The Woodshop Shed

Thoughts on a Morris Chair refurbishment

Furnished content.
(from WoodNet.net)


I was able to pick up this "vintage" morris chair from a neighbor who claimed the repair was out of their skill level. I have some thoughts about how best to make the repair, but I also wanted to see if I could determine it's style, vintage, and possible future worth to help determine the level of effort and how I repair the leg.

I've searched the internet ad nauseum to try to find a similar style but haven't found anything. A couple distinctive details on this particular chair I haven't seen online are 1) the seat and backrest are single removable pieces, i.e., the structure/frame and cushions are integral, not separate like most chairs; and 2) the elevation control is actually cut into the back legs vs having a metal hardware for the support rod to rest within.


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A couple questions for the group:

1) Does anyone know this particular style and/or age? I'm guessing it's either a department store version that was mass produced, or a one off homemade version. particularly with the dowel construction of the leg joints.
2) Based on a possibly unknown age, and the difficulty of replacing the front leg without taking the whole chair apart, I'm considering simply drilling through the dowel holes on the front leg, cutting off those dowels from the side piece and driving new dowels in once the leg is attached to the front board. Possibly plugging with a different wood as a design element, or trying to blend it in to be unseen. If I make it a design, I'd also mimic it on the other leg for symmetry. Thoughts?
3) Other advice on fixing the leg joint? I've already cleaned out the broken wood from the dowels.

Thanks
Kevin

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