Kommander Makes Things

Discussion in 'The Workshop' started by Kommander, Jul 8, 2022.

  1. Kommander

    Kommander Bandwagon

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    Near the end of 2020, I needed a new computer chair, so I bought one of those race car chairs of Amazon. All metal frame! 400lb capacity! Super durable! High-quality Mk. IV gas cylinder will never leak! Only $250!

    Not even a year goes by, and the gas cylinder failed, the base cracked cylinder poked through the base and sank to the floor, making it even lower to the ground than it was already because the cylinder couldn't hold pressure. So, I fixed the base with some makeshift shims so it would stay put. Then, the back rest snapped one day, dumping me on my ass. Turns out "all metal frame" meant "the same thin-ass metal dollar store broom handles are made of." While that technically wasn't a lie, "super durable," "400lb capacity," and "High-quality Mk. IV gas cylinder will never leak!" definitely were. I didn't feel like buying another chair, so I used the rope skills I learned on Fetlife in the Boy Scouts to make it usable again.

    shitty chair.jpg

    Bondage Chair lasted longer than I thought it would, but eventually the plate that bolts on to the seat broke and it was all wobbly. So, I threw it out.

    I was about to, reluctantly, spend $200+ on a new chair and hope this one could support my apparently massive ass. Then something occurred to me. There are chairs that are reasonably comfortable and very durable: Car seats! They're made to keep people safe during collisions, so they can definitely handle anything I'm capable of doing in front of my computer. I also remembered reading about someone saying they made a computer chair out of a car seat on Reddit, but it was mostly my idea. So, I went to the junk yard and pulled the passenger seat out of a Jeep Commander. Then I went to Home Depot for wood, stain, casters, and fittings, then did some stuff with tools...

    newchair1.jpg

    newchair2.jpg

    The parts cost about $100, and maybe eight hours of work. Like Adam Savage, I almost never finish One-Day-Builds on the same day I start them. I'm also only done for now. I need to make some modifications:

    1: With the arms it's slightly too wide to easily move it through spaces I need to move it regularly, so I'm going to install some sort of quick release fittings so the arms can be easily removed. As of now, to remove the arms I need to remove twelve screws.

    2: Redo the arm rest upholstery with new materials. As it is the padding is the lining from a winter coat I had, and the fabric used to be a pair of Dickies work pants. It works for now and this is probably the lowest priority modification.

    3: Build a small desk that can be mounted on to the arm rests.

    4: Get better quality casters. The cheap ones were like $7 each, so I just went with them. They're fine, but I'll keep an eye out for better quality rolley bits.

    5: It could use another coat of stain. However, 1) I only put stain on it so it didn't just look like I bolted a car seat to a furniture dolly, and 2) I put the stain on two days ago and it's STILL not completely dry, and I don't feel like waiting for a second coat.
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  2. Kommander

    Kommander Bandwagon

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    About the planned modifications...

    1: If I pull the recliner lever and let the back go all the way forward, it fits within the footprint of the base, and it's only half an inch longer than it is wide without the arms, so it fits where I need it to go if I push it sideways. I may make the arms removable at some point, but it's not really necessary. If I really need to remove the arms for some reason, I can just undo the screws.

    3: I found a piece of wood I had that's the right size for a desk, and works well enough if I just set it on top of the arm rests. Something that actually attaches with some hinges and shit would be slightly better, but I'm not in the mood to essentially start another full-day-plus project for a 10% improvement in functionality. I probably will be at some point.

    4: Correction, the casters I bought were $4 each, the ones I wanted were $7. This is probably the next step at this point.

    5: The stain took several days to dry because I don't know how to use wood stain and didn't read the can. Apparently, after application and letting the wood absorb it for a few minutes, the excess is supposed to be wiped off with a dry cloth. I touched up some spots and did it properly, and it only took an hour or two to be mostly dry, and 24 hours to completely dry. Reading instructions is important.
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  3. Spaceturkey

    Spaceturkey i can see my house

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    figuring that you can't be more than a few inches too wide from the arms. would hinging them to flip inwards be possible?
  4. Kommander

    Kommander Bandwagon

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    That could work. Although, the hinges might be under too much stress. The best option at the time was to cut all the wood by hand, and I'm not skilled enough to make perfectly square cuts consistently without a chop saw. I was close enough that I was able to mount the arms to the base where I wanted to, but they're under tension. Anyway, it fits through doorways as long as I turn it sideways and put the backrest up.

    If I decide it absolutely must fit through doorways in two dimensions, the best option would probably be to attach the arms to the base with the mounting brackets that sectional couches use. Those can probably handle the tension.
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  5. Spaceturkey

    Spaceturkey i can see my house

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    something like this might work to fortify at the base

    [​IMG]


    Something like a barn hinge for the arm rests themselves, and the width of the verticals (once they've been reinforced with brackets) should be enough to bear the outward load if they're on the inside.
    [​IMG]
  6. Kommander

    Kommander Bandwagon

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    With the hinges, it would be one 2x4 width narrower. With the arms completely removed, it's two 2x4s narrower, and each would be about the same cost and effort-wise. Although, putting the arm rests on hinges might be helpful once I build the desk attachment. I was thinking of making it in two pieces, and making a place to store them under the arms. At first I was thinking of just attaching them to the outside, but with the arm rests on hinges, I might be able to slide it between the posts. Thanks for the input, it's definitely been helpful.

    This is what I'm currently doing:

    chairdesk.jpg