Cardboard Cantilever Chair 2.0

Step 4 Lamination

Lay out your jig and piles of cardboard.  Use a paintbrush to apply glue to both sides of each piece except the first and last layer, as you want a clean side in contact with the jig so it doesn't stick.

Build up the layers, alternating the way the cardboard lays at each joint so the pieces overlap the previous layer.  Also, alternate the grain of the cardboard of each layer for strength.  All the leg layers need to be vertically-oriented grain; I also made a section where all the pieces were out of vertically-oriented cardboard to add some tearing strength in the middle of the finished chair.  Where the cardboard is too long, just let it run wild and trim it later, after the glue has dried.

When you run out of glue or reach the top of your pegs, put the top plate on the jig and crank down the threaded rods with washers and wing nuts until glue squeezes out from in between the layers.  I aimed for about four inches at a time, which makes a chair in four to five meta-layers.  Let the glue dry overnight.

In the time-lapse video, you'll see me trim the miters into the legs, then lay up one layer.