Shop Tips
Depth Gauge for Chair Seats
A workshop tip on how to make a simple depth gauge for hand-shaped chair seats.
When sculpting the seat of a rocking chair, I came up with this simple jig for gauging depth and symmetry. It’s a piece of scrap, with dowels inserted every 2 in. and marked in 1⁄4-in. increments. As I worked with my grinder to shape the seat, the jig guided me to perfect results.
—Michael Burt, Muncie, Ind.
Drawings: Dan Thornton
From Fine Woodworking #274
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Comments
When I make a sculpted seat, the depths are deeper across the back and rises toward the front. You would need several of these gauges. Alternately drill a number of reference holes at various depths in the seat blank and carve close to those before sanding.
Pleun,
If I understand Michael's jig, the dowels slide in the holes and are marked in 1/4" increments, so a single gauge could be adjusted for various points along the x or y axes of the seat blank. It would depend on having the perfectly snug fit for the dowels that allowed for adjustment without slippage. I suppose if you were making a bunch of the same chair seats, it might be worth having a set of these jigs with fixed dowel placement.
I like this idea and am going to give it a try.
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