Final Design

Manufacturing

Final Model

Here is the final model of my chair. This is a perspective view of the chair without the cushions. The spring system is visible as well as the lines showing where I intend to weld the chair together. I have created the chair on Solidworks in 1:1 scale. The steel tubing I will use is galvanised steel pipe with an outside diameter of 33.7mm and an inside diameter of 25mm. I will drill holes and insert the spring system into holes in each corner of the bottom and top systems, similar to a trampoline. 

refined concepts

I used Modelling clay to make my 1.5 scale model. To keep the structure of the model I used wire inserts which doubled as the back support springs. I needed a clear padding for the back and padding for the seat. I cut up some bubble wrap and removed the cardboard for the clear back padding. The clay was hard to mould and didn't stay in it's shape well.

For my rendering, I copied my model. This helped as I was able to get a good angle for me perspective as well as a real view of how the chair will actually look. One thing that made the drawing hard was the inconsistency of my clay model. As the edges were not square, my drawing was not square.

This is the side view of my re-designed chair, done on Solidworks.

Concepts

Equissse Number 1

Esquisse number 2

Week 3

Here are some photos I have taken of the chair I purchased from a second hand furniture shop on Chapel Street. I bought it for $45. I chose this chair because it has character, is very comfortable and I believe redesigning it could greatly enhance both of those main aspects and more. The chair has a wooden base crafted using some wood bending techniques. The feature that caught my eye was the curves, especially on the armrests. The curves look like a wave and are an interesting aesthetic to an otherwise straightforward looking chair. The sides of the chair are asymmetrical and the lines of the chair are all angled which is great. The angles create a slightly sleek look of a low-rider chair that resembles that of a rocking chair. The chair has a spring-loaded support system attached with hooks that screw into the frame. Over the years, these hooks have started to come lose and are a little sketchy now. The spring system itself however is well constructed and creates a very comfortable chair. By having the spring system as the base and the backrest, the user is very comfortable no matter what their height. This is a great feature as it does away with the need for adjustability or the guestimates of the average user. The material upholstered on the chair and cushion is Cotton wadding with synthetic rubber hair. The foam inside is comfortable but definitely on its way out. The wood itself, is a fairly light timber in colour and in weight. The wood is turned nicely and the round edges accentuate the curves throughout the chair, especially the armrests. This chair was part of a set of armchairs and probably would have been expensive in its day. It was built in Sunshine, Victoria,  Australia. 

Photo Essay

Early CAD mockups