The oak settle is finished, at last! Have a look. I’ve stained the oak slightly darker to match an existing table.
The batons under the seat flaps add strength and keep the wood from cupping. They are screwed on through a slot instead of a screw hole. This allows the wood to expand and contract across the grain without splitting.
The hinges are nicely burnished and recessed into the seat.
The back legs are attached to the arms with a through dovetail joint. This is not only an elegant detail, but also it holds the whole of the back panel in place.
The other end of the arm rests are doweled onto the front legs. They resist any pulling from the dovetails at the other end. the whole structure of the settle allows the wood to sympathetically ‘breathe’ over time, whilst keeping sound mechanical strength as it gets used.
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