I'm building a bench after George Nakashima's benches and chairs. Mine is somewhat different, but I am using his spindle/back support detail. His backs are supported by a triangle; regular spindles in compression supported by two outside spindles in tension. The two outside spindles are larger and attached forward of the regular row of spindles producing a greater angle of attachment.
The mystery is this - pictures of his work (and I've looked at many) show a conundrum. It appears that both the outside spindle and the regular attach parallel to the angle of the back. gn detal.jpgThis is impossible. Further, the outside spindle goes through the back. I don't believe the rake changes because of the curve. Many of his backs are almost flat or with a very slight curve. I think I many end up shaping the back after it is assembled, but maybe someone's tackled this detail before.
I've spent a long time looking at pictures so guesses won't do. I'm looking for someone who's worked such a detail in a similar piece. gn 2.jpg