August 17, 20241 yr Popular Post Hi Everybody, Here's my latest Sketchup model, an Adirondack Chair, with a little streamlining. I looked at a lot of pictures of the chair and I think this design is unique. Also, there are many ways to use color. I'm showing three. This model turned out to be harder than I thought and I spent hours working on little problems until the lightbulb came on, and I saw a much easier way to do it. What do you think? Dan
August 18, 20241 yr Author Hello Haro, One thing about making Sketchup models is that you don't have to worry about the actual construction of the real thing. Though, I think with a few adjustments, this wouldn't be too hard to build. I made everything out of 3/4" materials, but I think the legs, at least should be thicker. Also, it probably needs another support or two that would be hidden. Also, perhaps the back should have a little curvature. Dan
August 19, 20241 yr Author Hi All, A few people have asked if I have plans for this chair. I've put together some pages that show each piece with measurements. It is not an official plan, but I think it would work if someone wanted to build it. If interested, please let me know and I'll send it, or post it. Dan
August 25, 20241 yr Design vs Build. The classic challenge of the furniture design courses I taught for 4+ decades. Students with no prior woodworking/build experience often proposed designs that looked great but would be difficult or wasteful to build. Chair design comes with a higher performance expectation given the static and dynamic loads a chair must deal with. Add in the ergonomics and accommodating the varying shapes that occupants might come in. Rough prototypes had to be built of most chair designs just so we could "discover" the weak structural and ergonomic aspects. I suspect the flat plane of the back slats would be more comfortable if they had a slight arc to them in plan view. The leg side shape is certainly a wasteful shape to make. Not impossible, but would require lots of cutoff waste to make if made from wood. Even cut from plywood there would be lots of waste to get the curved parts out of rectangular sheets. I appreciate your posts and design proposals Dan. Keep them coming. 4D
August 25, 20241 yr Author Hi 4D, Thanks for your comments. I guess as a modeler, I can fall into the trap, but even so, I am naive enough to imagine that anything I can think of can be done. I wish I had a workshop to try and make this chair! Sometimes, not knowing the difficulties in advance can lead to success, or, I guess failure. I certainly wouldn't try to compete with your deep knowledge and experience. I have done a few "impossible" things in my life, that I (fortunately) didn't understand what I faced. Dan
August 25, 20241 yr 28 minutes ago, Dan Cooper said: I have done a few "impossible" things in my life, that I (fortunately) didn't understand what I faced. Dan That is one of the graces of life. Not knowing a thing is impossible yet succeeding with it. It explains the advancement of mankind from cave dwelling to walking/jumping on the moon. 4D
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