dean verhoeven

wake forest

NC

27587

* What was your inspiration for this piece? Because of my height and the profile of my back, chairs are seldom comfortable for me. I saw it as a challenge to design a chair that would adapt automatically to whomever sat in it and be as comfortable for me as for anyone else using it. * What were your project goals? Did you use a unique process, design element, or construction method? The goal was to make a festival chair that would adapt automatically to support the back of the sitter with perfect uniformity of pressure. In this design that is achieved with the use of a Kevlar cord which links all the back support slats. Since the tension in the cord is the same everywhere, the support provided by each slat is the same. In contrast, with traditional designs using springs or foam, the pressure is greatest at the points where the upholstery is compressed the most, leading to pressure points that are uncomfortable in time. * What type of wood(s) did you use? What wood products did you use? What type of finish did you use? (or intend to use if finish coat is not yet applied at time of entry) This chair structure is 11-ply birch plywood, while the back support slats are laminated from 1/16" maple veneer. Finish is "Waterlox" (penetrating tung oil) * Did you use any special equipment, design software, jigs, or hardware? Were any of these new to you? The bent-laminated back support slats required a shop-built bending form and router jigs for shaping before hand finishing. The chair's stainless steel hardware is also hand made. No CNC equipment was used. * What is the intended market or client for this product? This is a design study without an intended client. It is one of many auto-adaptive designs I've developed, and I'd be glad to speak with interested manufacturers.

I am the designer and builder of this object