Oseberg Chair complete

Some shots from the completed Oseberg chair.  Once the new owner makes the seat for it, I'll get some more shots.  These are mostly from a local event called Kingdom Arts & Sciences.  It is always interesting to see what people are up to.

The oil coats mellowed the Maple quite nicely.  My only quibble is the joint on the front panel.  It's too obvious to me, but it's less so in person with better lighting.

Oseberg Chair - Almost finished

Here's the almost finished Oseberg chair.  It needs to have the pins and pin holes put in, the false seat holes drilled and it needs to be oiled.  The join between the two main boards on the back have both been bevelled to fool the eye.  The boards are not entirely glued in, but will move over time (used a modified breadboard end technique) so I wanted it to not look so obvious.

Oseberg Chair

Oseberg Chair

Next up in the shop - The Oseberg chair.   It will be interesting to make.  The original is made of Beech and the front and sides are not panels, but are solid wood, with the center lowered to give it a paneled effect.  Originally, it had a seat woven into the panels, somewhat like a rope bed.  I'm not going to be making the seat, but instead will make a frame that a seat can be built onto that will simulate the effect of the original cushion.

The original was painted.

Chair from the Oseberg Burial

Woodworker's notes:

1.) The mortise and tenons are rounded and not square, which is unheard of in later construction.
2.) Construction will be out of hard Maple as a substitute for Beech
3.) The front and side panels are all one piece with horizontal grain.  I will be using multiple boards and will try to match the grain
4.) The back posts are triangular, getting the angles for the mortises may be tricky.  Being able to drill the ends of the mortises will help with this.
5.) Unknown trouble - "Here there be dragons"