I want to make a chair?

Question

It is going to be lounging chair, for T.V. or something, though I am going to glue pieces of styrofoam together, then carve it out...with my *** grove, and maybe a cup holder or something...Though I have questions....

1. I know styrofoam is not always going to be the strongest thing, so what should I use to re-enforce the strenght of this chair? Wood, or some sort of plaster?(Did I mention that I wanted to cover it with some sort of hardening agent?)

2. What types of insulation should I use? (I was thinking of something that is comfy, though does not have much resestance...like it would embrace the but, not push it back. Possibly foam with an over coating of fluff...or something.)

3. Outer fabric, What feels comfortable? Fake leather? or something?...

4. What is a cool accesory to a chair(i.e. cup holder, Compass)

You don't have to answer all the questions, you can answer one....Though I want some ideas or something...

Answer 1

What is a "*** grove"? I can only guess -- that you used a word Yahoo! doesn't like and the only three letter one that comes to mind you wouldn't use as a carving tool (unless there is something sharp about your a$$).

Styrofoam does not have the strength to use as a chair, unless maybe you're going to just sit on a big block of it. I guess if you had a big block of it and carved it up into a chair you could do it as long as it was solid all the way through.

Styrofoam does not have the structure or strength to hold itself together, it's lack of resilience would make it difficult to use as furniture. That is, pushing on it will leave a depression that will stay there. It crushes and does not 'recover'.

Furniture is usually made from higher strength materials, like metal or wood.

But that said, Styrofoam is often used to to make fiberglass things. You could conceivably make a styrofoam chair, and then fiberglass it.

There are basically two ways to fiberglass something, and fiberglass comes in two different ways.

Fiberglass comes in sheets, and can be bought by the yard, like fabric. It comes in different weights and different weaves. To use it you apply a special resin to the object, and then place the fabric on it and then apply more resin to it. When the resin dries you have to sand it smooth. Surfboards are made this way.

It also comes as a fiber(?) of different weights. The fiber is mixed with the resin and applied to a form. When it dries, the form is removed and you're left with your object. Some body parts for cars are made this way.

Fiberglass is difficult to work with and is messy. The resin is similar to epoxy, you have to mix it with a hardener that gives you a limited time to work with (that is, it hardens up after so long). It is also messy in that it is not easily cleaned up. Most kinds of mess you can clean up. When spilled resin dries it hardens like epoxy. You may need a chisel to remove it. It also has a very strong odor.

If you want to 'make' a chair, a bean bag chair is about the easiest.

Good luck.