Flatpack Chair:
Fall 2023
Using solely a 29” x 47” sheet of Oriented Strand Board (OSB), I designed a task chair that could hold a live load of 250 lbs, have a seat at least 16” off the ground, fit flat in a package that was only an inch thick, as well as be easy to assemble by a consumer. Due to limitations in the amount of material, prototyping at a smaller scale with cardboard was instrumental to the process.
During the month long prototyping stage it was important to be conscious of how the designs would perform in a larger scale. I learned that small issues that occurred in cardboard models could and would translate to even bigger problems in OSB. This would could be seen in the way the small models would subtly flex when put together, if the connections were unstable, as well as if the chair seemed proportional.
Throughout the prototyping stage and for the final chair, vector drawings of each piece were developed in Fusion 360. Laser cut models on cardboard were used for scale models.
The final full size chair was fabricated using a Water Jet Cutter.
Elements of the Final Design
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The base of the chair is built from two interlocking chair legs using a cross lap joint. The top of the joint interlocks into the seat to form a flush connection.
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The curvature of the shape of the legs underneath the seat is meant to mimic the back of the chair.
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The cutout on the back of the chair is meant to act as handle to grip the chair to easily move it.
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The back of the chair inserts through the seat creating a flexible but sturdy connection
