PROJECTS: ROK-BAK CHAIR
MAKE IT.
makezine.com/19/rokbak
BUILD YOUR
ROK-BAK CHAIR
START>>
Time: A Weekend Complexity: Easy
1. MAKE THE PLYWOOD PIECES
Download all the construction drawings at makezine.com/19/rokbak.
1a. Start by using a pencil to lay out the plywood pieces on
the C side of the plywood. Why? Because we’ll cut the parts
out with a jigsaw (and possibly a circular saw), and we want to
keep the A side (think “appearance” side) splinter-free. Both
saws’ blades cut on the upstroke, so any splintering will be
confined to the (mostly hidden) C side.
Chair
seat
Chair
back
Footstool
side
Footstool
side
Footstool
top
Not
used
Chair
side
Chair
side
You should lay out only one side of the chair and footstool.
Later you’ll use it to trace the other side, making sure they are
mirror images, as shown in the layout drawing. Use a standard
15oz can as a radius (about 1½") template for corners. A sharp
jigsaw blade should have no trouble following that radius.
Footstool side
To conserve plywood, you can skip laying out the footstool top.
It can be pieced together later from the chair-side cutouts.
Chair side
NOTE: You must cut the top corner radius of the chair side with a jigsaw; a circular saw would nick up the footstool side.
1b. Suspend your plywood on a few supports. Scraps of 4× 4 wood or even paint cans (if they’re the same
height) make good supports. Position them, obviously, out of the projected path of the saw blade.
1c. Cut 1 chair side and 1 stool side. Start by jigsawing out the
cutout under the arm. Drill a 2" starting hole from the C side —
inside of, and close to (but not on), the layout line. Use a scrap
of wood on the exit side of the hole to prevent splintering. Then
insert the jigsaw blade into this hole and cut as usual.
NOTE: Both chair configurations begin with cutting out the sides as
shown on the layout drawing. They can be used as-is for the basic chair.
If you’ve decided to build the Rok-Bak, we’ll cut the V-shaped bottom
edges and bottom cutouts later.
92 Make: Volume 19
