Tom Bowman, Reading Chair (Student Awards 2018)

The reading chair was designed and constructed across the course of 2018 for the HSC. The project was designed to act as an ergonomic and functional chair with an interesting and unique design. I chose to construct the chair from Tasmanian blackwood due to its aesthetic properties and physical characteristics such as strength and workability. A large jig was used to steambend and then laminate veneers with polyurethane glue which made up the spine. A large amount of research and testing was conducted in order to create the jig. This helped ensure that the structure of the chair is comfortable, ergonomic and functional. The base of the chair was made using domino joints. The slats are made of solid Tasmanian blackwood, timber was removed from the top, bottom and ends of the original boards. This not only aided in the aesthetics of the final design but also helped in creating a more comfortable chair. The slats were then added onto the spine using a housing joint and together glued using West Systems epoxy. Finally, I sanded and oiled the project with three coats of Scandinavian oil to create a smooth finish. Year 12, The Kings School, NSW. Teacher: Brian Davey

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