Danish Modern Bentwood Chair - How do I tackle this?

[lpolson]

I would like to reupholster this chair. (see link below for pics.) I am an experienced seamtress, but have no experience in re-upholstering, other than dining room chairs. Is this a difficult beginner's piece? I know about creating pattern pieces from the original, but am not sure how to tackle taking this one apart and putting it back together. The style is not one I have seen in how-to articles. It looks like the bentwood arm is maybe bolted to the finished upholstered pieces where they meet at the top and bottom. Any advice on where to begin? https://www.dropbox.com/sh/i9hrsmmcafa524l/AAD8O3YDlLLuQvC19PbGMZ4Va?dl=0

[kodydog]

The arms bolted to the finished upholstery would me my first guess. But the question is how do you get inside the frame to tighten the bolt. I don't think its possible. This leads me to believe the arm is glued on using a dowel. Now the question is why would they build a chair this way? It makes it difficult to reupholster it. Unless someone has a better idea all you can do is take it apart and see how it is done. If its bolted on, good. If its glued on you will have to very carefully cut it off. I think a scroll saw would work. Then drill out the dowel and add a new one to reattach it.

[baileyuph]

Where top of decorative wood joins to top of upholstered arm, there may not be a bolt or glued join. 
We may not know until the disassembly process begins.  What I think is possible, there is a insert (something wood or steel that slips into a tight hole in the face of the arm--acting like a pin).  This technique alone will
be very effective in stabilizing that part of the decorative wood, because  the rest of arm is likely bolted at the lower side of the seat (perhaps at least two bolts or more).  These bolts plus the pin can be enough
to hold the Danish style arm to the upholstered frame.  Danish wood is expected to be very hard, stable, and strong.

Like already mentioned, one probably can easily figure this issue out during the disassembly and
tear down.

But, study the stitching of the inside center back to inside arms  --  then note that assembly then is stitched to the outside back and outside arms to form an integrated assembly (a sock if you will) that
is slipped onto the frame in one fell swoop.  Another important point to make is-- note the vertical
seam -along the front of the where the show wood joins the frame that we were initially focusing on
in conversation here.

All seams are often referred to as french seams which is demanding detail, to say the least.

This not a conventional Danish chair - any idea where it came from?

Fabric selection will play into the challenge of doing such a chair.


Very unusual chair and techniques involved. 

Do you own the chair already?

The question was should you?  Can't say, if you leap, be prepared for an education.  There is more
going on here except disassembly of a bentwood chair.

Thanks for showing it - I have been around upholstering a long while and it presents several new
challenges.

Doyle