... and they need to end up looking slim, like this ...
Clearly, there is a great deal of waste to remove from the sides. That is, not to thin the thickness, but to taper the sides to create the impression of thinness.
Here is another view, which better illustrates this ...
The MFT makes a good bench for carving ...
Lines are roughly pencilled on the seat and then the Arbortech is used to carve away as much waste as possible ..
I relied on a Auriou 10-grain rasp to do most of the shaping ...
... until I was loaned the largest rasp I have ever seen. Large enough to cause most rasp-envy. It says Nicholson on it, but it appeared larger than a Nicholson #50, and far, far coarser than the 11-grain the #50 is advertised as having.
I moved between rasps and spokeshaves to shape and smooth the curves ..
To be frank, I worked without a specific plan other than to create fair curves - the curves almost decided what waste to remove, while I monitored the photos I had for reassurance.
In the end, with everything sanded to 80-grit, this was the result. From the underside ...
The upper side, from the rear end ...
And side ...
And one more photo, taken at an angle similar to the "slim line" view above ...
There is still work remaining in the seats: every time I look at the chair photos new details become apparent. Consequently, I shall just get on with the legs, and return to fine-tune the seats later.
Regards from Perth
Derek