The new seat is a prototype made of pine. I will stain and varnish this one and use it for a season. I built a prototype so as to figure out the jigs, router bits, and process steps to get a seat that looks like a match to the original passenger seat you see next to it. The drivers seat will flip in the same manner as the passenger seat. Still to be added is a flat piece on the underside of the seat so that when flipped back, the driver can lean against the seat and have a butt board for comfort. Note that the slots between the slats are the same as in the original.
The slats are joined with biscuits and glue into a panel. The panels are set inside a rabbit in the side rails. The panels are fastened to the side rails with stainless screws, one in the middle of each slat. The screw holes in the panels are elongated to allow for expansion/contraction. The only glue used when assembling the seat (other than the slats) is in the rabbits where the two panels meet. The idea is that the panels can expand and contract with the wide swings in moisture and not crack themselves or the side rails.
More to come when I build flip bases for each veneered in re-sawn mahogany that I recovered from a house that was being remodeled.
Before - This is the morning after i brought her home (I think I am standing on the roof)
