How is this chair made?

[Pete Lamberty]

I was wondering how this chair is made. It looks like someone just bent a big piece of plywood, but I doubt that. Any idea? I copied this photo off of the Furniture Societies homepage. I hope that is okay to do. Due to my ineptness I was unable to attach the photo. Chris did it for me in a later post. So scroll down and you will see the chair. Thank Chris.

[Jim Ketron]

Can't see it Pete

Jim

[Pete Lamberty]

Sorry, photo didn't get attached. Hmmm....

[Dan Gill]

I'd say it's made invisibly. :D

[Michael Stafford]

Invisibly made chairs are one of the hardest types to make. However their beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Fleeting beauty at that...

[Roger Barga]

Are you referring to the chair made my Richard Judd? If so, the construction was (likely) sheets of 1/8" bending ply glued up on a form, with bubinga veneer on top/bottom, and placed in a vacuum press to pull the bending ply onto the form. Making the form is the more difficult aspect, but it isn't as hard as it is time consuming. If you are interested I can provide additional details.

[Ian Barley]

Surely that's the Emperors new chair?

[Pete Lamberty]

Yes Roger thats it. For everyone else, please click on this link. http://www.furnituresociety.org/home.shtml
Then scroll down the page until you see a small color thumbnail that is a photo of wood grain. It says 2004 ICFE next to it. Please click on that link. Scroll down the new page and when you will see some photos. I am talking about the chair that is the fourth picture over from the left top row. It is made by Richard Judd. Roger has given me a little info on how it is made. If you Roger, or any one else could tell me how this chairs is made, I would be grateful. I think I would like to design my own. Thanks, Pete

[Chris Padilla]

Here you go:

[Ian Barley]

Pete

Sorry for being a smartypants - I normally resist but I just got overwhelmed.

The chair looks beautiful. I can't help but wonder whether it is any good to sit on. It looks precarious. I would be scared that it would give way if I put my (not completely outlandish) weight on it. The angle between the seat and the back looks too acute - you would end up folded in two. The ideal angle is somewhere close to 100 degrees so that you sit slightly "open"

Whenever I see something like this I can't help but ask whether it is meant to be furniture or art. As art it works, as furniture I don't think it does.

As for construction - I'm pretty sure that Roger has got it pinned.

[Chris Padilla]

Ian,

I've sat in some wild-looking chairs like this before and while I haven't sat in this particular one, I've found them surprisingly comfortable. However, that said, I do agree that this one looks mightly uncomfortable...but I bet I'm wrong! :)

[Roger Barga]

Hi Pete,

I made a chair similar to this a couple of years ago and would be happy to answer any questions you might have - feel free to send a private message. The technique I employ requires a vacuum press (not sure if you could pull it off using only clamps), access to bending plywood (1/8" or 3/16") and that you use a rigid glue (such as unibond 800) to reduce springback or movement after its glued up.

There is a new plywood product called Kerfkore (flexible 2-ply product, which is essentially plywood with kerf cuts already made so it will bend) that you may be able to substitute for the bending ply.

Again, fire away with any questions you have.

[Jamie Buxton]

I would be scared that it would give way if I put my (not completely outlandish) weight on it. The angle between the seat and the back looks too acute - you would end up folded in two. The ideal angle is somewhere close to 100 degrees so that you sit slightly "open"



Ian ---

As for the possibility of collapse, try this thought experiment. In your mind, take that piece of bent plywood, straighten it out, and sit it on two sawhorses. You'd be looking at a piece of plywood perhaps 8 feet long by 30" wide by 1" thick. I'll bet you could sit on that without breaking it, right?

This straight piece of plywood would certainly flex under your weight, which might give us some hints about the dynamics of the chair. Certainly it will flex when somebody sits on it. It may be that the maker tucked the rear underneath to make the flex behave the way he wanted; there isn't an obvious visual reason for that tuck. However, the flex will also act to reduce the seat-to-back angle, so your observation about that angle may be even more ...um.. acute.

I'd certainly like to see the chair, and even more like to sit in it.

Jamie

[Pete Lamberty]

Thanks Chris for getting the photo on this page.

Ian, I just consider the source of the smart remarks, from you and others, and can easily shrug them off. :D :D

As far as I am concerned this chair is what I would call functional art. whether the chair is comfortable or not remains to be seen. I, myself, have a different design in mind so I can try to make the chair as comfortable as possible. Hopefully Roger, or someone else, will give me more instruction as to how to do it.

Thanks again for the insruction and the smart remarks. :D Pete

[Ian Barley]

Ian ---

As for the possibility of collapse, try this thought experiment. In your mind, take that piece of bent plywood, straighten it out, and sit it on two sawhorses. You'd be looking at a piece of plywood perhaps 8 feet long by 30" wide by 1" thick. I'll bet you could sit on that without breaking it, right?

I'd certainly like to see the chair, and even more like to sit in it.

Jamie
Jamie

You know what - I wouldn't trust that piece of straight plywood either - certainly not if the drop would hurt. For what its worth I weigh about 220 pounds. I get kinda worried when furniture deflects at all under a reasonable load. I would guess that 1" of ply at 8' centres would deflect by somewhere between 4" and 8" with a 220 pound weight applied to its centre, maybe more? Almost certainly enough to feel unstable.

I guess I was trying to provoke some thought on what a piece like this is "for". I am not for a moment questioning its validity or the skill involved in making it. But if there were two contests running, one for art and one for furniture I think this should be in the art category. Doesn't make it any less impressive but where the decorative input is greater than the functional one I have to think of it as sculpture and was just kinda hoping to get some other points of view going.

[Pete Lamberty]

Hi Pete,

Again, fire away with any questions you have.

Hi Roger, Thanks for the help on this one. I would like to make a rocking chair using this technique. You can probably already imagine exactly what my chairs profile would look like. Pretty basic design, I would think. One of the problems I always have is time. It will take me a while to start and finish something like this. First thought that I have is, The total length of plywood for my chair. I doubt if a 8 by 4 foot piece of plywood would be long enough. The design would look something like... draw a line starting with the top of the back, bring the line down to about where the back of the seat is and curve it foward for the seat. Move it forward to make the seat and then curve the line down and shape it to be the curve of the rockers. Pretty simple if you were able to follow my description. Sorry I can't post a sketch, but if I can't get a photo on here who knows how I would manage a sketch. I would thnk that if stretched out the toatal length of the chair would be more than 8 feet. Maybe I could overlap the ends. Hmmm... Anyway I am just thinking out load. Thanks again and I will be in touch. Pete

[Roger Barga]

responses to your email below. if you will send me your mailing address I will send you an article on making curved forms by laminated w/ a veneer press. It make take me a week or so to get around to this, but it will explain all that I know about the subject.

Roger

"First thought that I have is, The total length of plywood for my chair. I doubt if a 8 by 4 foot piece of plywood would be long enough."

You're correct, you'll end up splicing pieces together. Laying them end to end and edge glue them prior to assembly (simple 3M blue tape will serve as "clamps" while the glue dries). The purpose here is to keep the pieces in alignment while the chair is being glued up. I made my chair out of eight layers of 1/8 bending ply. You'll alternate grain to gain strength. For both top and bottom I used three layers of bubinga veneer, with the middle layer running against the grain. The result is suprisingly strong but still has a lot of spring in it.

"The design would look something like... draw a line starting with the top of the back, bring the line down to about where the back of the seat is and curve it foward for the seat. Move it forward to make the seat and then curve the line down and shape it to be the curve of the rockers. Pretty simple if you were able to follow my description. Sorry I can't post a sketch..."

I put your description into my furniture translator and here's what came out (image attached).

[Pete Lamberty]

You got it Roger. I like your furniture translator. If you put wood in there, will a chair come out? Seriously now, that is what I had in mind. I would appreciate if you could send me any of the info that you have. What do you think? Is it doable? Is it a decent design idea? My email is petelamb@yahoo.com. Thanks Roger. Pete

Hey look! I finally got it to work. :D :D

[Roger Barga]

It is a very "doable" project. Again, making the form is the most timing consuming aspect of the project. The glue up is a bit of a pain so it would help to line up a second pair of hands. Strength is not as much of an issue as one might think -- a friend of mine actually made the backs of his dining chairs out of 32 sheets (alternating grain) of veneer (each chair back has a wave running through it, like a flag in the wind). You are essentially making your own plywood.

The article I mentioned is a chapter from the following: The Veneering Book, David Shath Square, 1995, ISBN 1-56158-093-7. You should be able to get it through your local library, or I can send you a copy of the chapter. After you read this, I guarantee you'll be ready to take on this project.

Cheers, Roger

[Pete Lamberty]

Thanks for all of the info Roger. I will look for the book this weekend. Pete

[Chris Padilla]

Pete,

This looks to be pretty cool...be sure to take lottsa pics!!! :D

[Pete Lamberty]

Chris, you have to be kidding about the pictures, right? If it wasn't for you no one here would have been able to see what the chair looked like. It took me forever to figure out that I didn't save it correctly. In about a year or two I will probably have it finished and then I will be asking for your help, again. :D

Roger, What program is your furniture translator?

Thanks again everyone. Pete