Rubber Hose Chair

Rubber Hose Chair
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Nearly every job site or good-sized shop has rubber air hose for running nail guns or a multitude of other tubes. The hose in this project is 3/4" in diameter, about 45 feet long, and is made from tough, flexible rubber. In a former life it was used to run a spray gun for lacquering cabinets. After developing leaks at both ends, it was retired. The rubber is in decent shape, but it shows its age with hairline cracks and thick coating of grime. It was easy to clean with some denatured alcohol and rags. Once clean, cut off the brass or steel fittings at each end.

The resulting chair is really comfortable. It feels like sitting on rubber bands. The trick is to have narrow enough spacing and a tight-enough weave so that your weight is evenly distributing across as many lengths of hose as possible, which will in turn evenly distribute the stress on the hose, preventing sagging and long-term decay.

The overall form is quite reclined, with an interior width of about 22". Assuming the hose is recycled (garden hose would work as well, though it typically is made from thinner rubber), the only other materials are one 2'x 2' piece of 3/4" plywood and four 2' x 1/2" dia. threaded rods with nuts and washers. There is almost no waste from the process, making it quite efficient for both the environment and your wallet. Out-of-pocket costs are about fifteen-twenty bucks, depending.
 
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Step 1Framin'

Framin\
The two L-shaped pieces that comprise the sides of the chair are made out of single pieces of 3/4" plywood, cut form a 2' x 2' sheet. That material shouldn't cost more than five bucks or so at the hardware store. Those "Ls" come out of the four sides, creating a rhomboid center leftover pieces, which was cut up to use as the legs. The specific dimensions are not important, as they can be changed to fit your tastes. The angle is obtuse, maybe roughly 100 degrees, and each leg of the "L" is about eighteen inches long. Make sure the pieces are at least four inches at their narrowest point, to provide for strength.

Lay out your pieces, and cut with a circular saw, jigsaw, or bandsaw. Cut the leftover center piece into four roughly equal pieces, or two pairs of matching pieces. I made the back legs a little wider than the front.

Lay the legs on top of the "Ls" and play around with them until you have both an angle of recline that you feel comfortable with as well as a decent height off the ground. My version is only about a foot from the ground to the seating surface at its lowest point. Run a straightedge over the feet to derive the angle at which they will meet the ground and cut off.

Glue and screw the legs to the inside of the "Ls."
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75 comments
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Jan 25, 2012. 8:58 AMreref says:
Nice!
Aug 8, 2009. 11:05 AMdombeef says:
You should make it so that you run water through it to make it water cooled
Jan 21, 2012. 1:52 AMashwinlit says:
Yeah, it could be possible but as you see in the pictures te hose is pressed togetger in the holes in the wooden frame, so if you want to get water in the hose, you need to find a way on how to you can keep the hose open all the way, so that the water will not be stucked.

(i'm sorry for my terrible english, I hope you understand)
Jun 16, 2011. 3:32 PMsiafulinux says:
... or water heated piping would be nice outside during colder months.
Aug 17, 2009. 8:56 PMs1a1t1a1n says:
Wasteful, but awesome.
Jun 13, 2010. 9:00 AMM4industries says:
Could be a closed loop.
Jun 13, 2010. 10:51 AMdombeef says:
Yeah with a solar panel to power the pump
Jun 13, 2010. 6:04 PMM4industries says:
0.o Two hours for a response! That is lightning on this site! Good job.
Jun 14, 2010. 6:51 AMdombeef says:
Once someone replied to me in a half minute
Aug 17, 2009. 9:34 PMYerboogieman says:
Not if you water the....Good Point!
Jul 30, 2011. 8:22 PMsiamonsez says:
Looks super comfy, and nice finish on the wood. The metal struts look bowed, is that from the tension in the hose? Maybe that type/size hose is a bit overkill but better to use what you have than buy something. Great idea.
Jun 16, 2011. 10:06 AMvolt1000 says:
thanx help!
Oct 12, 2010. 9:46 AMtopkun says:
Thank you Mr. Wholman. You are my inspiration.
I had made chair similar you but i chang from rubber to rope.
It's very strong but not complete .I will modify somthing, add arm , change kind of rope and so on. I will appreciat if you comment.
Thank you again.
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Jun 13, 2010. 8:59 AMM4industries says:
That looks very comfy to sit in for an afternoon. It would be even better with latex surgical tubing pulled taught. Home Depot sells it for around $3 per foot.
May 23, 2010. 7:01 PMdjswan says:
Hey I know that you said that the dimensions were not important but I was hoping that you would share the dimensions that you used on the chair because I don't want to screw up.
Thanks,
DJ
May 24, 2010. 7:00 PMdjswan says:
Thanks for the help.
Dec 28, 2009. 7:27 AMKoolAidDisaster says:
You know what would be great, if you put another hose through vertically! It would sort of be like a hardcore lawn chair. Great work man!
Dec 14, 2009. 2:42 AMyusufamir says:
this is a very nice idea indeed, much satisfies my hunger for curry. :)
Sep 4, 2009. 6:50 PMmoo of the cow says:
cool this must be expensive to buy those hoses
Oct 14, 2009. 4:59 AMtbird45039 says:
na you can find air compressor hose pretty cheap at most hardware stores
Nov 18, 2009. 3:11 PMhassi says:
Lowe's has 3/4" x 50' rubber air hose for $45.00

(http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=75153-177-LOTAP34075&lpage=none)...

A tad bit 'spensive for my taste, but that's just me...

Might want to maybe hang out at your local Habitat Re-Store for a few weeks to see if one comes in...
Sep 5, 2009. 9:17 PMLance Mt. says:
Really?
Aug 21, 2009. 11:46 AMrealgenius65 says:
Wow, am I ever impressed!!! As a wood worker and recycler I find this to be an awesome project and the cost is "Perfect"!!!!!
Aug 6, 2009. 11:00 AMCatDoc says:
What kid/toddler wouldn't want to crawl through these? They put their head through the top couple of them, then do a forward somersault, winding their trachea into it nice and tight and hanging by their necks.
Aug 12, 2009. 8:55 PMmacrumpton says:
I have seen office chairs using a similar suspension system (like bungees), as well as any number of outdoor beach lounges. I suspect if they were deathtraps the design would not be so popular.
Aug 9, 2009. 12:07 PMSilentwolf2004 says:
Im sorry CatDoc but I just cant agree with your comments. The design for this bench is simplistic, economical, and spot on. If one added vertical bracing to the hose to minimize head insertion by a child, I think it would take away from the elastic feel. The world of 'What If's' encompasses everything and anything that isent in our immediate line of sight. What if a child had a loose sock and slipped down the stairs?, What if I I tripped over a rock in the lawn and landed in the pool? What if someone didn't realize a BBQ was running and burnt there hand on it ? The world of 'What If's' is endless. I believe to answer your question, a parent who has concerns about a child's safety, simply needs to be vigilant. I cant see the world ever becoming 'Child Proof'....and if it did, wow would it be a boring place...lol Great job on that bench, I think I'm going to 'try' and build me one. Thumbs Up. !!!
Oct 14, 2009. 3:58 AMKamakaziHero says:
well i built one, and the tubes are tight enough and that closetogether that the hypothetical infant would have to have the neck ofchuck norris to force its head in between them...
Aug 7, 2009. 12:27 AMson ja says:
looks perfect as it is to me. I would rather sit on a pile of rubber bands than a pile of wood any day. Also excellent job on minimizing waste - though you didn't put those metal connecty things at the end of the hose in the pic :) Really great and inspiring project!
Aug 4, 2009. 6:48 AMKilsmer says:
How expensive would it be to purchase the same length of hose you used?
Aug 7, 2009. 12:19 AMMrL33TPenguin says:
I saw a 50 feet of the same air hose at home depot for 18 USD.
Aug 4, 2009. 2:15 PMbtop says:
£10 on ebay?
Aug 6, 2009. 5:16 PMlonejack says:
Great Idea!! I am going to,"borrow," it for a cardboard Kayak my grandson and I are building for the Gorilla Glue contest. One suggestion I would make would be to move the front rod down enough to put it inside of a 4 or 6" PVC tube. The tube would afford some lateral support. Just a suggestion to pile on to the many I have read here. You know the story, the last lier doesn't have a chance.
Aug 6, 2009. 12:52 PMgilsnax says:
Bizarre and cool at the same time! You ARE The Man, man.
Aug 6, 2009. 12:09 PMSantaB says:
Would none threaded rods work better, assuming you could had only the ends threaded?
Aug 6, 2009. 11:50 AMbaker420e says:
Great chair! Don't let people get you down, its a great design and if they think they can do better, well let them try. Ha ha. As a civil engineer your theories seem sound, alas the world is meant to decay and eventually everything does. How long do they expect a chair to last that costs so little. Keep up the good work!
Aug 2, 2009. 8:21 PMcchamlin says:
very cool design, but one complaint from a mechanical engineer: circular rod is at its weakest under axial compression, like you have it loaded here. that bend is going to increase over time, as the tension of the hose and the weight of people sitting in the chair work together to splay out the legs. the best fix would be to put a piece of wood or square metal tube where the threaded rod is now, (both are strong in compression and less prone to buckling) and move the threaded rod down below it. that way the bar acts as a fulcrum: the tension in the hose and the tension in the rod are on opposite sides and will oppose each other, the legs will stay straight and your chair will stay strong throughout its lifetime. good luck!
Aug 6, 2009. 9:22 AMWhoTookMudshark says:
This is a great idea! Thank you for your input cchamlin! :D
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Author:wholman
I am an artist, writer, and designer who graduated with a degree in architecture in 2007.