Make: Like The Pioneers

Chapter 7. Rok-Bak Chair

Can a chair be comfortable, look good, recline, disassemble for compactness and portability, and still be made from just a single sheet of plywood?

By Larry Cotton

With a determination borne of frustration and frugality, I set about designing a chair that would meet all my requirements. I began by making a crude study model, with all body-supporting surfaces adjustable: the seat, the back, armrests, headrest, footstool, the angle between the seat and back, even the overall size. The model’s only given: it would use a set of standard patio chair cushions and one sheet of plywood.

Somewhere in the middle of seemingly infinite adjustments, I discovered that recliners really are much more comfortable than upright chairs, ...