Live in a small apartment (yet have access to a woodworking area)? Need additional seating on occasion but don't want to trip over a bunch of chairs all the time? Or do you simply like to make interesting things? Check out the Duo chair! I designed this chair to be cut out of a single sheet of 3/4" plywood. It is assembled using NO fasteners and No Adhesives...but a heavy dose of basic mechanical principles.

To build a Duo of your own, you'll need:

1.    My solidworks file (certainly couldn't hurt, anyway)
2.    1 Sheet of 4' x 8' x 3/4" plywood (It'll use less but start there in case you mess something up!)
3.    A collection of hand held tools (drill, jigsaw, file, wood rasp, chisel, router, ruler, straightedge, pencil)
4.    A table saw is handy for speed and accuracy but it's not absolutely necessary
5.    Something to finish it with (paint, lacquer...whatever suits your mood)
6.    A good dose of patience and creative appetite!

Follow along as I outline the assembly process!

Step 1: Using the Duo

Using the Duo is e. a. s. y. Pull off the top seat of the barstool and you now have two seating surfaces. Or a footrest, possibly? Maybe somewhere to set your coffee...

The Duo pictured is the very first one built and I used it nonstop as my computer chair for over a year. As a design student, I spent a LOT of time in this chair. It's as solid today as it was when I made it.

Step 2: Duo Stool

If you have everything cut out, I know you've already put a lot of blood (hopefully not too much), sweat, and tears into this project, so let's put it together and let the gratification begin!

We'll start with the stool. Gather all of your pieces and your assembly tools (block of wood and rubber mallet)

1.    Place both seat pieces back to back
2.    Put each leg in. Can't hardly mess this up...they only really work one direction.
3.    Splay all three legs out a little and place the small disc into the small slot on the back of each leg.
4.    Bring all three legs together to trap the disc. You'll have to work your way around and wiggle stuff to get it all to fit.
5.    Once all three legs are upright, place the leg brace in the slots on the bottom of the legs.
6.    Tap the brace into place and add the leg locks to each end of the brace.
7.    Make sure everything is seated properly and you have a functional stool!

Step 3: Duo Chair

Alright, get all of your chair parts in order. Now, get to work!

1.    Place the two seating surfaces back to back.
2.    Fit the four legs into their spots. You want the groove of each leg to face inward. You may need to work a little to get this done.
3.    Once all four legs are in place, drop the spreader between each leg.
4.    Tap the spreader into its place in the grooves.
5.    Make sure everything is lined up properly then tap the leg brace into place as you had done with the stool.
6.    Once the leg brace is in place, put the two proper spacers between the legs to keep them parallel.
7.    Now place the leg locks to secure the brace to the legs. This will hold the legs vertical.
8.    Put the back on the chair by lining up the holes in the back with their corresponding chair part. Tap it into place.
9.    Tap the key lock over the lugs sticking out of the back of the chair.

That's it! It's all together.

Remember that you can finish the parts before you put them together but you will mess up the finish putting it together. You can see in some of the photos that I sprayed mine with clear urethane after I assembled it. It works for my purposes. If I was using a clear finish like this again, I would finish each piece, put it together, then go over the entire chair again.

Step 4: Duo Solidworks

There are some intricate details to the joinery. Nothing earth shattering but my solidworks file would probably make life a lot easier if you wanted to tackle this project as is. I'm happy to share and answer questions and I hope that someone takes this in a new direction. There is a lot of room for design exploration!!

Step 5: Solidworks!

I have attached the solidworks files for this project. You can take it all apart, see the joinery, make templates...whatever your heart desires! I'm sure there are cleaner files out there but this should be usable.