Herman Miller manufactured solid wood dowel leg chairs for only a short time; they had already discontinued the first iteration of the dowel base by 1954 and consequently the original dowel bases are extremely rare. The Dowel Base is part of the 1948 chair design that was included in MOMA’s International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture Design.

This iconic design is handcrafted by Modern Conscience in solid maple hardwood (click here to learn more about the difference between maple and birch), one of the originally available hardwoods. This base will fit all of the Charles Eames for Herman Miller shells. It is available in both the wide and narrow configuration. Click here to determine the mount type for your seat.

The wood is finished with hand rubbed tung oil, which is sustainable, non-toxic and easy to maintain (click here to learn more about wood finishes). Maple and birch both begin as a bright wood and gradually develop a "sun tan" over time; your base will have that warm, mid-century look about one year after purchase. The metal is finished in durable zinc plating. Zinc plating is a unique finish, it will look quite bright and shiny initially, but will patina to a pleasing matte over time. It is exceptionally difficult to find zinc platers capable of a furniture grade finish - we put in the extra effort to find the best zinc platers in the US because the original vintage finish was zinc and not chrome (chrome stays mirror shiny and does not patina). Hopefully you appreciate the nerd level of detail we've honed down to.