F07
The Swinging Cat
Wood working,
Full scale
Furniture making
March - May 2023
Solidworks, Keyshot, Wood working
Abstract
A full scale rocking swing chair with hard maple wood.
Various techniques were used including chopsaw, joiner, planer, bansaw, router, domino, hand shaping, finishing etc were used to shape solid real wood into a chair.
When I was a child,
A swing was my dream.
But there’s no roof beam in my house,
So I had to give up.
Last winter,
I swang in a park for hours,
Not wanting to leave.
I now have the hands of a maker,
Why not fulfill the child's dream?
Details
Try it out!
It seems I am not the only one with a child in my heart.
Diary of Making
Preparation
1. Engineering drawing iterations
Mar.1-Mar. 15Three weeks were spent on refining the shape and form of the design. The key was to be a swing and feasible rocking chair.
2. Sketch model （2x4 Pine+ Hemp rope+ Screws)
Mar. 18, 19Tucker the instructor was concerned about the structure.
I was also concerned.
So I made a full-scale works-like model.
The model was steady enough (despite the wood-creaking sound). I identified several problems that needed improvement.
3. Refine the design
Mar. 20-Mar. 30I was able to identify several probelms when using the sketch model, and made improvements.
4. Material calculation
Mar. 26I tried to calculate how many pieces of wood I need and how to arrange them in an economical way.
5. Buying maple wood
Mar. 27We went to the local lumber yard, where I found some decent maple wood. I was glad about making material calculations first so that the 12 feet piece can be cut down on site, which was easier to carry.
Start Making
1. Chop saw into the correct length
Apr.3
2. Obtain flat surfaces with joiner and planer
Apr.4I was surprised at how different the wood looks like after going through these machines. The color is much lighter, (surprisingly similar to the render texture), and the surfaces are much smoother.
3. Cut templets with printed drawings
Apr.10Printing full-scale templates was harder than I thought.
But templates were helpful when it comes to arranging how pieces are placed with each rectangular block.
4. Drill all dominos (16)
Apr.10, 12Dominos are similar to mortise and tenon joints. The brich wood dominos would expand in the slot when they meet glue and fix two parts tightly together.
Always practice on a scrap piece. Always make the pencil marks very clear.
5. Make sure all parts fit
Apr. 17Despite being very careful, The domino holes were not perfect. Luckily the shapes were not cut so I can always adjust the drawing of shapes to be cut on the wood easily.
The pieces were able to fit tightly but were not perfectly aligned. But this can be addressed.
6. Cut rough shapes
Apr.22, 23The pieces became a lot lighter to carry. It is important to always leave some margins when cutting.
7. Cut exact shapes and sand surfaces
Apr. 24When using a router, grain direction becomes important. Areas with short grains are likely to chip and break.
8. Shape all dominos so that parts align well
Apr. 28, 29To adjust according to some slight misalignment of domino holes, the dominos were sanded slightly so that all pieces align perfectly. Dominos have good flexibility and tolerance for mistakes.
9. Table saw slots on bottoms (4)
May.1The two base pieces were clamped together when making the slots so that the slots align perfectly.
3 passes were used to make each slot.
10. Make lap joints on the bottom middle bars (2)
May.1Just some slight sanding made the joints fit perfectly.
The bases rock well.
11. Bandsaw slots on legs (4)
12. Make lap joints on top middle bars (4)
May.3Since the legs have curved surfaces on both sides, I could not use the table saw.
The frame was able to stand up for the first time~
13. Sand and chisel the joints to fit (8)
May. 3
14. Drill holes on seat and cats (8)
May. 4To improve the previous design having rope knots on the cat’s head, and an unstable seating surface, I adjusted the rope and hole placement.
15. Glue all dominos (16)
May. 7The gluing was done relatively late because it is an irreversible process. The working sequence should always be considered.
16. Fix all gaps with glue and sawdust
May. 8This is a good trick to fill the gaps. But they must be sanded because this material does not absorb the surface finish. They will have a different color from the rest of the parts.
17. Round all edges with a hand router
May. 8Always test with a small router bit first because it can be covered up with a larger one.
The wood chips I created that day might be able to hold 20 hamsters.
18. Drill screws into middle bars (8)
19. Remove corners & Sand everything to 220
May. 10The middle bars could be fixed to the frames using glue. However, I chose to use screws so that the chair can be disassembled for easy transportation.
The original plan was to cover screws with plugs, so for each hole, I drilled with a drill bit for plugs, predrilled with a drill bit of the same size as the screw, and then drill the screw.
The plugs will be attached after I send the chair back home.
20. Apply 2 layers of finish
May. 11, 12Must remember to clean the dust before starting.
I cleaned the excess finish 30 minutes after applying. Then cover the whole thing with a piece of cloth during the waiting time.
21. Connect frame and seat with rope, add foot pads
May. 13Nylon ropes can be cut with a heated knife. A hole of the exact diameter of the rope can be hard to pull the rope through, but the fit is tight and no gaps would be seen.
22. The finishing Moment
May.13During most working time, it remained just a frame. It was such a moment of achievement when it finally became a chair.
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Many thanks to Tucker Houlihan, the instructor, Haroon Waseem, the TA, Yasmine Hassan, Yuxin Jin, Zixuan Zhang, and Morong Li for their helping hands and guidance throughout the process.