Morley Lounge Chair

Morley Lounge Chair

Philip Morley

The Morley Lounge Chair was heavily influenced by Mid-Century modern aesthetics, which is where its iconic shape is derived from. It was designed to be comfortable as well as a way to make a statement in any home. Just as important, it is grounded in traditional joinery making it a piece built with integrity.

Dimensions: 30”D x 30"W x 29"H

16 lessons

374 min

$99.00

Here's what you'll learn how to build:

Morley Lounge Chair - Comfortable Chair - The Wood Whisperer Guild

Here's what we'll cover:

Introduction & Templates

A quick tour of the finished chair and a look at the template set.
Roughing Out Parts

The parts are roughed out, keeping grain direction and color in mind.
Milling

The parts are milled to size.
Leg Parts

The leg parts are cut to final size and shape.
The Arms

The arms are cut to size and shape.
Side Assembly Joinery Pt 1

Starting the joinery on the side assemblies.
Side Assembly Joinery Pt 2

Diving into more detail on the arm-shaping.
Side Assembly Joinery Pt 3

Doing a dry fit and fine-tuning.
Seat Frame

Dimensioning of the seat frame and back frame parts
Side Panels Pt 1

Time to move on to the back and side panels. I create the panels by making shop-sawn veneer with plywood as a substrate. I choose to do the veneer panels for this chair for a couple of reasons. The first one is wood movement. The beauty of doing veneer plywood panels is it eliminates wood […]
Side Panels Pt 2

We’ll clean up the panels and glue on the side rails.
Side Assemblies Come Together

Gluing up the side assemblies.
Seat Frame Final Touches

Cleaning up the seat frame and back frame.
Shape and Sand

The final shaping and sanding of the side assembly
Finishing

Applying conversion varnish via HVLP.
Wrap it Up

Wrap up! The finish is in sight. Now everything is complete, the last remaining task is to attach the back frame and seat frame to the chair. I do so by simply using screws. Be careful with the sizing of the screws and the placement. You definitely want to take some time here. The last […]

This is an Advanced Project!

Advanced does not necessarily mean DIFFICULT. It simply means that there won’t be quite as much hand-holding as we normally feature in Guild projects. Philip uses very specific tools (such as the Pantarouter) in his work. While there are alternative options and he discusses and partially demonstrates them, this series doesn’t cover them completely. An experienced woodworker should have no problem substituting their own joinery preferences and tools when building the Morley Lounge Chair.

What will I receive?

Detailed cut list and plans including a PDF and a SketchUp file (Metric and Imperial).
Hours of detailed video instruction showing every step of the build.
All videos and plans are digital and will be available for download upon purchase.

What will I learn?

Learn to make bridle joints
Mortise and tenon joinery
Using spoke shave, hand planes to shape parts
Slip tenon joinery
Using templates and jigs for pattern routing to produce accurate and efficient parts
Use an “L” fence effectively
Importance of reference faces
Coping on table saw
Veneering for panels

What will I need?

Minimum material required: 3 BF of 4/4 Hardwood, 5 BF of 5/4 Hardwood, 10 BF of 8/4 Hardwood, 8 Sq Ft of Veneer (Accent Species), 1 Sheet 1/2″ Plywood.

You’ll need to make (or have an upholsterer make) the two cushions.

Back: 4” thick Soft high density foam with Dacron wrap all around. 21.5” x 23”

Seat: 5” thick firm feel high density foam with Dacron wrap all around . 23.75” x 23”

Instructions for upholstery are NOT provided.

Tools

Table Saw, Bandsaw, Jointer, Planer, Drill Press, Drill, Random Orbit Sander, Router, Router Table

Bits

Stuff I use that you might find useful

Reviews:

Fantastic project! Phil’s approach is thoughtful and organized and quality of the videos is excellent. It is a challenging build but its broken down into steps that make it manageable. While its definitely an intermediate / advanced project I think woodworkers of all level will find value in this course. This chair is now the most beautiful piece of furniture in my home!

Christene J

Guild Member

Great instructions and templates. This was my hardest project to date but Phillip made it very manageable. I learned several new techniques and really expanded my skills. Highly recommend.

Chuck Klein

Guild Member

I’m a novice woodworker and I bit off a little more than I could chew with this project. But the videos are extremely detailed and I learned a TON. It’s not easy to make all of the mortises with a router jig and guide bushing (rather than the Pantorouter that Phil uses in the video), but it’s definitely do-able even for someone with limited experience and skill. I would highly recommend the project. The lounger chair looks and feels amazing, and the project is a fabulous learning experience.

Dave Piedra

Guild Member

Read all reviews / Leave a review

About Your Instructor:

Philip Morley was born in London, England. After a rough academic start, struggling with dyslexia, he found his true passion in trade school where he studied for four years to become a joiner under the City and Guilds program. Once graduated, Philip worked as joiner doing restoration work on various prestigious historical buildings in central London. After moving to the US, he studied with furniture designer Richard Chillcott in Ruskin, Florida for three years before moving to Texas where he apprenticed with Michael Colca for 7 years. He is now a contributing author to Fine Woodworking Magazine and has been published in Woodworker West and Woodskills Magazine. He has taught at Austin Community College, Marc Adams School of Woodworking and Austin School of Furniture and Design. Phil continues to build one-of-a-kind pieces in his small studio located on his property where he can be close to his family.

Morley Lounge Chair Templates

Here's what you'll learn how to build:

Here's what we'll cover:

Introduction & Templates

Roughing Out Parts

Milling

Leg Parts

The Arms

Side Assembly Joinery Pt 1

Side Assembly Joinery Pt 2

Side Assembly Joinery Pt 3

Seat Frame

Side Panels Pt 1

Side Panels Pt 2

Side Assemblies Come Together

Seat Frame Final Touches

Shape and Sand

Finishing

Wrap it Up

This is an Advanced Project!

What will I receive?

What will I learn?

What will I need?

Tools

Bits

Stuff I use that you might find useful

Reviews:

About Your Instructor:

You can build this project, just like these guild members!