Simple Recliner

Do you fidget in chairs? Do you have a sore back sometimes? Maybe your chair is not the right shape for you. With these instructions you can make a chair that fits your specific body. You only need hand tools, screws, and some lumber.

Lean back against something soft, like a bed or a footrest. Put your legs in a comfortable position. Have a friend take a picture of you in this position.

Draw lines on the picture using GIMP, Photoshop, or paint. Write in the length of the line in pixels. In my picture, I converted from pixels to inches using one of the 9" floor tiles as a reference.

I originally planned to include a headrest and a desk for a computer. Later I decided not to include those. I use a pillow for a headrest and I put my laptop on my legs.

• 9"x1" oak board for the top
• 6"x1" oak board for the bottom
• Square rods called balusters for the supports. Buy these at a lumber yard.
• two dozen #8 1-1/2" wood screws.

Tools:

• Hand drill
• For this screw, in hardwood, use a through hole drill bit of 11/64" and a pilot hole drill bit of 1/8".
• Countersink bit
• Pull saw
• Measuring tape

In this video I cut the wood, drill the holes, and put it all together.