I’m in the process of making a chair that I would like to have a concaved cushioned seat. I would like this cushion to be minimal profile to have a modern look. The chair’s front and back rails will will support and attach to the seat. The front and back rails have are concave. This is a slight concave
To have an upholstered seat, it will need either a frame or a single wood platform. Since the rails are concave, I would prefer if the cushion is concaved. Is this even possible?
I also think that I would want the bottom of the seat frame to be convex to match the concave of the rails. If so, is there an “easier” technique to get this since it will be covered by fabric?
Right now be methods that I come up with have their drawbacks and would take a fair amount of time.
Replies
It seems like you just want a very basic slip seat. Chairs were always done with that method. A web frame with lap joints on the corners is the way to go. Don't use a platform, such as plywood. An open center has "give," and makes the seat more comfortable.
I was thinking the same thing John_C2. I guess I wasn't sure how the front/back concave would affect this.
I'm thinking that I'd have to make a form to do some bent lamination, or cut down a thicker piece to match the profile.
If the font and back web frame are more "U" shaped to match the rails, how does that what it looks like once it's covered with fabric.
I guess I'm having trouble because the basic slip seat is always a flat web frame or ply platform.
If it were me, I'd just use thicker stock for the web frame, may 6/4 from the looks of it. Then spokeshave and plane the web frame to match the chair apron.
The one Michael Fortune built looked like you said and his article describes how he built it up. I don't think he had "U" shaped rails.
A Slim, Comfortable Slip Seat
This system works for most chairs and uses common materials
Author - Michael Fortune #163–May/June 2003 Issue
Thanks for all of the replies. I think I found my answer to my concerns about the slip seat with front/back concave rails. An older article "Make a Comfortable Slip Seat" by Jim Barefoot #133–Nov/Dec 1998 Issue. The author's seat has similar challenges, specifically resting the slip seat on the front rail that has a slight curve.
The author wrote: Because this seat has a slight curve and does not rest on all the rails, it had to have a strength of its own. So I laminated the seat in
a vacuum press from four pieces of 1/8in. plywood and made a
cutout in the middle of the seat where the tailbone will fall.
I think I'm going to take John_C2's advice and plane down 6/4 stock rather than make a form and bent laminate like the author.
Thank you all for your responses.
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