It's done

Well, after several days of work here and there, my chair is complete. I started out with a specific image in my head (somewhat like an Adirondack chair; must have footstool), but no real design. I took measurements of my legs and arms, grabbed a stack of wood from the woodpile and started cutting. I designed it as I built, which made for a long, tedious process; often cutting and re-cutting several times until I got it right. There were some things that I wasn't concerned enough about to redo them, and other things that I had to get just right.

The wood I used was primarily 1x4's with the exception of two 1x6's for the arms and a couple pieces of plywood for the footstool. We have stacks of wood in the corner of the motor pool that have probably been there for several years. I just grabbed the best looking boards I could find from there. I had nothing but 3" deck screws and 1 1/4" drywall screws to hold everything together. I purchased a carpet square from the PX and had a little left over after cutting it to fit in the space under my desk (in my room). That meant the footstool had to be cut to fit the carpet.

I had an idea about how I wanted the cup-holder, but wasn't sure how it would look. Then, when I explained it to my roommate, he suggested that we cut copper tubing to hide the screws. I was pleased with the way they came out. I was actually only supposed to have one cup holder but I accidentally traced everything out on the left arm (I'm right handed) and I didn't want to trace it all out again, so I cut that one out and used it as a template for the other side.

I originally intended to build the chair for practicality, but as the guys would come in and watch me build it, they'd encourage me to put a little extra time into it so it would come out better. That kind of explains why I didn't try to hide any of the screws, but still took the time to countersink them.

You'll probably also notice that I didn't take the time to sand it. I took the time to round off the edges with a hasp, but that's the extent of it (and that was primarily because they were either boogered up, or didn't butt up evenly). If I'd had nicer wood, I probably would have been more particular throughout the process and even taken the time to sand and stain.

You may have noticed my bulletin board in the background. It's one way I try to personalize my room, so send me some pics or anything else that I can put on there and you'll occupy a little place in my everyday life in Iraq.