Seats

[SteveA]

I got 6 seats to do - Stickley side chairs - cherry.  The no sag was mostly torn away and the owners are sitting in a hole.  The foam is good and I will use webbing, burlap, and cotton and put the existing foam back - it's in good shape and sculptured nicely to the seat.  Over the old seat foam was a 1/4 inch foam wrap that was glued to the seating foam and to the sides of the wood seat.  I don't think many here (experienced upholsters) would take the time to razor off the foam from the wood.  I'm guessing you would tear it off and replace it with new.  It took time but now it will be easier for me to put it back in the original footprint - everything is labeled.  The seats were very tight and although the new fabric is thinner I still need to mill down the edges 1/16 on four sides and touch the corners.

[MinUph]

Steve,
  I'd do one and see how they fit. It is a close measurement to fill the gap when they drop in. They don't look good with any space showing.

[SteveA]

Sure - I could easily make 6 seats look like a sloppy fit.  When I picked up the seats I brought a screw gun - took the screws out and the slip seats wouldn't budge.  I punched it twice and cut my finger from the force - I had to ask the customer for a hammer.  Took 3 or 4 shots to push the seat out.  Although the joinery is mortise + tenon - pinned - and no danger of splitting apart  it just seemed way too tight.   I don't know what Stickley is doing lately.  Quality is very questionable.  These seat frames are that paper pulp and are slightly warped concave - might flip them over. 
The fabric was stapled on w/3/8th staples and I was able to pull the fabric off with a light tug and every staple followed.  This customer likes Stickley - this is the same customer I did the Ziggers for last week on their Stickely L/R Chair.  Stickley furniture is world famous and it's odd to see the quality diminish.
I think I will trim only two edges of the seat frame half a saw blade and try one before doing the lot.
SA

[baileyuph]

Given the tight fit of the seat frame(s), not sure about cutting them down.  Once the seat is padded
and then covered with fabric, the gap could be filled. 

Try it, I am thinking ample layered stuffing at the top will pull down and fill what is virtually no gap.

The chairs look to be built strong.  How old do you see the frames to be?

Congrats,

Doyle

[gene]

I'm wondering if the slip seats are original to the chairs. Molded foam is usually made to fit. If someone glued 1/4" foam to the molded foam I'm wondering if it was a re upholsterer fitting molded foam that was not original to the slip seat frame. I can't see Stickley doing something like that. But then, you've got to make a profit.

gene

[SteveA]

The slip seat frames are MDF -
Customer never had them recovered.  The foam looks molded but it's from being held in place a long time from the first fabric.  In order to cover the vertical edges of the wood slip seat they wrapped a thin foam over everything instead of a dacron. Yes make a profit but the seat is not the place to cut corners.  No matter how the chair is built or looks it's the seat that needs to be comfortable and hold up.  Stickely suggest buy once and it lasts you a lifetime.  Or maybe 5 years ? 
SA

[gene]

I thought foam was abrasive and putting it against fabric was not a good idea. I've seen seat cushions on chairs or sofas where the fabric is wrinkled because the fabric is pulled forward when butts slide off the cushion and the abrasive foam keeps the fabric from sliding back into place.

I've never seen 1/4" foam used instead of poly batting or cotton.

gene

[MinUph]

  1/4" foam is used in many cases instead of fiber. It should not be used next to velvet as it will pull the nap out. Real velvet is not a looped yarn. You can tell this by rubbing the back of velvet with your fingernail. The nap will come out unless it is backed with something.
  As for fabric bunching up over foam this is also an issue where it shouldn't be used but one not so easily known.

  Now Stickley. Is a huge disappointment and I'm sure Gustav is turning in his grave. When the new owners took over things changed. I hadn't realized of late just how much but I guess it has. What a shame. The original shop was not far from my hometown. I also understand another furniture manufacturer from there closed up. Frank Harden furniture. We have a sectional of his and it is made like the old furniture. Too bad these factories go away and can't compete with the imported crap.

[SteveA]

Webbing - the old no sag - and a layer of cotton; and glued the foam seat edges onto the wood sides.  I will put dacron (good advice) but keeping it away from the insert edge.  How come no one mentioned about working with spray glue and cotton:) - don't ask !

[SteveA]

Have 4 done today - but now burned out.  The trapezoid shape combined with a faint stripe in this chevron pattern took a lot of time.  Front to back wasn't bad but that side stripe had to look the same as I pulled the fabric.  That drove me crazy.  I took out and put back quite a few staples for every seat until it looked right.  Raising my bench up 8 inches made a difference for less back pain while putting the finished fabric on

[kodydog]

Lookin good there Steve. Sometimes the hardest part is figuring out how to do it right. I did two jobs that way today. But of course we don't include it into our estimates.

[gene]

"How come no one mentioned about working with spray glue and cotton:) - don't ask ! "

In the olden days, they used tar and feathers. Spray glue and cotton is more economically sound today. :-) If you want to dress up your grandchild as a snowman for Halloween???
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"...but that side stripe had to look the same as I pulled the fabric. "

I'm not sure if the poly batting (dacron) makes keeping the stripes parallel easier than only cotton or not, but I grew up on poly batting and I just keep playing with the fabric until I get it right.

Do you put cambric on the bottoms of all your chairs? I do. I've noticed on the rare occasion when I get slip seats in to re upholster and they don't have cambric or some bottom fabric, to me it looks unfinished.

Back pain: I've had my shop for 15 years now, as best I can remember. The first two years I had lower back pain constantly. I knew it was from leaning over my cutting table. I read somewhere that the height of your table should be such that when you stand beside your table, your elbow can touch the top of table. I did this and it made my table noticeable high. I'm 6' 1". My lower back pain went away and has never come back.

[SteveA]

Yes I glued dacron over the top of the foam  seat not letting it extend down to the part that inserts into the chair rebate. The cotton I only used under the foam to give back some crown. For the bottom I will reuse the cambric I took off -
Raising and lowering of the bench is a must for this old back.  I have railroad ties that I can put under the bench and it raises it almost 8 inches.  That height is good for covering the seats.  Still need a couple of advil to take the edge off.
SA

[65Buick]

Looks good Steve. What did you do for those front corners?

And a lot of times for low back pain, your glutes or butt needs stretched.

[SteveA]

You're right exercise is key and I've always done that.  What will serve me well is if i could loose some of this beer gut.  The doc tells me that my back is full of arthritis and when it wants to flare up there isn't much I could do to prevent it.   The corners are pleated and you can't see the pleat when looking down from the top
SA