American Period Furniture 2007  Online Extras

The Chairmaker Part III

We want to first pause at a side chair without a caned back and cross on the underframe. From this, the making of the rest of the chairs is self evident. Similar parts in all of the chairs in this workshop have one and the same name, and in the main are manufactured with the same techniques. It is necessary, however, to know in advance the names of every part of the chair in the chairmaker's workshop, because these are not known in everyday life. They seem to come from the low German and low Saxony languages because the local chairmakers were transplanted from these regions to Berlin. By an elaboration of the letters of each illustration the reader can determine every part in fig. XVII, XVIII, and XVIX, because as already mentioned the similar parts have one and the same names for all of the chairs. Each hind foot, d & f and i & h, makes one single piece with the outer part of the back, e & d and g & l, and these are called the rear stiles (Hinter Stapfen) e & f and g & h. Both rear stiles are joined together by three nails, namely through the crest rail (Kopfstück -- "head piece"), e & g, the shoe rail (Unterkrunpf), i & k, and the rear rail (Hinter-riegel) d & l. Into the crest rail and shoe rail the back splat (Stahnstück) is mortised. The "underchair" is understood by the chairmaker as all the parts below the seat of the chair. In earlier times it had cross stretchers a few inches above the ends of the feet, p, f, h, and q, that were either turned on latin S-shaped wooden pieces. In contrast, the feet of chairs in the current fashion are free and only fastened under the seat. Three rails are involved in this manner of construction, namely the front rail, m & n, and both side rails, n & o, and m & d. These rails are mortised into the front feet or front legs, m & p and n & q. These, and also the front rail, the chairmaker calls the front frame (Vorderfach). Lastly, the seat is likewise composed of four rails, namely the front rail, m & n, the rear rail, d & l, and the two siderails, d & m and l & n.