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Challenge06....a whole bunch of firsts

Project by Ryan Shervill posted 448 days ago 1285 views 1 time favorited 24 comments Add to Favorites Watch
Challenge06....a whole bunch of firsts
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Here it is, what I believe to be the worlds first Folding AND rocking Adirondack chair, and the first one built of TREX composite.

Built as a project article for Canadian Home Workshop Magazine (Full story/plans will be published in summer 2009), this chair was an engineering nightmare, requiring close to 50 hours of modelling and necessitating the construction of no less than four prototypes to get the telemetry correct. It has 12 pivot points with blind pivots, and uses two 3/4” copper pipes and 5/16” threaded rod as a torsion bar set-up to make the chair ridgid and to serve as the locking bar The rear pipe is captured in the runner base, the front locks into cutouts in the front legs when the chair opens creating constant tension on the frame of the chair and making everything super-rigid when open. The more weight applied to the chair, the stronger it gets!

The chair is constructed of TREX, copper pipe, and yes, as per the rules,...even wood, all bonded with Gorilla Glue. The pivot hinges are all “roto-hinges” from Lee Valley Tools, and they are maple pivots on a metal stem. These roto hinges were the very reason I chose Gorilla Glue to assemble the chair…I couldn’t find any adhesives that would bond the wood with the composite, so I gave the GG a try and it seems to work and is holding up fine. Considering this chair weighs over 80 (yes eighty) lbs and has been shipped for photography from Penetanguishene to Toronto to Manatoulin Island to Toronto and then back to Penetanguishene and stayed in one piece, I’d say that is a testimonial to the glue’s bond.

Thanks for looking!

Ryan Shervill

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-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com


24 comments so far

View Bigbuck's profile

Bigbuck

1366 posts in 555 days


posted 448 days ago

Wow, that is awsome. Althought at 80lbs I am not so sure it need to fold, cause I sure as heck wouldn’t be moving it around very often in fear I might actually get some exercise and loose my feminine figure :).
Very nice job.

-- Glenn, New Mexico

View Ryan Shervill's profile

Ryan Shervill

238 posts in 704 days


posted 448 days ago

LOL…I know…..think of it as folding “for storage”, and not “for transport” :D
The upside is that being as the TREX is all 1” X 5 1/2”, the chair could be built from 5/4 cedar deck boards as well….and weigh around 20 lbs :D

Thanks for the compliment!

Ryan

-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com

View kolwdwrkr's profile

kolwdwrkr

2244 posts in 482 days


posted 448 days ago

This is a cool concept and a nice looking chair. Just tell your clients they need to do 6 months of extreme weight training before they purchase it so they can tote it around. LOL. Thanks for posting.

-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~

View thetimberkid's profile

thetimberkid

1944 posts in 595 days


posted 448 days ago

Great job!

Thanks for the post

Callum

-- For wood working podcasts with a twist check out http://thetimberkid.com/

View MsDebbieP's profile

MsDebbieP

14159 posts in 1052 days


posted 448 days ago

sweet!!
I like the transport results as well… (still in one piece)

Awesome

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

View Karson's profile

Karson

25793 posts in 1292 days


posted 448 days ago

Great Ryan. A nice job and congratulations on the upcoming article.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

View Ryan Shervill's profile

Ryan Shervill

238 posts in 704 days


posted 448 days ago

Thanks everyone :)

Karson~ Thanks for the congrats, but they really arent neccessary….that’s what I do for a living :)

Ryan

-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com

View Karson's profile

Karson

25793 posts in 1292 days


posted 448 days ago

But no reason not be congratulated, on your profession.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

View Ryan Shervill's profile

Ryan Shervill

238 posts in 704 days


posted 448 days ago

LOL…good point! It IS nice to hear.

Next time I go out of the house I’m gonna start with the mailman and work outwards from there, make a few peoples day :)

Thanks Karson.
Ryan

-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com

View scottb's profile

scottb

3403 posts in 1219 days


posted 447 days ago

ambitious chair… I suppose with the material used and its weight it is probably the only adirondack to suffer no ill if left in place year round.

keep pushing the envelope!

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

View Dusty56's profile

Dusty56

3455 posts in 580 days


posted 447 days ago

hahahaa…my very first thought after seeing it was made from TREX was …that thing’s gotta weigh a ton ! I have handled way to much TREX in my career and I have to wonder if after sitting in the sun all day , can you actually sit in the chair without toasting your backside and have they improved it enough to stay smooth to the touch , rather than abrasive after some ” seasoning ”. I was routing a profile on a section of TREX to be used as a handrail on a friends deck when all of a sudden sparks were flying from my router bit …there was a piece of metal buried in the product !!! So much for my bit : (

Nice job on the chair : )

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

View Dadoo's profile

Dadoo

1725 posts in 882 days


posted 446 days ago

It’ll definitely outlive it’s hardware! Nice chair Ryan! Needs an end table to compliment it now!

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

View Ryan Shervill's profile

Ryan Shervill

238 posts in 704 days


posted 446 days ago

A table? Oh geeze….another 50 lbs to lug around!

-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com

View SteveKorz's profile

SteveKorz

2030 posts in 606 days


posted 445 days ago

Wow… just thinking about trying to figure out the pivot points of that chair makes my head hurt…

Great job though, it looks great!

-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) †

View Mark Shymanski's profile

Mark Shymanski

1554 posts in 604 days


posted 445 days ago

“close to 50 hours of modelling and necessitating the construction of no less than four prototypes to get the telemetry correct.” Telemetry? Do you mean geometry?

-- ...it's rennovation time!!!

View Ryan Shervill's profile

Ryan Shervill

238 posts in 704 days


posted 445 days ago

Hi Mark…..well, in the context I used it, either would work I guess.
“telemetry” might not be the best word to describe it…but it was easier than saying “Coplanar mechanical interaction” Although truth be told, once the “telemetry” ( I used this to describe arcs of movement across the three seperate planes, all pieces “communicating” (hence the telemetry part) with each other to affect the others course of movement) was established, the geometry was pretty much self dicatating.

Translation: How the heck do I get this chair to pivot in such a way that it folds flat into itself, without hitting anything, and yet maintains the proper angles once erected?

Essentially: The angles of the arms dicatate the angle of the seat which dicates the angle of the backrest which dicates the angle of the front legs which dicatates the angle of the struts which dictates the stationary angle on the rockers…...and you can switch those into any order and get the same result :) Every component is dependant on another component to dictate it’s positioning.

Because of the three different pivot angles, and the differences between seat, back, and arm angles, yet having to have them all work together to pivot to a final angle near 90 (or 0 depending on which way the chair is standing :) ) so they would all lie flat was…well…..”challenging” :)

-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com

View Don Kondra 's profile

Don Kondra

71 posts in 778 days


posted 445 days ago

LOL

That’s pretty sharp for first thing in the morning :)

Cheers, Don

-- Don Kondra - Furniture Designer/Maker

View Davesfunwoodworking's profile

Davesfunwoodworking

259 posts in 767 days


posted 445 days ago

Can you tell me what part of this chair is wood? Its a great looking chair. I would have to say getting all of it to fit just right so that you can fold it up must have taken a bit of work. The chair looks good. I don’t think I would want to pack it to far from home however. Great job.

-- Davesfunwoodworking

View Ryan Shervill's profile

Ryan Shervill

238 posts in 704 days


posted 445 days ago

Thanks Guys.

Dave~The wood is in the hinges!
The hinges I used are Roto-Hinge pivot hinges. They are made of two maple rounds with a steel pin running through the centers. Gorilla Glue was the only adhesive I could find that would bond the wood to the composite…and I tried just about everything!

roto

Ryan

-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com

View Napaman's profile

Napaman

3482 posts in 969 days


posted 445 days ago

soooooo coool….congrats on such a wonderful achievement…

-- Matt, Napa, CA...fun is beautiful...just trying to have some fun...

View Mark Shymanski's profile

Mark Shymanski

1554 posts in 604 days


posted 444 days ago

telemetry (uncountable)

1. (applied sciences) the science, and associated technology, of the automatic recording and transmission of data from a remote source to a receiving station for analysis

Geometry (Greek γεωμετρία; geo = earth, metria = measure) is a part of mathematics concerned with questions of size, shape, and relative position of figures and with properties of space. Geometry is one of the oldest sciences. Initially a body of practical knowledge concerning lengths, areas, and volumes, in the third century B.C., ...

Both of the above definitions are from Wikipedia but I think others would substantially agree. Canadian Home Workshop is one of the magazines that got me started in woodworking and it concerns me that one of its staff would choose to obfuscate their communication instead of using commonly accepted terms that clearly , and more precisely (in my humble opinion) communicate the concepts under discussion. Is it really coplanar mechanical interaction or several planes of motion intersecting… clarity is critical and adopting new definitions for words does not help clarify a already unclear communication.

Don’t get me wrong Ryan I think it is a great chair and a great demo of what you were trying to do with the composites, it is just that re-defining terms to poorly (IMHO) communicate a concept when a term that more clearly communicates it is already extant concerns and irks me.

I’ll get off my soapbox and try and wind down after my 36 hour shift here…like my daughter says “Daddy gets cranky when he is tired”

-- ...it's rennovation time!!!

View Ryan Shervill's profile

Ryan Shervill

238 posts in 704 days


posted 444 days ago

LOL….see, in the big picture, well…it really doesn’t matter. The article is written with pattern routing templates …no methematical terminology involved :).

Regardless, the term was used as it applies to dependant intrerelated mechanicals….more about how intersecting objects move both together and seperately, and their effect therin, as opposed to fixed continums (ie: geometry) but I digress.

Is it really coplanar mechanical interaction or several planes of motion intersecting…

Well, if one plane wasn’t directly effective on the second, you would be correct. However, as the pieces share a physical connection, and movement on one mechanical plane directly dictates the arc of movement on the other (offset rear pivot) it is, in fact, mechanical interaction

Anyway, my university/engineering days are far behind me, and my head is beginning to hurt :)
Thanks for the compliment on the chair, and our magazine.

Cheers,

Ryan Shervill

-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com

View MsDebbieP's profile

MsDebbieP

14159 posts in 1052 days


posted 444 days ago

my head is spinning… not sure what the correct term for that is! haha

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

View Mark Shymanski's profile

Mark Shymanski

1554 posts in 604 days


posted 444 days ago

vertigo? ;-) Now I am going to bed… G’night :-)

-- ...it's rennovation time!!!

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