Believe it or not, creating a chair that's in fact comfy is one of the most difficult tasks a woodworker can take on. Structure one from a recognized plan is relatively easy, however starting from scratch is very much a venture into the unidentified.
Chairs today are mostly considered granted, however there is a lots of trial and error in every design to make them comfortable to being in for anything more than a few minutes.
I consider this style a success and more than that, a discovering experience. Yes, even when you have actually been developing and building things for almost 50 years, there are still lessons to discover.
Things I would/ will alter: the foam for the back-rest cushions must be softer. Likewise I wish to reupholster the chair with leather and take my time doing that. The upholstery aspect of the project was the one part I had the least experience with, so I think about doing the chair with vinyl as a practice run.
Things I got right/ ideal: the general size, seating angles and the armrest height and size are bang-on. The springiness when you sit in the chair is also perfect – just enough give. The recline of the backrest is likewise flawless. It's stiff enough to support my back when sitting upright and certified adequate to slouch back in a more relaxed pose.
The Baltic birch plates for each cushion can be painted black, and that was my original plan. But then I thought the contrast between the plates and the black vinyl would be a more intriguing look. Certainly if i did a better job on the upholstery that would have been the case.
The something missing is a footrest and I'll be working on that soon.
Was the job worth it? Yes and no. If all you want is a comfortable recliner, it's a lot more economical to simply purchase one. However for those people who live to make things, I see this as bucket list job, despite just how much it cost or for how long it took to do.
A problem I have with making project videos on YouTube is that the job needs to be completed. In my real life, none of my jobs are ever really ended up – not really ended up, due to the fact that I may (and often will) modification or customize or improve something I wasn't delighted with when I built it in the first location. So you require to look at this chair as something that works and I'm utilizing it, but I ain't done yet.
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Believe it or not, designing a chair that’s actually comfortable is one of the most difficult projects a woodworker can take on. Building one from an established plan is relatively easy, but starting from scratch is very much a venture into the unknown.
Chairs today are largely taken for granted, but there is a ton of trial and error in every design to make them comfortable to sit in for anything more than a few minutes.
I consider this design a success and more than that, a learning experience. Yes, even when you have been designing and building things for nearly 50 years, there are still lessons to learn.
Things I would / will change: the foam for the backrest cushions should be softer. Also I would like to reupholster the chair with leather and take my time doing that. The upholstery aspect of the project was the one part I had the least experience with, so I consider doing the chair with vinyl as a practice run.
Things I got right / perfect: the overall size, seating angles and the armrest height and size are bang-on. The springiness when you sit in the chair is also perfect – just enough give. The recline of the backrest is also flawless. It’s stiff enough to support my back when sitting upright and compliant enough to slouch back in a more relaxed pose.
The Baltic birch plates for each cushion can be painted black, and that was my original plan. But then I thought the contrast between the plates and the black vinyl would be a more interesting look. Surely if i did a better job on the upholstery that would have been the case.
The one thing missing is a footrest and I’ll be working on that soon.
Was the project worth it? Yes and no. If all you want is a comfortable recliner, it’s much more economical to just buy one. But for those of us who live to make things, I see this as bucket list project, regardless of how much it cost or how long it took to do.
A problem I have with making project videos on YouTube is that the project needs to be finished. In my real life, none of my projects are ever actually finished – not truly finished, because I may (and often will) change or modify or improve something I wasn’t happy with when I built it in the first place. So you need to look at this chair as something that works and I’m using it, but I ain’t done yet.
Thanks for this insight and explanation. Super interesting.
It’s a good day when John shows up!
Even though you showed us the process of building this on your Locals page it was cool to see the whole build process in one video here. Glad it turned out they way you wanted it. And as an amateur sewer I can say I’m impressed with those covers.
I sweated my way through every stitch 🙂
Wow. What a fantastic build. Glad to have you back👍🏻
These builds are why you are one of my favorite channles to watch.
you’re the only woodworker on YT I dont hate using the festool lmao, you deserve that man
Right!!! I’m sure if he could build one, he would find a way.
Wow, that’s an incredible project. So much thought has clearly gone in to it. Thanks John.
Glad you liked it Keith and thanks for the comment 🙂
Awesome project, and also your “listening room” looks amazing just based on the 3 seconds of video included here!
your comments about good design being difficult are insightful. Just because something looks nice won’t make it comfortable and vice versa. Both are important in a chair. Not to mention how difficult it is to build, just like you have said. Your home made tools and jigs make the construction safe, and sturdy and beautiful, well done John.
John , you’re a true craftsman…thank you for sharing this !!!
Excellent work young man. I am a retired master carpenter from Scotland and have made my fair share of chairs and your right it’s not an easy task.
Good to see you and new content. You are worth the wait.
Thanks for sharing.
If anyone has an issue with you not using leather, just tell them to buy you enough for 5 chairs so you can practice on their dime. I’ve been using upholstery templates that were made with trial an error. Lots of money went into the bin to design those templates. Great work John.
Holy cow… such a stunning grandpa’s chair…
…missing a legs rest… think the first beginning is done!!!
It’s masterpiece of design and carpentry… congrats 🎩 👍👍🇩🇪🔨
10 of 10!!! 👍
This is like an old school John project. Full of detail, brilliant build, and fantastic design. Saved this to watch on my night shift, and glad i did
That chair looks really comfortable!! Re your idea to cut into the foam to make it more springy, you are definitely thinking in the right direction. My memory foam hospital mattress is done in a very similar way. It actually looks like they’ve done all the cuts using something like a table saw, which means they didn’t need to remove large triangular chunks they way you have. Length wise, I think that the cuts were somewhere around 1.5 – 2″ apart across the majority of the mattress. They also did the same thing width wise and made the cuts closer together in areas where you need the foam to be softer. There is also a border attached that’s about 2″ wide and has no cuts. As for how soft the foam needs to be, you probably want to stick to the foam you are already using. If you go for softer foam, you’ll find that it won’t last as long before it starts to compact and break down. The way to make it softer is literally that grid paturn of saw cuts. If you would like, I’m happy to remove the cover of my mattress and get exact measurements for you. I look forward to seeing any more adjustments and upgrades to decide to make in the future 😊👍👍👍👍👍
Cheers John! A 30 minute video of this quality, out of nowhere, is a pretty big treat!
When you consider that John has made almost every tool in his shop, this is even more impressive. Truly a master.
Once again: I find that your videos of the making of furniture you designed yourself, is among the best of top notch youtube content. Thoroug, neat work, well narrated, exelent fimed&edited – and an interesting, innovative design.
Having designed and built several chairs myself I know the extent of thoughts and work that goes into a good design. Despite making extensive dravings, both on paper and digital, I have never managed to make a good design based on that alone. Several mockups of cheap lumber and (mostly just) screws is a great help in taking a good design into something that is also comfortable.
Keep up the good work!
I love this video. I am in the middle of a design class where I am designing a Franklin chair. It is great to see how someone else tackles design issues. I also really enjoyed seeing all you different jigs and fixtures in action. You made a lot of design decisions I never would have which makes this all the more valuable. Thanks.