IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CHAIRS
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, JAMES ALLEN, of the Queen's Hotel, Leeds, in the County of York, Hotel
Manager, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CHAIRS," and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:—
This Invention has for its object the production of a chair which, by the
combined use and effect of an improved construction of joints and framing and
front leg feet, and position of easters; is stronger and more durable and convenient,
and specially suitable for dining room, hotel, restaurant, and such like purposes,
and which may be thus described :—
In lieu of the ordinary "make" or method of construction, with entire pieces
for the back legs and sides of back, and plain single mortise and tenon joints, and
corner blocks or "brackets," fixed with screws; I construct the seat as a soparate
and independent frame, and I attach the four legs of the chair to this frame, by
means of three upright tenons upon each leg, well fitted and glued into
corresponding mortises in the corners of the under side of the said sent frame; twɔ
of each of these sets of three being short or ordinary tenons, and one of the saino
length or height as the thickness of the said frame, and so placed as to constituto
a kind of "key" or binding tenon, for its entire corner, and render corner blocks
or brackets and screws unnecessary.
On the back portion of the upper face of the two side rails of the seat frame,
I also construct good sized, long, taper, dovetailed grooves; and upon the bottom
or under faces of the side uprights of the "back" of the chair, I construct
corresponding solid dovetails, to fit perfectly and glue into these, and thus fix
them, and the back,-firmly to the seat frame and legs; and I further add to the
practical strength and durability of the whole, by enlarging the bottom faces or
"feet" of the front legs, and giving them sufficient convexity to slide freely upon
the carpet or other floor, and by placing the casters upon the back legs, in lieu of
the front ones, as heretofore; the combined effect of the whole of the foregoing
being such as to enable the user to move the chair backwards, by pressure against
the back, without damage to chair or carpet, and to disallow the undue strain
arrising from the habit of balancing the chair,-when occupied,--upon the back
feet or legs, as heretofore.
In the accompanying illustrations Figure 1 is a front view of the top of
one of the legs; Figure 2 is the side or cross view of the same; and Figure 3
is the plan; Figure 4 is a plan of the under side of the seat frame, and

page_text: Figure 5 the upper side or face of the same, showing the large dovetailed
grooves for fixing the chair back. Figure 6 an under side plan of the dovetail
for the latter, upon the base of the side piece of the back. Figure 7 is a
back view of the lower portion of ditto; Figure 8 is a section of part of the
side of the seat frame; Figure 9 a section of the enlarged bottom end or "foot" of
the front legs, and Figure 10 part of the back leg and caster; and in all of these,
a is the tenon or its corresponding mortise; b the taper dovetailed groove; c the
solid dovetail for ditto; d the enlarged convex foot of front leg; and e the caster
upon the back leg or foot.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
The construction or method of manufacture, for increased strength in the joints
and framing; and the construction or formation of the front feet and adapting of
casters upon the back feet, for preventing undue or over straining of the said joints
or parts; virtually as, or. after the manner, and for the purposes herein before
described and set forth.