The Plan:

I have to admit, this was where I had the most trouble on this project.  Having worked in the lab for about a year, I have a high degree of confidence using the Shopbot, but I hit a creative block when attempting to come up with a project.  I went through several evolutions on several designs, even going so far as to make something else and decide that it was not at all what I wanted.  I finally settled on a chair, so that is what I will describe below.

The Process:

Using the Partworks software, I began my design with legs of the chair.  I knew I wanted to do something that slots together, but I didn’t really have a final design in mind.  After playing for a bit, I had created a frame that I thought would work well.

I added slots to the chair by creating .75in x 1.5in rectangles, and welding them to the curve of the seat area.  Then, to make the slats, I created two ovals and subtracted them from each other.  After a bit of smoothing, I ended with the curve I wanted.  I added similar notches to the slats 22in apart on the 24in slat.

I also added pockets to the frame so that I could create pressure fit support joints to keep the chair from splaying outwards when someone sits in it. 

The Final Product:

The finished version of the chair has an appealing and unique look.  The improvements that I will make over the next week will include a larger frame as the seat section of the chair is a bit shallow.  I will also lessen the curve at the back of the chair for comfort. Lastly, I will improve the pressure fit joint that works as a support to make it tighter.

The nice part is that the slats are universal, so re-working the style of and sizing of the chair will be a simple matter of cutting new frame pieces.  Pictures of the process and the partworks files are below.  I as I continue to make changes to the design, I will upload them.

Update: I have re-worked the chair frame, and cut a new one.  The changes I made were to lengthen the seat area from 9 to 14 inches, and for the bracing I added peices that would lock down on the frame rather than pressure fit into pockets.  The updated partworks file is below.

Partworks File:  Chair 2.crv.zip

Updated Frame: Chair Frame 2.crv.zip