Prototyping: Part 1

Getting Inspired
This past week, I took a couple trips to the Art Library to browse through many "chair" books. From these I learned about how chairs were made, and what kind of form I am looking for in my chair. I'm still going with the concept of a chair being able to split into 3 different chairs, and I've been trying to explore many modes of connection between the chair pieces. They could fit side by side, stacked, interwoven, puzzled, etc. Some questions I am asking myself: How can I make my pieces interlock, yet still maintain a simple design? Do I need bolts? What about steal? Do all the chairs have to be the same size? Can I have a stool, chair, and comfy chair all in one? Would wood be best fit for the design I want to pursue?

Hans J. Wegner PP58-3 Chair

Arne Jacobsen

Fritz H

Prototyping

Paper
Paper is very good for getting a fell for what plywood can do, and it's a cheap prototyping material! I played around with construction paper to get a feel for what kind of shapes made what kind of forms.

Here is my first iteration with a larger small scale model for my chair. I used cardboard and paper clips to get the cardboard to stay in the form that I wanted it to. This was the best way that I could implement and get a feel for what plywood might feel and look like.

I tried to explore what kind of cushion chair shape I wanted with construction paper. I'm thinking that the base of my cushion chair will also be plywood. I want it rock a little bit, but also be able to sit in a stable upright position. In the pictures you can see that I cut out a tab that might be able to hold the chair in place. I'll have to play around with this idea to see if I can get a slight rocking feature and then a stable position.

What I've learned
I think it's very possible to make my pieces fit together without any extra connections. I've learned a little bit more about my form, and what I want my chair to look like, but I think I should do a couple iterations on this design. I like the simplicity of this concept, and that all three pieces can fit together with one or two other pieces. Cardboard and wire is a great way to imitate plywood. Stacking things together is a good way to get a general full scale size feel. Sitting in chairs to figure out what height my chair should be also helps.

Next Steps

• start working with plywood to see how I can actually make this chair. 
• start playing with materials for the cushion chair
• make small plywood models?
• keep playing with cushion chair shape
• figure out proportions
• make a full scale cardboard model
• figure out if connections will work
• ask Edmark for help/advice for learning about plywood
• get a feel for how fixturing and clamps will work