Replies

1. 
   _mj_ | Jul 26, 2020 10:20pm | #1

   Mock up the structure in its entirety out of plywood and scraps. You'll learn everything you need to know.

2. 
   lat_axe | Jul 27, 2020 03:15am | #2

   Making a mock-up of an item as complex as a chair seems a lot of work. Who keeps that much scrap around to make such a thing anyway?

   Chairs are subtle things, so there is surely a risk that a relatively crude mock-up will not emulate the feel of the real thing. Would the mock-up have the dish in the seat, the curve of the back ........ To do so would perhaps involve as much work making the mock-up as making the final chair.

   I recall an article in a British WW magazine years ago in which a then-famous "designer-maker" of chairs showed his variable chair - a chair with variable geometry of many kinds that he used to ensure the ergonomics of any new design would not be wrong for various human shapes and uses. I think he used it on his customers. "Just sit here sir". (Fiddle, snap, twang).

   But access to such a thing would be even more difficult than making an accurate mock-up. So why not seek out existing chairs of the type, in friend' houses or in furniture stores, to sit in and (if they'll let you) measure-up?

   Another tactic would be to direct enquiries to well-known chair makers and manufacturers. (Perhaps this is what the OP is doing here). They must have arcane knowledge concerning chair-fit to body types in general; perhaps also to very specific body types - those of their customers. Would they share with a hobbyist anxious to avoid wasting a sheet of plywood in a mock-up? Perhaps. :-)

   Perhaps an enterprising fellow could make a-one of those variable chair gizmos for sale or even renting by the hour? One feels there would be buyers/renters for such a thing.

   Lataxe

3. 
   rob_ss | Jul 27, 2020 05:15am | #3

   I have given thought to the geometry of chairs after making a pair of the Tom Mclaughlin Adirondacks. They were very comfortable. Almost perfect. Almost... Got me hunting for better solutions.
   I considered making a variable chair, but that was too much like hard work.
   The next chair I made was proportioned on my car seat, which is super comfortable - I basically too measurements from that and, after allowing a little for sag in the seat, got a great result.
   If you don't have access to a variable chair, then measure the seat you find most comfortable and adjust the dimensions of your plans. Remember to allow a little for any cushioning involved, especially seats, if your final product is not to be padded too.
   You are likely to need to look most closely at the height above the floor, the depth of the seat, front to back, and the length of the back.
   If you don't have a favourite comfy chair then consider adjusting one you do have with say blocks to raise it up a little and see if that suits better.
   When making the Mclaughlin chairs, I made the back slats a little longer than needed and made a spare one, so I could fix it with the lumbar curve in the best place for me, and left the legs a little long because it looked too low. In the end the proportions suit my 5'11" frame very well as per the plans!

4. 
   _mj_ | Jul 27, 2020 10:09am | #4

   I used this for my most recent chair build with good results. Yes, I made a full size mockup before I started for real.

   
5. 
   mdorsam | Jul 27, 2020 09:16pm | #5

   Look up Hal Taylor rockers... I've built 8 of Hal's exquisite rockers, and he can provide a full set of templates and a minutely detailed build manual.
   I'm 6'6", and find his Adult Tall rocker to be perfect.

6. 
   user7596380 | Jul 28, 2020 01:20am | #6

   Excellent. (Now for the "Adventure" of building.)

7. 
   bluemo | Jul 28, 2020 11:32am | #7

   Hal Taylor's rockers - works of art really - are probably the most comfortable on the planet. But with my skill level, I think I'll stick with Pekovich's plan for now and modify it as needed. Thanks to all for sharing your thoughts.

8. 
   mdorsam | Jul 28, 2020 01:10pm | #8

   Bluemo:

   "With my skill levell..."
   Undertaking Hal's rockers are well within normal skill levels - his instructions, his process and personal support through his website, is that good. You'll need a full shop - TS, BS, jointer, planer, a good sander, and maybe an angle grinder; but otherwise no special tools are required.
   Prior to building my first HT rocker, my projects were casework - everything square and straight; that's all changed now, and the process showed me how to grow my game. It is a great journey.
   By the way, his rockers are 'born pregnant'; in that, everyone who sees the rocker and sits in it wants one.
   If you would like some additional information, I'll be happy to provide it - I have no association with Hal; though, I've met him a couple times... and he's a genuinely good guy.

9. 
   user-6145997 | Jul 28, 2020 03:32pm | #9

   I have made 3 of Mike's rockers (one in cherry and 2 in salvaged white oak barn wood). I sought out Stickley rockers at a furniture store to sit in and study. As a result, I made a few modifications. I added a second lower rail all around and made the top rail more narrow. This gave the rocker a more delicate look. In the 3rd rocker, I made the back taller and used only 4 slats instead of 5. This aligns the space between the slats with the sitter's spine. The taller back gives better support to the shoulders. It's my favorite of the 3. Check out the "Chapel Street Rocker" by Stickley for design ideas. Lastly, you can adjust the height of the seat for your tall frame in 2 ways: by the position of the corner blocks and thickness of the cushion. I love this chair! Good luck!