2822 shop

Another project this winter was to refine the design of the chair and stools. The back of the chair always bother me a bit. I let go of the idea to be able to create these with simple tools and ripped the boards on the table saw under an angle. As a result it looks more like puzzle pieces coming together and the back of the chair as a board less.

Zac Cannon, high school teacher  from Memphis TN,  uses the 2×4 chair plans for the his class.

Zac teaches Precalculus and he is currently working on PBL (Project Based Learning) scenario for his class. This is part of the STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) initiative. The students need to be able to give all the missing measurements on the angular cut pieces from your 2X4 chair. They will use their trig skills and law of sines.

Zac found me via the Facebook page.  I was excited to see this use of the plans. Maybe one day, when the school has the possibilities, the students can build the chairs and sell them as a fundraiser for the school.

Finished a Junior Desk for my oldest son over the winter. Wanted to do something simple with a lid and lots of compartments. It was a nice collaborative project in which he picked the wood and did the sanding and staining.

One of the best things this project has brought me is to read how proud people are when they make a chair.

Brian wrote: “I’ve made two chairs and the small table, really enjoyed it. First time I attempted something like this.“ Later I learned that Brian build the chairs using a jig saw (!) from one of his neighbors. The cuts are of course not so clean and Brian mentioned that “the uneven look adds “character”!”. For the table, Brian asked the lubber store to cut the pieces at the right length as indicated in the instructions. This, I though was a great tip for other makers. Picture soon to follow.

Jim from Illinois posed the picture shown below on the 2×4 Chair Facebook page and Brian from Canada posted some awesome pictures of his chair and his family on Flickr. Also see linked copies below in this post.

And of course, I‘m always flattered to read the comments from people like Jamie, Executive Design Director from Detroit: “As a designer, I appreciate the design of both your designs and the design of your plans.”

A couple of weeks ago, my father in law was visiting us from the Netherlands. As he admired a 2×4 chair in our living room, he suggested that it would be nice to have a footstool with the chair. I thought this was a brilliant idea and went to the garage to create one. Inspiration comes from all corners of the world. We’re waiting for his next visit to suggest more pieces in the growing collection of 2×4 modern furniture. The building plan for the footstool is now included in the building plan for the chair.

Honored was I, when asked to donate a chair for the Kirkland Arts Center. Donating the chair turned out to be a great thing in many ways. First of all, it helped the art center in raising funds. Second, it made the winning bidder a happy chair owner. Thirdly it made me happy, as more people now enjoy the chair. So, call on all makers to make chairs and donate them for auctions. Free plan can be downloaded as well as more detailed step by step instructions.