Chair design - but how do I do this joint ?!

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tulogngham

StillJustAboutGotAllMyFingers
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Folks,
Whilst the weather is awful and I'm waiting for responses to my lumber order. I'm thinking about making my first chair.
I've found some designs out there and have been considering this design. I like the design as it's simple lines and based on those foldable garden camping chairs should be quit comfortable.
The original is made from steal welded together, but I think an experiment in oak should be just as good in terms of strength. I have plenty of oak too. I've figured the angles and dimension that fitting to me.

However.. there is this joint which I'm stumped. See attached picture..

How do I do this joint and hopefully keep to the clean lines of the simple design ?

Tu
 

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As the original was made in steel I would humbly suggest it's not a good design to copy in wood. The only way I could see being successful would be to fabricate a 3 way steel bracket and bury it in the oak. Not an easy task for a first chair.
Brian
 
Im not sure you can. Its a very high stress area. and the weight of the sitter will put it in tension all the time.
Maybe a straight top to bottom on the back to the base would stop it flexing, but not sure it can be prevented from moving.
 
Have you seen/sat in one like this?

It strikes me that the difficult joint is the least of the issues. The leather 'hammock' is set so far back that once it settles under the occupants weight they will likely find the back of their legs rubbing the crossbar, and it will be a mighty leap to get up from it. One of those chairs that looks great in the reception of a shiny office block but nobody actually sits in for long.

If you want to look at options, maybe go to the V&A site, vam.ac.uk, collections, scroll down to search the collections, click and put in chair, select 'only with images' and you get 500 pages of ideas :).

Something like the sheppey chair might be a better starting point - easier joints in the end frames and you could probably replace the 3 steel cross pieces with oak or just use steel tube.

http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O301111/sheppey-chair-chair-race-ernest/
The first of these below from the Florence Knoll catalogue is similar to the one you have seen but avoids the 3 way joint.

https://www.bredaquaranta.it/en/fur...lP1Q6AP-deYQM_j9lvsur8Y5dq08P4uQaAiRaEALw_wcB
(V&A and Florence Knoll are among my favourite starting points for ideas or just looking at designs)
 
Yes. Indeed .. obviously if something is made in metal .. they’ll be a reason for that. :) thank you all for responding and the link. I’ve sat on a chair which was like this before and it was lovely. I know what you mean about getting out.
 
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