Mass Wood working

A Seat Carved with a Table Saw

Ive been interested in sculpted furniture for a while. One of the projects Ive been obsessed with and gearing up for is a chair. The design Ive been kicking around in my head for my first chair juxtaposes a very square frame with a sculpted seat and back (hopefully well).

Over the years Ive picked up Kutzall carving disc, an Arbortech Turbo Plane and a Foredam rotary tool. Ive played with them all a bit. Theyve got a bit of learning curve, but theyre really fun to play with. I havent mastered them yet, and Im still a bit nervous about shaping a chair seat.

I may not need to though. This video (and the accompanying article in Popular Woodworking) show how Mario Rodriquez shapes seats using a relatively simple table saw jig.
This is a very cool technique, which I definitely want to try. Im not sure Ill leave the seats like this (I think the flat bottom could use a bit more shaping), but its certainly a quick way to make a nice, carved seat.