Hudson River Valley Chairs 1740-1800

I wanted chairs to go with a cherry Shaker kitchen table I made several years ago but I didn't want to make Shaker chairs. The chair plans are from Queen Anne Furniture by Norman Vandal (1990 edition, pages 74 -81).

The Hudson River chairs are a turning project requiring a certain level of proficiency. The back posts need a 41" blank, so a long lathe bed is needed.  The front legs are splayed out 2 degrees and the back posts have a 2 degree rake so there are a lot of compound angle when you drill the sockets. 

I mounted the legs and posts in a fluting box with an indexing disk (same as you use when fluting and reeding), and tilted the drill press table 2 degrees (a pic of the setup is included).

A photo of the various stages of finishing is included.