Limbert Side Chair
PROJECT #1913
Skill Level: Advanced
Time: 4 Days
Cost: $300
When I was 17 years old, my family had an old craftsman style armchair that we’d inherited years earlier. It was an antique chair with solid bones but badly in need of refinishing. It had all the right details, from the through tenons in the armrests to the dark finish and leather seat. I spent a week stripping the finish and carefully sanding that chair down to bare wood. Alas, as teenagers will do, I moved on to other interests and never finished the project. But I never forgot about that chair.
A Simple Template
Wanting to recreate a similar armchair, I rummaged through my lumber stash for some 8/4 white oak. I was getting low on thick stock, but I found just enough for the four legs and backrest rails. The front legs are straight and square, but the rear legs angle backward for comfort, and require a template. The template is made from a piece of 3/4" MDF 42" long x 4 ½" wide. Lay out the leg shape on the MDF and cut out the template. The angled front of the leg template can be cut with a tapering sled at the table saw. The back of the template can be started with the table saw, and
