Morris chair restoration #1: I may have bit off more than I can chew

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This is part 1 in a 5 part series: Morris chair restoration

Disclaimer: Please be aware that just because I have documented this journey does not mean that I have a clue about what I’m doing.

Note: The chair is now finished but I decided to document my journey in a blog rather than posting all these photos with the final project. [I tried to put sections together in a way that would be understandable and not necessarily in the order in which I tackled the project.]

When I was a kid, I remember napping in this Morris chair at my grandparents’ house. One day (a few years back) my aunt photographed me while I was napping.

When my grandparents’ “estate” was divided, my oldest brother got the chair and it sat in his basement for several years. I inquired as to what had happened to the chair, and my brother gave it to me. For the next umpteen years, it sat in my workshop with the intention that I would reupholster it and replace a spindle.

Fast forward half a lifetime . . .

I had just completed a major bathroom remodel and decided my next project would be quick and simple.

The chair’s condition left much to be desired. I had never really looked it over thoroughly to see how it was constructed. (It wasn’t used while it sat in the workshop.)

The hinges with which the top cushion was attached were bent out of shape and the screws were falling out.

The mechanism to adjust the back cushion was attached to two recycled chunks of wood that had just been hacked to size – [but I do like the hardware that held the rod in place].

“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Benjamin Franklin

I have projects like that I think the one waiting the longest is about 10 years overdue for completion .

woodworking classes, custom furniture maker