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Step 12Seat and brackets
The seat and seat back are made from 3/4" cabinet grade plywood that I had leftover from some other projects. 1/2" would probably work fine. The seat bottom is 12" long and tapers from 12" in the front to 10" in the back. The seat back is 18" tall and tapers from 10" to 8". Adjust these sizes to fit your body. Round off the edges. I used cd-roms to trace a circle and borrowed a jigsaw, but a coping saw would work. Use your wood rasp to remove any sharp edges and smooth out your cuts.
There are several tutorials on the net on how to build a lightweight frame and wrap it with mesh material, but I was sick of welding at this point and wanted to ride. The wood seat was quick to build and ended up being good enough, so I covered it and left it. I plan to steam-bend some cherry for a seat at some point to match the fenders and other bits of the bike. I recommend you do something quick that works and upgrade later.
Now we need to attach the seat. Cut five pieces of your 1/8" steel to these approximate sizes:
1 - 1" x 2"
2 - 1" x 8"-10"
2 - 1" x 3"
These dimensions will vary depending on the tubing sizes you end up with. the two 1" x 10" pieces will need to be bent at a 30 degree angle to hold the seat bottom and seat back together. the other three pieces will need to be drilled on each end for carriage bolts. The smaller piece needs to be mounted 10" to 12" up the seat back. I used six 5/16" carriage bolts with washers and split lock washers. They have stayed put, but you might be more comfortable with nylon locking nuts. I also slid some vinyl tubing over the bolt threads to keep them from scratching the frame.
I screwed the 1"x10" brackets to the seat and seat back and had some problems with them pulling out if I wasn't careful. small bolts (maybe 1/4" carriage bolts) and washers would probably work much better.
See the three photos of the yellow bike for alternative bracket designs. Thee were created for a later project and seem to be stronger. I may retrofit.
After the first ride my lower spine was bruised a little; especially with the lack of padding. I cut out a bit of the lower seat back to relieve this. The seat was then fairly comfortable even without padding. However, padding was called for with rides lasting more than an hour or so.
Covering the seat was fairly simple. I found an automotive seat pad at our local overstock/closeout store for $2. I ripped all the seams and used its padding, foam and fabric. The idea is to staple foam to the seat and then stretch fabric around and staple it to the back. Its pretty easy. I've seen people glue wheelchair foam to the seat as well.
There are several tutorials on the net on how to build a lightweight frame and wrap it with mesh material, but I was sick of welding at this point and wanted to ride. The wood seat was quick to build and ended up being good enough, so I covered it and left it. I plan to steam-bend some cherry for a seat at some point to match the fenders and other bits of the bike. I recommend you do something quick that works and upgrade later.
Now we need to attach the seat. Cut five pieces of your 1/8" steel to these approximate sizes:
1 - 1" x 2"
2 - 1" x 8"-10"
2 - 1" x 3"
These dimensions will vary depending on the tubing sizes you end up with. the two 1" x 10" pieces will need to be bent at a 30 degree angle to hold the seat bottom and seat back together. the other three pieces will need to be drilled on each end for carriage bolts. The smaller piece needs to be mounted 10" to 12" up the seat back. I used six 5/16" carriage bolts with washers and split lock washers. They have stayed put, but you might be more comfortable with nylon locking nuts. I also slid some vinyl tubing over the bolt threads to keep them from scratching the frame.
I screwed the 1"x10" brackets to the seat and seat back and had some problems with them pulling out if I wasn't careful. small bolts (maybe 1/4" carriage bolts) and washers would probably work much better.
See the three photos of the yellow bike for alternative bracket designs. Thee were created for a later project and seem to be stronger. I may retrofit.
After the first ride my lower spine was bruised a little; especially with the lack of padding. I cut out a bit of the lower seat back to relieve this. The seat was then fairly comfortable even without padding. However, padding was called for with rides lasting more than an hour or so.
Covering the seat was fairly simple. I found an automotive seat pad at our local overstock/closeout store for $2. I ripped all the seams and used its padding, foam and fabric. The idea is to staple foam to the seat and then stretch fabric around and staple it to the back. Its pretty easy. I've seen people glue wheelchair foam to the seat as well.
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