Plans for Equipment
Construction of a Care Chair, RSA Workshop
- Materials Used:
The back and sides of these chairs are cut from 1/2 inch plywood; the bottom and legs are 3/4 inch preservative treated (PT) pine. Due to the size of the model we built, were able to use the wood in the most cost effective manner with very little wasted material. The estimated cost for each chair is about $8.00 including nuts, bolts, and screws.
- Tools Used:
Although we had a full range of power tools available, these chairs could be easily built with a few simple hand tools.
- 10 inch table saw to rip the plywood and pine to the proper width.
- 10 inch radial arm saw to cut the pieces to length
- A band saw to cut curved ends
- A jigsaw to cut other curved pieces and between holes to form slots
- The drill press and an electric hand drill to drill 3/4 inch holes
- An electric hand drill to bore pilot holes for screws
- A screwdriver to put the screws in place.
- Minimum Tool Requirements:
- A hand saw
- A drill, electric or hand power, to drill 3/4 inch holes
- A keyhole (or similar) saw to cut between holes
- A 3/4 inch drill bit
- A 5/16th drill bit for the leg bolts
- A 1/8th inch drill bit for pilot holes for the screws
Note: this project could also be nailed together using 4d (1 1/2 inch) nails.
- Finishing:
Due to time constraints, we did not paint or varnish our project. Recommend that the entire chair be sanded smooth with sandpaper and the wood sealed with two coats of paint and/or varnish. Pay particular attention to the end grain of the plywood pieces since they tend to absorb water. Sand the entire surface lightly between coats of finish. The sample model is finished with an oil based varnish (requires paint thinner for brush cleanup), and acrylic paint (water based) for the seat and legs. I like acrylic paint better than latex because I believe it is more durable and more water resistant than latex when dry.
- Illustrations for reference (pdf format):
