I have a favorite beach chair that has seen better days.

Knowing that my best chair is not long for this earth, I wanted to prototype something with similar geometry while challenging myself to use a variety of tools and technology available. This chair is prototype #001. It started as a very rudimentary sketch in my notebook, then on to refining the shape in Adobe Illustrator. Once I was happy with the look, I prepared a file to make cardboard templates for each the the four slat piece shapes using the Epilog Fusion Pro 60-watt laser cutter at CraterWorks. A few minutes of cutting and I had 4 perfect templates, which were then traced onto 2'x6' lumber from a big-box store. After about an hour on the bandsaw, drill press, and various sanders, the pieces were ready for a dry-fit using a combination of 1/2" and 1" dowel stock. Everything went together pretty well, but I needed hardware to keep the chair from flattening out when I sat on it. So, I went back to Illustrator to design a slider and nuts to 3D print those at the shop. Success! Though the 3D-printed hardware probably isn't something I'll trust longterm (I'll cut stronger hardware on the Wazer waterjet), it allowed for a final fit to prove the concept. This is the first god at immortalizing my ol' trusty beach chair from REI. Prototype #002 will be even better.

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