Fred Ross

Variation of Frank Lloyd Wright barrel chair
Blackwood
820 h x 560 w x 530mm d

Concept
I first made a chair like this more than 10 years ago when a client gave me a photo of a Frank Lloyd Wright chair and asked me to make a pair. I messed about with various 3D jigs to get the upper shape, but in the end opted to make the upper section out of 50mm. blocks of blackwood, cut it roughly to shape and worked away at it to get an acceptable product. However, I wasn’t happy with the look—too much endgrain showing and the too obvious glue lines (colour variations) and joints.
So this is an exercise in technique, with a couple of variations to the original design by Frank Lloyd Wright. The technique consists of laminating the upper and lower curved sections with 2-3mm strips (veneers) of blackwood and tenoning these to the stiles, while for the design I’ve added four brackets under the seat because the tenons are a too short for my liking and I’ve put some downward shape to the arms.
The overall look is quite pleasing, albeit very upright, and the chair remains very much a homage to Frank Lloyd Wright, which is what inspired the initial commission.
The chair is made entirely from Otways and Tasmanian blackwood. The solid stiles and face laminates were from Cockatoo Timbers near Stanley and were supplied as sawn timber. The curved sections are made of 2-3mm thick strips (any thicker and some blackwood fractures), which were cut on a bandsaw (Meber 500) and then sanded on a Performax drum sander, then coaxed together in a simple jig with a dozen or so clamps, with the aid of PVA glue (Craftmaster F9M).
The upper section has three parts; the two lower ones laminated separately then joined at a slight angle backwards, with the aid of a floating tenon (or biscuit) 8mm thick recessed into both curves.
The top section is solid, butt glued to disguise the laminates and give a prominent look, partially shaped before gluing and then tidied up once glued. The slats to the rear are fitted into a 10mm hole squared up by chisel and prefinished prior to assembly, due to the difficult access once assembled. The lower curved section is made in the same jig and imitates the upper shape.
The seat is a mortise and tenoned structure (tenons on a tablesaw, mortise by router) which is tenoned into the stiles (tenons and mortises by router and tenon saw) and supported by brackets which increase the strength and life of the chair exponentially, but some would say at the expense of Frank Lloyd Wright’s original clean lines. The stiles are tenoned into the curved sections.
The finish is shellac, applied with both mop and rubber, and no I didn’t count the coats.
Buttoning Upholstery, Ballarat, did the interesting upholstery.
Overall, a very upright chair that is pleasing to the eye.

Photos: Vida Pearson