Wooden chair: design, drawing, manufacturing process, decor

What is a chair bed

A chair-bed is an ideal piece of furniture that combines practicality and ease of use on the one hand, and beauty on the other, and can become a design object. This furniture is usually relatively small. The ability to use it as a chair during the day and as a bed at night makes it indispensable.

When choosing a simple scheme, even beginners can cope with such work.

The mattress is usually made of flat pillows and a seat base. Often this furniture is equipped with a drawer for bedding or storing other things. A DIY wooden garden chair will be an ideal placement solution.

Difficulties can arise only when selecting the type of transformation mechanism or changing proven drawings.

Stages of making a chair-bed with your own hands

Having decided to make this furniture with your own hands, it is important to understand what stages the whole process consists of, what materials and tools may be needed, and also what you should pay special attention to. How to make a chair bed? First, you need to free up space for work so that nothing interferes or distracts you from your work.

The design and dimensions of such chairs can be any.

The following will follow:

model selection;
preparation of materials and tools;
frame manufacturing;
installation of mechanisms;
sheathing;
decoration.

So, having decided on the list and the order of the entire process, you can get down to business.

Thanks to the use of modern fittings and furniture textiles, there are no problems with the selection and implementation of design ideas.

Selection of materials and tools

There are many options for creating folding chair beds. There are frame and shapeless models. Having decided on a convenient option, it is important not to forget about the sizes that are suitable for a particular model and installation location. To make a standard size frame chair you will need the following materials:

8 boards of equal length (frame);
8 planks (corner reinforcement of the frame);
slats (base for pillows);
slats and two slats (the base of the second half of the chair);
plywood (bottom of the base, sides of the armrests);
foam rubber for furniture (10 – 20 cm thick);
upholstery material;
furniture screws or self-tapping screws, nails;
metal one-piece hinges (large and smaller);
means for coating wooden components.

You will need strong beams, plywood with a thickness of 10 mm, and slabs of wood materials.
The following tools will be needed:

jigsaw;
saw (miter saw);
drill;
screwdriver;
drawing supplies (tape measure, pencil, square);
sewing machine or stapler for furniture.

You will need tools for cutting and fastening parts, as well as a standard set of marking devices.
When everything is prepared, you can start drawing.

Drawing up a drawing

The correct drawing is the key to success. It must be clear. All details are carefully measured and thought out. It is recommended to use standard dimensions of the chair, suitable for an adult (about 2000 cm when unfolded, 90 cm wide, 45 cm backrest height). The drawing must show:

frame in detail;
chair legs;
folding mechanism;
armrests;
loops;
guides.

Ready-made drawings and diagrams can be found on various online services.
Patterns for future cladding are also drawn on the drawing. Below is an approximate schematic drawing of a frame chair-bed.

The dimensions of the chairs are selected taking into account the height of the owners and the size of the rooms.

Frequently asked questions from beginning furniture makers

Before you start making this or that design, you should familiarize yourself with the list of questions that beginners in this business often have.

How to cut parts?

When cutting longitudinal parts, it is better to use a circular saw, and for transverse parts, an electric jigsaw.

Jigsaw

Prices for popular models of jigsaws

Jigsaw

How to connect parts of the structure?

For connections that carry the main load, you will need to use euroscrews or self-tapping screws. In other cases, the parts are assembled using wooden choppers and glue.

Chopiki

Paint or varnish?

The choice of materials for processing depends on the quality of the wood itself. If the material does not have any defects, it can be treated with stain and then a layer of varnish can be applied. If stains appear on the surface, the wood must first be puttied, coated with a primer, and only then painted.

Wood varnishes come in different shades

How to reduce the consumption of paints and varnishes?

Quite often, during final finishing, the paint is quickly absorbed into the surface, which is why bald spots remain on it. This happens because natural wood has a porous structure. That is why professionals recommend pre-treating it with drying oil.

Drying oil for wood processing

Manufacturing stages

When starting directly to manufacture the product, it won’t hurt to get an assistant. He will help by holding the parts during their fastening and assembly of the structure. The entire creation process includes cutting out parts, assembling, upholstering and decorating the finished chair. How to assemble a chair-bed yourself, without skipping important steps and without making mistakes, is described below.

The procedure depends on the type of model selected.

Cutting out the parts

All details of the future chair are marked in strict accordance with the diagram drawn independently. Dimensions are used according to the drawing. The plywood is cut into 4 squares at the rate of 3 for the bed and 1 for the backrest. Next, the bars are prepared (6 - longitudinal for the berth, 7 - transverse, 4 - legs). The armrests are cut. The places of attachment to each other are marked on the workpieces.

An important condition is that all parts of the chair are cut without deviations from the specified dimensions, with an accuracy of 1 mm.

Housing assembly

The assembly of the body occurs in stages. It is better to adhere to the following sequence:

assemble the sidewalls, securing them with screws;
check their similarity to each other in all respects (mirrority);
if a closed type is provided, then cover their sides with plywood;
attach the backrest to the rear pillars (it must match the size of the seat);
assemble guides for rollers;
cover the bottom of the chair with plywood;
a lid with hinges is screwed to its upper part;
check the dimensions for compliance with the drawing;
strengthen the structure with transverse beams.

Next, you can begin making the covers and the sheathing itself.

Sheathing

This stage of work consists of marking and cutting out patterns from the prepared fabric, sewing the parts into a cover.

Important! To prevent the cover from being too small, you need to leave a seaming allowance of about 3 cm.

The sides are covered with prepared sheets of foam rubber. It is attached to the base of the chair with staples using a furniture stapler, starting from the middle and moving towards the edges. After the glue has dried, the covers are pulled on.

Installation of the transformation mechanism

Chairs with ready-made folding mechanisms are very easy to use. The installation proceeds as follows:

the base and seat are fixed in the desired position;
parts of the mechanism are attached and drilling locations are marked;
holes are made according to the marks;
parts are bolted and lubricated to prevent unnecessary friction.

If everything is done correctly, assembling and disassembling the chair will be easy and simple.

To assemble a chair-bed, any ready-made transformation mechanism can be used.

Tools and materials

The tools are prepared:

electric drill;
screwdriver;
sander;
corner.

Materials needed:

wooden blocks with a cross section of 3 cm;
plywood 2 cm thick;
self-tapping screws;
stain;
varnish;
brush;
antiseptic.

Decorating a bed chair

Various techniques can be used as design decor. A good option would be to use original fabrics for upholstery (tapestry, velvet, faux fur). Alternatively, gluing or sewing on appliques is a great solution for a child seat. The legs of the product can be decorated with rhinestones, mosaics or semi-precious stones. You can cover the furniture with a cape, or prepare several covers of different colors and textures.

At the request of the owners, the chair-bed is decorated with an additional removable cover, made upon completion of the remaining work.

How to make frameless furniture

The principle of creating frameless furniture at home is very simple. Knowing certain features and requirements for the product, you can dilute standard furniture with this designer version of the chair. Ideally, a frameless chair consists of two covers. The inner one is stuffed with filler, the outer one, usually removable, serves to protect the former from damage, and also performs a decorative function.

A chair without stiffeners can be made from dense sheet foam rubber 10 mm thick and high-quality, but simple textiles.

When choosing a fabric, it is important to understand that the inner cover will experience heavy loads, so a dense, tear-resistant fabric (blend, Oxford 400 polyester) is suitable. For the outer layer, you can use fabrics that are non-stretchable, easy to clean, and resistant to friction. Next, you need to decide on the size, make a drawing, from which the patterns are then cut out. The parts of the inner cover are sewn together.

Experienced craftsmen recommend immediately making several types of covers from different textiles, including rough and replaceable outer ones.

Foam balls are used as filler (2/3 of the product is filled) or sheet foam rubber. An outer cover is placed on top. All materials for the chair can be purchased at regular sewing stores. The filler is sold by companies involved in the production of frameless furniture or manufacturers of thermal insulation materials.

The method of fastening the chair elements is thought out in advance, the gap between them is kept as small as possible.

So, having all the necessary tools and materials at hand, as well as a great desire to do something with your own hands and, perhaps, save on purchasing a finished product, you can decorate your home with a chair-bed of your own design. The main thing is to follow all the production technology described in the article.

Features of working with wood

Wood has long been considered the most popular material used in the manufacture of furniture to this day. This is due to a large number of positive qualities: wood is quite easy to process, even a beginner can handle this process. To prepare products, you can use simple tools; it is not necessary to purchase high-tech equipment.

You can even cut parts with a bow saw

You can purchase lumber at an affordable price in almost a hardware store, while ready-made furniture structures made from solid wood have a fairly high cost. That is why it is recommended to make such simple products as a chair with your own hands.

The main advantages of natural wood are:

Environmental Safety. This material is non-toxic, therefore any harm to human health is excluded.
Wood has good strength; it rarely deforms due to impacts and other mechanical influences.
A structure of any configuration can be made from wood. In addition, such products will harmoniously fit into any room with any interior design.

In order to buy high-quality wood, you should consider the following features of the material:

the humidity level should be no more than 12-13%;
there should be no cracks, other damage or traces of mold on the surface;
there must be a minimum amount of resin.

It is necessary to choose only high-quality lumber

You should pay attention to such points when purchasing ready-to-use lumber. In some cases, it becomes necessary to dry the wood yourself, after which it will need to be treated with a special compound to protect against fungus.

Important point! It is better to purchase material taking into account the stock, because not in all cases it is possible to accurately calculate the required quantity. In addition, during the work there is a risk of damaging any part.

An equally important criterion is the type of wood. When making outdoor furniture, only varieties with the most durable texture are suitable. These include pine, rowan, larch, and oak.

Linden has good durability

If a heavy load is expected to be placed on the product, then it is better to choose linden or alder. Material of this structure is a little more difficult to process, but it will last for many years.

If the chair will be installed near any pond or swimming pool, then it is advisable to purchase fine-pored wood for manufacturing - this will avoid problems with deformation of the structure.