QUICK INTRO:
(OF COURSE you can just skip to the pictures :-D)
This instructable is about making a die-cutter to make THE WORLD's BEST CARDBOARD CHAIR. The chair design is simple --a profile cutout that is stacked.
LONG INTRO:
The project can be found here as well:
http://users.etown.edu/h/hypnarowskj/Projects_cardboard.html
Our goal was create a project that was relevant to college students and, as always, to challenge conventional thinking about sustainability. We found that as college students, we deal with very little reality. Our food is prepared, the electricity bills are paid, and we never have to mow the lawn. However, one reality we deal with more than most is relocating (between college and home). Imagine moving everything you own twice, sometimes more, times a year. It can become very tiresome, especially if you want large furniture. We asked the question: How could be both improve this situation while introducing sustainability? The "Cardboard Chair" project was born. Light, recyclable, cheap, and comparably comfortable Cardboard furniture has all the workings of a great solution.
Overall, we want to present cardboard furniture as a viable option as opposed to currently available dorm room furniture. Additionally, we will introduce sustainable practices by reusing waste cardboard to build said furniture (rather than recycling it, saving energy needed to do so).
Our first prototype is based on Frank Gehrys Wiggle Chair," popularized in the 1970s. Gehry discovered that cardboard layered many times builds enough strength to make it suitable for the everyday use. He went on to create a series of furniture objects, such as the "Easy Edges Wiggle" side chair, that take advantage of the versatility of cardboard as a medium. We will do the same with our chair.
DO THIS PROJECT AT YOUR OWN RISK, THERE ARE POWERTOOLS INVOLVED. BE MINDFULL OF SAFETY.
(OF COURSE you can just skip to the pictures :-D)
This instructable is about making a die-cutter to make THE WORLD's BEST CARDBOARD CHAIR. The chair design is simple --a profile cutout that is stacked.
LONG INTRO:
The project can be found here as well:
http://users.etown.edu/h/hypnarowskj/Projects_cardboard.html
Our goal was create a project that was relevant to college students and, as always, to challenge conventional thinking about sustainability. We found that as college students, we deal with very little reality. Our food is prepared, the electricity bills are paid, and we never have to mow the lawn. However, one reality we deal with more than most is relocating (between college and home). Imagine moving everything you own twice, sometimes more, times a year. It can become very tiresome, especially if you want large furniture. We asked the question: How could be both improve this situation while introducing sustainability? The "Cardboard Chair" project was born. Light, recyclable, cheap, and comparably comfortable Cardboard furniture has all the workings of a great solution.
Overall, we want to present cardboard furniture as a viable option as opposed to currently available dorm room furniture. Additionally, we will introduce sustainable practices by reusing waste cardboard to build said furniture (rather than recycling it, saving energy needed to do so).
Our first prototype is based on Frank Gehrys Wiggle Chair," popularized in the 1970s. Gehry discovered that cardboard layered many times builds enough strength to make it suitable for the everyday use. He went on to create a series of furniture objects, such as the "Easy Edges Wiggle" side chair, that take advantage of the versatility of cardboard as a medium. We will do the same with our chair.
DO THIS PROJECT AT YOUR OWN RISK, THERE ARE POWERTOOLS INVOLVED. BE MINDFULL OF SAFETY.
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Signing UpStep 1: Materials and Design!
YOU NEED THIS
- Cardboard - We got all the cardboard we needed at the township's cardboard recycling dumpster. Look for large pieces, but be careful of double ply and triple ply as they are hard to work with (with our system). FREE!
- Plywood -Two sheets large enough for the chair's profile. Look for the hardest wood you can find. It needs to stand up against a lot of wear and force! About $40.
- Router -Yes we need powertools! Price varies.
- Bandsaw blades (2 or 3) -Thin blades, look for flat teeth, and about 1in tall. About 25 each.
- Design! -Be creative!
THIS WOULD HELP
- Projector -This will help with the design.
- Design -You will need a design! We picked the Wiggle-like chair. So we took drew an image in MS Paint, then used a projector to project the image onto a plywood board. Then we trace! Now we have our design perfectly on the board!
You can likely do this freehand...
- Cardboard - We got all the cardboard we needed at the township's cardboard recycling dumpster. Look for large pieces, but be careful of double ply and triple ply as they are hard to work with (with our system). FREE!
- Plywood -Two sheets large enough for the chair's profile. Look for the hardest wood you can find. It needs to stand up against a lot of wear and force! About $40.
- Router -Yes we need powertools! Price varies.
- Bandsaw blades (2 or 3) -Thin blades, look for flat teeth, and about 1in tall. About 25 each.
- Design! -Be creative!
THIS WOULD HELP
- Projector -This will help with the design.
- Design -You will need a design! We picked the Wiggle-like chair. So we took drew an image in MS Paint, then used a projector to project the image onto a plywood board. Then we trace! Now we have our design perfectly on the board!
You can likely do this freehand...
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As for strength, I made a rocking horse using similar technique when I was in college and it held up to several years of abuse until my husband got tired of having it around
I am very much satisfied with the quality of information provided here in free and even i'm planning to move on to Pro version.
Anyways, thanks for this useful content :-)
I am aviation enthusiastic and just found very useful content regarding aircraft technician salaries and careers.
That's a scary thought...O_O
www.mastercraftdies.com
props for your ingenuity :D
Basically the idea is Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. What most people do not realize is that this motto is in order of importance. You want to reduce before you reuse and reuse before you recycle. This is due to the energy needs of each: Reduce = ZERO, Reuse = SOME, and Recycle = MOST.
SOOO, our point is that we are reducing first (use this before using new futons, etc.) and reuse cardboard. Finally, in the end it can all be recycled, but in the process you have extended the "lifetime" of the cardboard and you have circumvented the use of futons and other throw-away college furniture.
Thats the logic but, of course, as with most projects the message is more important than the product. We want people to think about sustainablity in an innovative way that causes them to reconsider some... preconceptions.
:-)
I happen to own a small craft soapmaking company, and I've done quite a bit of study on packaging materials because I wanted to make sure I was using the best combination of price and ecology--to the point where if I needed to, I would manufacture it myself.
I may not be the best expert on the subject, but I *have* done my homework on this subject. If your homework consists of just listening to Fox News and Rush Limbaugh, then I suggest you actually learn about the manufacture of kraft paper and cardboard (which is multi-ply kraft paper glued together with cornstarch glue--cornstarch because it's by far the cheapest industrial paper glue, and it just happens to be a sustainable resource in this country).