22,494
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    Thanks for taking us along on this Prashun. Those came out wonderfully. I have really enjoyed being along for the ride on this build. Very well done. Whatta figure on that material
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  10. #40
    Great work, Prashun!!! I really like the curly maple chair - beautiful finish work.

  11. #41
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Stony Plain, Alberta
    Posts
    2,702
    Real nice ride Prashun. Thanks for taking us along. I agree with John on the maple one. That figure is great..

  12. #42
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Pooler (Savannah), GA
    Posts
    197
    WOW! Great job Prashun! I really like the figure that "popped" on that Walnut chair. Super job!

  13. #43
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Escondido, CA
    Posts
    6,224
    I like the Maple best, except for the Walnut.

    You should keep the walnut do you'll have a matched set with your rocker.

    Wait, no, keep the maple for contrast.

    Wait, no, make a different one for your friend and keep both.
    Veni Vidi Vendi Vente! I came, I saw, I bought a large coffee!

  14. #44
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Port Orchard WA
    Posts
    435
    Wonderful work. I love the way you got the most out of the alternating angled grain on the chair backs. I agree with Brian!

  15. #45
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Tucson
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    5,001
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    Prashun, you've done a beautiful job on all of the above. I love curly maple but I can't tell you which I like better. They both have such rich color and figure. Congratulations on such a fine job.
    What you listen to is your business....what you hear is ours.

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