Chairs

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After going out to price the cost of some chairs and stools I decided I would check to see if anyone had ideas or suggestions about building my own.  The chairs will be used in a cabin so making them out of metal is appealing.  They will get used in a rough environment.  I was thinking square tubing and installing cushions covered with foam and fabric.  Help
Reply:I like the square tube idea...1" square tube used to make a 24"x24" square for the seat, legs about 24" each a 1" square tube, backs made out of three pieces of 1" square tube (probably go for about 26" high) and I would make the seat itself out of a piece of 1/2" plywood with a durable canvas or nylon fabric over about 2" of flame resistant padding.  The fabric can just be wrapped over the padding and stapled to the back of the plywood...hmmm...maybe my next project too, I could use some good chairs for the garage.
Reply:How about some round tube aluminum? I saw some like this in a restaurant locally, and man did they look cool. A simple brushed looked and lighter than steel, very durable too. My $.02.
Reply:I have made just a couple of metal chairs over the years- around 2000 at last count...Metal chairs are sturdy, and you can use pretty small material, compared to wood. The trick to making them comfortable is the measurements and angles. Do it right, they sit real nice. Do it wrong, and nobody wants to sit in em.Heres a few tips-If you are using something light, like 16 ga 1" square, or 5/8" solid round, you need to tie the chair legs together a few inches up from the ground.I used to make a lot of chairs with 5/8" legs, and a stretcher of 3/8" round, about 6" up- either an X shape between the legs, or just 4 bars making a square.Seat height for a chair should be about 18". Seat height for a bar stool is usually either 24" or 29", depending on bar height, but a good rule of thumb is 12" from the seat up to the underside of the bar.Seat size- comfortable chairs are usually at least 15" to 18" wide, and around 16" deep. More if you are an extra large guy. Bar stools can get away being 12" wide and 14"-16" deep.The seat ought to be lower at the back than the front- I usually make the front 18" tall, and the back 17".The back of the chair ought to lean back- 3 to 5 degrees is fine, but tastes vary.You can buy nifty slip in plastic plugs for most sizes of square tubing- at MSC, Mcmaster Carr, Reid tool, and sometimes even at home depot. Crutch tips from a good drug store can work on round tubing.
Reply:Thanks everyone for the helpful information, very useful.  I am leaning toward steel square tubing (currently don't do aluminum). Keep it coming! Thanks
Reply:I'm bumping this thread to the top.  Anybody got pictures of their homemade chairs?  The wife is wanting new dining room chairs so instead of wasting money buying them I would rather waste time building them.  I'm hoping to use 1" sq tube for the frame and then make the seat bottom out of some sawmill lumber that was cut from her parents farm when they built their cabin 30 years ago.
Reply:"homemade"?Dude, I am a producer, not a consumer- which is to say, I makes stuff for a living.So my chairs were made in the shop.  Anyway, there are pics of a few different ones on my website, showing some simple frame designs-http://www.riesniemi.com/pages/chairs.html
Reply:http://www.riesniemi.com/pages/chairs.htmlThose are NICE chairs!If you go wth square tube, you can round the corners with quickfab elbows.
Reply:Really nice chairs.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Ries, you are a true artist.  Awesome work my man.Have you ever done anything in or around Washington DC?(sorry to hijack the thread!)MM175 MIGCutmaster 38 PlasmaCraftsman 30gal compressor4x6 HF bandsaw1hp HF floor drill pressRyobi Cutoff SawAssorted grindersNot enough time