Reproducing a Classic
Above: The 10 reproduction chairs I made.
An interior designer that I have done a number of projects with asked me to reproduce some dining chairs. The client, David Copley, had 12 chairs but needed 10 more for his sizable dining table. And not just any chairs, but an intricate set of classic reproductions made of sweetina mahogany and Celon satinwood with inlays of ebony, maple and walnut.
Chairs are always more time consuming to produce than larger pieces such as tables or cabinet work because of the number of pieces and joinery required to make the chair strong. The curved inlays in the back of the chair and side seat rails are 3/16" wide and made of five different pieces of wood. The curves in the back leg and back of the chair are multiple compound-curved inlays, an extremely labor intensive job. I loved every minute of the meticulous work to create exact copies of the original chairs. They turned out fabulous. I was told that David Copley loved them, and that meant a lot to me as a craftsman.
Above: Close up of inlay work.
Above: Close up of inlay and joinery.
Above: Close up of inlay
Above: An even closer look at the inlay.
