What to use for webbed frame on a chair seat cushion?

[Kent A Bathurst]

Am closing in on the finish line of a set of A+C dining chairs. I am not doing the upholstery - that is being outsourced. The finished seat cushion will drop in, sit on cleats, and be attached with screws coming up from underneath.

The plan, after talking to some qualified upholstery shops, is to supply them with an open frame. They will put webbing on it, and then whatever it is they do, to build up the seat cushion. We are talking heirloom stuff here. Cattle will die. Not in vain, but they will still be dead, and appreciated.

My question is this:

It appears that a doweled or M+T frame, from hardwood, is common. Can I instead use birch 3/4" plywood for the seat frame? It seems to me that the hardwood frame would be cheaper in a high-volume production shop that is set up to do them - using downfall from low-grade lumber is a never-ending headache for them. But for me - needing only 7 copies [don't ask why 7, not 6, not 8] it seems a chunk of plywood cut to fit, then with the field cut away to leave an open frame, would be easier. The issue is shop time, not material cost, but I don't want to do something that is stupid.

PS - A solid plywood base is not being considered, so please don't take your time to offer that as an alternative.

Thanks

Kent

[Bill White]

Kent, I don't see why not. Might want to keep the frame about 2" wide. I'm assuming that you'll just cut from sheet goods?
The ply will accept the webbing tacks well unless there are a bunch of wierd voids.
Bill

[Myk Rian]

Why not ask the upholstery shop what they would recommend?
I would go with a solid wood frame for heirloom quality.

[Mark Salomon]

Don't use ply. It's not strong enough to resist the pull of the webbing...especially
if it's rubberized webbing. Plywood also splinters and could damage any webbing stretched across it. Poplar is usually the preferred choice.

[Sam Murdoch]

Don't use ply. It's not strong enough to resist the pull of the webbing...especially
if it's rubberized webbing. Plywood also splinters and could damage any webbing stretched across it. Poplar is usually the preferred choice.


Good answer.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Don't use ply. It's not strong enough to resist the pull of the webbing...especially
if it's rubberized webbing. Plywood also splinters and could damage any webbing stretched across it. Poplar is usually the preferred choice.

Which is what I was looking for when I asked.

Thanks.

You're helping, but you ain't "helping", if you know what I mean. :p :p

[Carl Beckett]

Don't use ply. It's not strong enough to resist the pull of the webbing...especially
if it's rubberized webbing. Plywood also splinters and could damage any webbing stretched across it. Poplar is usually the preferred choice.

+1. Have used popular, maple, and oak. Sometimes I have wrapped webbing all the way around the frame. First one direction, then the other two opposite sides and weave it as you wrap. One long piece in each direction. If you did this the plywood might be ok

But I still vote for popular.