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Folding Adirondack chair WIP

Robert

Robert

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I started drawing this up ages ago. I finished the drawing a couple of months back but other things needed doing first. Bit too late for this year so these are not in any rush so don't expect rapid progress :)

Here is a snip of the drawing
Adirf%20-10.JPG


and folded
Adirf-11.JPG


I think it will work but I'll not be sure until it is together. If it works out I'll post the drawing file in case anyone else wants to try one.

So I laid out the parts in the same plane and printed the outlines full size on A4 paper then stuck them together.
Adirf-100.jpg


Didn't want to mess with double sided tape so I cut holes and masking taped over them to hold the pattern onto the MDF template
Adirf-101.jpg


After some careful bandsawing and a bit of edge smoothing
Adirf-102.jpg


Previously I've double sided taped templates onto the workpiece but I'm not worried about the odd screw hole so I just screwed the template to the Oak floorboard.
Adirf-103.jpg


I made a crude guide to run along the template on the bandsaw
Adirf-104.jpg


Sawn blank a tiny bit oversize
Adirf-105.jpg


Years ago I made some chairs using templates. I still had the panel with guard I made for trim routing. Still works well
Adirf-106.jpg


Annoyingly I had to resort to hand tools to scrap out an inside corner
Adirf-107.jpg


And also couldn't use the table setup to trim
Adirf-108.jpg


They will have to go through the thicknesser to take off the relief cuts and old surface finish but making these so far has been relatively easy.
Adirf-109.jpg


I will be making at least 2 of these but plan is to complete one and see if anything needs changing.

To be continued..sometime
 
That looks like a really interesting folding design. What was the reason you couldn’t use a flush trim but on your router table to clean up around the template?
 
Every now and then I want to model a simple mechanism such as the elements of your folding chair to see where things might foul and the locus of certain features.
Did you manage to do this in sketch up or perhaps used another technique?

Bob
 
woodstalker":1vrr6fcz said:
That looks like a really interesting folding design. What was the reason you couldn’t use a flush trim but on your router table to clean up around the template?
Click to expand...

I did use a large flush trim bit. It was just my home made guard preventing me getting in to a hollow area on the main structural plank. I went round the other 95% no problem.

9fingers":1vrr6fcz said:
Every now and then I want to model a simple mechanism such as the elements of your folding chair to see where things might foul and the locus of certain features.
Did you manage to do this in sketch up or perhaps used another technique?

Bob
Click to expand...

Nothing that clever. I just made groups of all the parts that were rigidly joined then rotated them about the pivot points. The length of the 'link' at the back was adjusted to length based on the other parts in the folded position.
 
Robert":1bxe5akx said:
9fingers":1bxe5akx said:
Every now and then I want to model a simple mechanism such as the elements of your folding chair to see where things might foul and the locus of certain features.
Did you manage to do this in sketch up or perhaps used another technique?

Bob
Click to expand...

Nothing that clever. I just made groups of all the parts that were rigidly joined then rotated them about the pivot points. The length of the 'link' at the back was adjusted to length based on the other parts in the folded position.
Click to expand...

Thanks Robert, That is the sort of solution I tend to end up with.

I've had some success with http://blog.rectorsquid.com/linkage-mec ... simulator/ but the linkage elements are all just rods and pivots with no ability to add shape to them and so whilst it does the loci of the pivots points it cannot check for items fouling so I tend to end up with making a model from 6mm mdf the empircal way.
Bob
 
Bit more done

Made a simple wedge with the back slat angle then I could just masking tape it to the edge of the board to cut the taper.
Adirf-110.jpg


Doesn't look tapered here but this is a back set with the taper cut.
Adirf-111.jpg


Made a partial template for the rounded ends and bandsawed most off then cleaned with the trim bit.
Adirf-112.jpg


Almost a full set of blanks. Front legs and seat slats to do
Adirf-113.jpg


Then a lot of thicknessing to clean it all up.
 
Laid out the parts after a thicknessing session
Think it's all there

Adirf-114.jpg


Got the back together and made the first change as the ends of the horizontal parts looked too thin to take a pivot bolt so I glued on some offcuts. Think I'll just double the thickness next time and maybe replace these then as well.
Adirf-115.jpg


Looks OK to me :)
Adirf-116.jpg


The floorboards have plenty of knots in them so filler is always needed and as before I use glass fibre resin (with no glass fibre of course). Kind of blends in when a finish is applied.
 
Found a couple of things wrong when I got back to this.

Somehow I'd managed to template an old profile for the main seat side panel so remade that.

Then I didn't find the seat shape comfortable so modified the drawing and changed the template to mark and cut more off the side boards.

Not sure I've got all the sizes spot on either as there are no spacer washers on my test build and something wasn't quite right.

But it works
Adirf-117.jpg


And it folds up
Adirf-118.jpg


Adirf-119.jpg


No pegs made or drilled for yet to lock against accidental folding so when open there are 2 clamps underneath locking front leg to side panel.

Considering making the arms a little smaller as it is still a big lump when folded.

Nearly there...
 
looking really good Robert. I don't underestimate how much potential there is for things to go wrong with this type of project, so kudos for pre-empting most of them. :eusa-clap:
 
Excellent, Robert. I'd never seen a folding Adirondack until last week in Maine, where they were in abundance, many of them made from composite resin-type materials.
 
We sat in some on a trip to Virginia a couple of years ago and the idea has been ticking over ever since.
 
I have done some more with this..

The arms were too large so I remade them smaller. The seat base didn't feel right so I remade the main side planks with the curve repositioned and leg length made shorter.

So here is the new comfortable version
Adirf-120.jpg



I don't have any grandchildren but our closest friends do and young Arthur is often here. His mum saw the chair and said Arthur would like one of those so...

Adirf-121.jpg




Adirf-122.jpg


Adirf-123.jpg


Made by scaling the sketchup model and re templating.

Bonus was a lot of it could be made from offcuts.
 
From start to finish this is just amazing!!! Cutting holes then masking taping over the templates is such a clever idea ! If I get around to adding some decking to my garden next year i might borrow your idea. Are they as comfy as they look ? The smaller one is the icing on the cake [emoji41][emoji108]

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
 
Yes - the one I can fit in is very comfortable now I have adjusted the seat.

Didn't know he was coming when I posted earlier but the customer is here at the moment.

Seems to approve of it

Adirf-124.jpg


He's not 2 until March so he can grow into it for a while yet. He has already used it in ways I didn't think possible. Fortunately it seems pretty stable and my sanding has stood the test of little fingers. Not got as far as putting a finish on it yet so concerned to not get splinters in him!
 
Only just got round to putting a finish on these.

Adirf-125.jpg


Adirf-126.jpg


The large one was going to have tapered pegs to lock it open but thinking about it the only time it will get folded is to put it away for the winter - so there are 4 wood screws stopping it folding. easy to remove when it does need folding and completely safe in the meantime. The small one was never meant to be easily foldable but that is locked up safe too so no chance of trapping adventurous little fingers.

Need to make another large one now so we have a pair and relatives have been making noises about liking them. Could be in for a production run sometime :)
 
droogs":3geko9wv said:
Very nicely done Robert. On a selfish note do you have the drawings available?
Click to expand...

Yes.

I'll sort it out later and post a link in the thread.
 
Here is the file

http://www.argand.co.uk/Temp/Adirondack ... -Final.skp

The small and full size versions are on there along with the components laid out in one plane for printing full size. The strange cube in the middle is just something I used to rotate the back slat copies for printing.

I use the last stand alone version of sketchup free. It is now a web based app I believe but I've never used it online. Don't know how printing works on the web version.

Printing full size in stand alone sketchup takes a bit of fiddling around.
From memory...

Change the projection to parallel and not perspective. Use the little house to switch to a plan view. From now on pan and zoom only don't orbit. Turn off textures as you only need outlines.

Sketchup prints the entire program window space less icons etc. You need the window to match the shape and be just bigger than your view of the part you want to print. So don't have the program window maximised have it in a window you can change the shape - wide and not very high for something like the back slats then zoom the part to fit.

Go to print or preview and set the scaling to 1:1 doesn't matter if it says inches or mm.

You should be good to print templates on A4 paper as sketchup automatically tiles the print over as many sheets as needed. You will also have blank sheets for blank screen if you didn't zoom in tight.

File shared on condition that you (and anyone else) post some pictures if you make one :)

Washers to the hinges I'll leave to you. I used some thin plastic to make large penny washers. Oh and I think the horizontal arc piece at the base of the back may be a mm or 2 short, make it longer or get some washers.
 
Many thanks have DL'd

Intend to make 4 for the lovely new patio that we made just before christmas
 
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