Artist Stool Made From Reclaimed Materials.

I made this stool from reclaimed materials as part of an Industrial Design Project at the University of Johannesburg. The importance of the stool as a piece of furniture in the studio or workshop needs to be a form that inspires or stimulates creativity and design. The objects around us while we create have an impact on the work we produce.

WARNING
This project uses dangerous tools and materials, only do what you are comfortable with and under correct supervision. Woodwork and metalwork are dangerous, wear a thick leather apron, Gloves ( When suitable), Hearing protection, a face shield AND eye protection. The aluminium casting releases many toxic fumes and may often spray molten aluminium unpredictably as the gas escapes from the mould. Make sure to wear full PPE and only 100% cotton clothing and thick closed boots.

This project used a wide variety of materials and tools to create. There are many alternatives available this is just what I had access to and am comfortable using.

Materials:

1. Seat and legs
2. Oregon Pine floorboards (Old pallets could also work well)
3. Old woollen jersey for cushion Variety of foams (yoga mats, electronic packaging and upholstery foam all work well)
4. Second-hand cork samples for padded feet

Joint

1. Used Aluminium Cans and broken Window frames
2. Rebar or other metal rods
3. 3D printing filament
4. Lots and lots of small nuts and bolts
5. A small Tub of vaseline
6. Beeswax ( Can be remelted and reused afterwards)
7. Plaster of Paris, Kitty Litter and water for the lost wax mould

Other materials

1. 500ml cold glue
2. 2 part epoxy ( Longer cure time means a stronger joint)
3. Very long wood dowels and shorter ribbed dowels for joining the strips of wood together
4. Sandpaper ( 110, 220, 400 and 600 grit )

Tools and equipment
Seat and legs

1. Table saw
2. Band saw
3. Oscillating drum sander
4. Jig Saw
5. Palm Sander
6. Belt sander
7. As many clamps as you can buy, and then some
8. Craft knife
9. Ruler
10. Measuring tape
11. Superglue
12. Masking tape
13. Vernier
14. Drill press
15. Long 8mm drill bits
16. Hammer
17. Nails

Cushion

1. Seam ripper
2. Crochet hook
3. Scissors
4. Patience
5. Time
6. More patience

Joint moulding

1. 3D printer ( Local Makerspace)
2. Stove
3. Pot of boiling water
4. Small oven to melt out beeswax ( Apparently you can use a regular cooking oven but I wouldn't risk it )
5. Sand
6. Buckets

Joint Casting

1. Homemade foundry ( I will eventually make another instructable)
2. Crucible
3. Homemade casting tools ( Long spoons, tongs etc)

Here are a series of technical drawings I created from 3D models that I made in Solidworks.

Step1: Sourcing materials

This project was made from reclaimed materials and as such they must be found. Building sites are fantastic sources for old wood and Aluminium. Window frames are regularly thrown away when damaged and are easy to find, bring a magnet (Al is non-magnetic) to make sure you are not picking up another material. Reclaimed wood often has nails or staples in it so be very careful when cutting and working with it. Second-hand stores often sell cheap or free jerseys with holes in them which are perfect for the cushion, alternatively check in your closet and you might be in luck.

The joint was first modelled in SolidWorks (3D modelling software) and using various features ( Shell, extrude and mould) I created a three-part mould. I made it so that each part is identical so it is much easier to 3D print. Using a 3D printer at my university I was able to print the parts in three different colours of PLA.

Spray a clear coat on each mould part and add a THICK layer of Vaseline to all of the parts.
Attach the mould together using nuts and bolts and then melt beeswax in a pot of boiling water and pour into the mould when liquid. Place the mould into a pot of cold water and after 6 minutes pour out the excess wax leaving a wax shell behind. Then place the mould in the freezer and remove the pattern once it cools.

I have previously tried lost foam casting ( Polystyrene ) with mixed results so for this project I thought the lost wax process would be a better option for this project. The lost-wax process is basically creating a wax pattern ( Previous step) encasing it in investment and then melting out the wax in an oven. This leaves an empty cavity behind in the exact shape of the mould. I wanted to reduce spending on this project so I used DIY alternatives with pretty great results. Instead of using actual casting investment, I used a mixture of plaster of Paris and Kitty litter (Bentonite Clay). In order for the plaster to stick, I had to spray the wax pattern with spray paint. I slowly built up layers of plaster until I created a 10mm or so thick shell around the pattern.

Placing the dry mould over empty old coffee tins I melted the wax out and was able to reuse it for future projects. I put the toaster oven at 150 degrees and in about 1.5 hours the mould was empty of wax. use thick gloves to remove the moulds from the oven as they are very hot. Place the hot moulds in a bucket of sand and put duct tape over the top (Gate) to protect it from sand getting in.

I used a homemade furnace to melt Aluminium cans and scrap window frames. A graphite crucible is used to hold the molten metal and slag (Impurities) are removed. The Aluminium is heated past its melting point in order for good flow within the mould. Pour the molten metal into the mould making sure to watch out for Aluminum spraying out as gas and excess moisture escapes.

I used an angle grinder to clean up the casting and flatten the faces. I was very surprised with how well the castings came out.

I took a piece of old rebar and used a flap disk to remove rust and a file to add notches to hold the glue. I used a strong 2 part epoxy to glue to pins into holes within the joint. These correspond to holes within the legs and central stool column.

I managed to get old Oregon pine floorboards from a landscaper and using a table saw I cleaned and squared them all into strips. I was very careful to remove old screws, staples, and old nails.

The seat is made of two parts. A flat round bottom board and a ring. Using the squared up wooden boards cut them into 45mm wide strips (24 in total) Cut two 60⁰ angles on every piece and glue and stack 4 pieces together. This creates a large hexagon from which the top ring can be cut. A simple jig using nails and off-cuts is created to help glue the pieces together. I used steel flat pat and clamps to help glue and flatten the hexagon. Use a jigsaw to rough cut out the disk for the top piece BEFORE attaching it to the bottom piece.

The bottom round piece is created from many strips glued together. I used a very long drill bit to drill into each half and inserted long dowels to strengthen the seat base. I do not have a biscuit jointer so by carefully measuring and drilling holes I was able to join each seat half together.

Using more dowels I joined the ring to the seat. Adding a drop of paint to the head of each dowel allows perfect alignment of the dowels into their corresponding holes.

I used a bandsaw to rough out the basic shape and a series of sanders to perfect the shape. I used a router table and a 15mm diameter round over bit to smooth the outer edges which enhanced the form. Then hand sanding for the next few hours, days, years until it's perfectly smooth to the touch and no tool marks remain.

The legs are made from three boards glued together. Setting the table saw blade to 45 degrees and then cutting off all corners creates an octagon profile. To finish off the legs I drilled an 8mm diameter hole 70mm into the end of each leg.

I found an old pack of cork samples and cut small ovals to attach to the bottom of each foot. This protects the floor and adds grip and stability to the stool.

Take an old woollen jersey and use a seam ripper to separate the collar, sleeves and main body of the garment. By slowly unravelling the pieces 4 balls of wool can be created. The top and bottom panels were crocheted using treble stitches and were joined with a side piece made from a single stitch. simple crochet a cushion cover is formed. All of this was done using a crochet hook. Make sure to leave a gap for padding/stuffing.

A variety of reclaimed foams were used and then the cushion was stitched together. It nestles perfectly in the seat, sticking out so that when someone sits on it it compresses perfectly.