CAMP CHAIR HELP NEEDED!

[omarick1948]

I need some idea's or plans for making two camp chairs with back support for me and my better half. Most of what we have had over the years were to flimsy and to low to the ground. I don't like the term PC, but rather use the term acceptable to all but the most strict period correct camp or function. Old bones and Arthritis are taking a toll! :hmm:

Thanks,
Rick

 

[laffingman67]

:hmm: Not PC at all, but comfortable.

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[Desert Rat]

I second what HalfMoon posted. I built one following the same plans in an afternoon. And it is holding up well.

 

[PitchyPine]

Here`s a chair that i made from 2x12, same basic design as HalfMoonRangers but a bit more primitive.
The story i heard these were made this way so they could be taken apart and carried on the floor of the wagon.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I had a couple of chairs like those Pitchypine is showing, but they were made too low to the ground for my back and knees. I finally got rid of them, when one of the boards split. Those are relatively easy to make, particularly if you have a jig saw to cut the hole in the back board. Use a good hardwood plank, and you can decorate them later. Take along some kind of pillow or pad for the seat for comfort. You may still be able to get by on plain hard wood, , but your domestic supervisor will appreciate the kindness. :shocked2: :hmm:

 

[PitchyPine]

They had a name, was it "poor mans chair" ?

 

[Desert Rat]

I tried one of those for my first chair. Did ok but wasn't very comfortable. The angle of the seat to the back wasn't right and it felt like I was laying back all the time. The effort of sitting up straight for any period of time in the thing made me start looking for another alternative. It is totally probable that I didn't cut it right but that was my expierence with it.

 

[omarick1948]

HalfMooner,
I like the take-a-part feature of this chair. Most of the one's I've seen, like this were made of pine or fir and I was thnking about building these of Oak or Rock Maple. I'm a big guy ad need the extra heft for my manly built.

The design photo's by PitchyPine look sturty enough, but I'm afraid that the seat would be to low and my "low center of gravity" might make it a bit uncomfortable getting up!

Keep those idea's coming guy's and I'll let you know down the line what I've decided making! I have a fairly complete woodshop, so building just about anything shouldn't be a problem!

Thanks guys,
Rick

 

[laffingman67]

I am of larger stature as well. :hmm: I made mine from oak pallets. FREE!!! :blah:

Sturdy and comfy, cheap to replace. You can widen the seat and back to whatever you like. I DID. :rotf: Made it 28 inches wide and put a sheep hide on it. I've fallen asleep in it many times. :shocked2:

 

[wildeagle]

When I was younger this type chair worked good for me , sitting around the the fire w/ a little cheer , just rolled off to side on my hands and knees and kinda crawled off to buff hide! :shocked2: Now that I'm a LITTLE older I prefer something with a little more height. :blah:

 

[bocalbender1]

More height? Wouldn't that tend to hurt more when you roll off? :grin: You should be able to adjust where the through hole is placed to make it more comfortable in height. Have many a friend in the SCA that use those.BB

 

[PitchyPine]

And by varying the length of the tail board determines how up right you sit,on the model i posted.

 

[BillinOregon]

Pitchy: I've seen that design a number of times. Is it confirmed as a period design? What period? Just wondering.

 

[PitchyPine]

Pitchy: I've seen that design a number of times. Is it confirmed as a period design? What period? Just wondering.

I don`t know, trying to find out but i can`t remember the name.
I`ve seen them at rondys covered with fur before.

 

[ameling]

No one has ever presented any credible documentation for either of these two styles of chairs for time periods before the 1900's. Lots of people have been looking, but nothing has been found - yet.

Both styles are comfortable, slide apart and pack well, and are "accepted" at many gatherings where historical accuracy takes a back seat to primitive "old timey looking" comfort. I've owned and used both over the years. They are sturdy and comfortable. But now I only use them at the "history lite" gatherings - where a "colorful" method of camping is more important than a quality historical presentation.

If you truly want and need a comfortable chair that is documentable, then get/make a slat-backed kitchen chair from the time period - fairly plain or frontier cabin rustic. Think along the lines of that chair with the parts split out of a log, shaved down smooth/round, mortise/tenon together, with the seat woven from split oak or hickory bark.

Roy Underhill shows making one in his Woodwright books and tv show. And there are a number of books out there that show the same thing.

These types of chairs and stools show up in dated museum collections, journal descriptions, and period artwork. The only real problem with them is that they pack poorly - they DON'T FOLD UP. So you have to get creative in packing your vehicle to bring them along. Plus, the legs can sink into soft ground. But that can be cured by adding those "rockers" to the bottoms of the legs. (Which might then lead to various comments about Granny Hawkins on the cabin porch in her rocker)

So check out slat-backed kitchen chairs for the late 1700's to early 1800's for some ideas about what might have been available to someone who packed one of the family chairs along as they headed out to new territories.

Just some humble thoughts to share. Take them as such.

Mikey - yee ol' grumpy German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

p.s. Plastic covered Chrome kitchen chairs are still a NO-NO before the 1940's - even if you cover it with a blanket! Leave them at the fishing/hunting camp along the river. :wink:

 

[Robert Egler]

Nice chair! :thumbsup:

That basic idea is very old, predates muzzleloading by several hundred years. Was a common method to make chairs in the middle ages.

 

[Robert Egler]

No one has ever presented any credible documentation for either of these two styles of chairs for time periods before the 1900's. Lots of people have been looking, but nothing has been found - yet.

When I get a chance I'll find some primary documentation for you, it certainly predates 1900 . The design of PitchyPine's chair dates to medieval times. Disassemble-able tables and chairs, of several different designs, were used by most people who moved around lot, such as landholders who needed to constantly move around visiting their different holdings. Furniture was expensive, so you moved it with you rather than having 4 sets of everything sitting in 4 different manors. It was also used by the royal household and various nobility when on campaign.

It might have to wait until my next trip to the Bodleian. I'm sure I don't have any original documents in my personal library( :grin: ), but I can look at secondary references that I have until I get a chance to get to Oxford.

 

[Okwaho]

I agree with Mike here as to the two types of chairs shown here not being historically authentic as well as the slat backs which are very correct for any 18th century setting,although they should generally have a rounded ball-like top of the back posts.These are referred to by most dealers and collectors as "knobbies" There are some 17th century chairs with flat post tops but these are usually New England childrens' chairs.Being Native, I haven't researched early chairs but I seem to remember that director's type chairs may have appeared in a couple of late 18th century paintings. This might be a good area to research.
Tom Patton

 

[Robert Egler]

Well, I know nothing about the slat backed folding chair, but the other chair absolutely was in use WAY before, hundreds of years before, 1900. So it may be correct to say that there are no known examples of that chair being used as late as the 1700 and 1800's, but it's not correct to say the chair type didn't exist before 1900.

 

[ameling]

OK, let me ... clarify ... my comments about those two styles of chairs.

Nobody has yet presented any credible documentation for their USE in the 1700's and 1800's!

And use/acceptance by the SCA and the ren faire people is not considered credible documentation for the 18th century.

Existence of an item back in the Middle Ages does not necessarily mean that it continued in use hundreds of years later. The Romans had a metal and clothe folding chair. But it does not show up in paintings/drawings or surviving artifacts past somewhere around the 5th century. So it would not be an appropriate folding chair for use at Rev War event, nor a Rocky Mountain fur trade rendezvous.

Documentation that an item existed years before is not documentation for its existance and use in your chosen time period. It just doesn't work that way.

Those Slat-Back chairs I and Okwaho referred to DO NOT FOLD. They are a full regular permanent fixed chairs. That's why you have to get "creative" in your packing if you bring them along.

If you truly want a folding chair, go do a search for George Washington's camp stool. It's the simplest documentable folding chair out there for the 17th and 18th centuries.

But, in the end, it is all a matter of personal choice. You have to choose what will work for you and your level of historical interpretation in your chosen time period. And you will have to also fit into the historical level and guidelines of any event you wish to attend. So the burden of proof is on you. Acceptance of an item at other events is not considered good documentation.

Just my humble thoughts to share, and best used in conjunction with your own research.

Mikey - yee ol' grumpy German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands