Reamers for Chairmaking (Choosing a Taper)

Elia has made thousands of reamers over the last 15 years. Here he talks about the history of the design, and what to consider when deciding on a taper. The full recording of the class is available by donation: handtoolwoodworking.com/tool-m...

[@wmwalkerco]

Oh man! Very informative. Thank you.

[@crunchysaviour]

Loved this excellent explanation. I learned new concepts instantly from this. Thank you!

[@ibrhemahmed170]

Thank you

[@sethwarner2540]

Thanks for abundant detail on your videos! I have a question; I make outdoor seats: benches, stools . So, how do I build outdoor furniture so that the legs dont inch their way up through the seat, and crack it? Shrinking and expanding is not something I can stop!!

[@eliabizzarri56]

I'm afraid I don't know the answer to this. A round mortise and tenon joint is about the worst glue joint there is; I would try to look for a joint that doesn't rely on it being really tight to do it's job. I don't know what that is, but something with a shoulder underneath, pinned or wedged in place might be good. But I'm just guessing.

[@redwolf7929]

Is there a way to make a reamer without a lathe?

[@eliabizzarri56]

You could probably do it with a plane, drawknife, spokehave, scrapers. You'd need to methodically layout and process, and you'd need patience for the test fitting, but I think you could do it.

[@melefth]

I made one that way in white oak. It works fine. I'm going to make another one with a slightly steeper angle out of 'maple' (tree of heaven felled in the local park last year.