The difficulties in caring for children are largely due to the fact that buying everything necessary can be quite a task for the family budget. Another question is whether parents manage to find exactly what they would like in stores, or whether there is actually nothing ideal among the assortment. Both reasons that prevent you from purchasing this or that product, one way or another suggest the idea that it would be nice to make it yourself. For example, a children's high chair - if dad has enough experience working with various tools, he can easily make it with his own hands.
Peculiarities
Contrary to its apparent simplicity, a DIY high chair is not such a simple task that you can complete it without any preparation. Do not start work until you have a clear understanding of what the end result should look like and what operations will need to be performed to achieve it.
Also, don't ignore calculations. Any chair must be strong enough to support its “passenger”, and a child, although not heavy, will not sit neatly on it, especially since the dimensions of such furniture are also small.
Strength requirements are relevant not only for basic materials, but also for fasteners, be they self-tapping screws, glue or grooves. In addition, the baby is constantly growing, and it makes sense to make a high chair with a reserve for at least a couple of years in advance. For all its strength, the product should be comfortable, that is, approximately correspond to the dimensions of the owner.
Also try to ensure the proper lightness of the furniture being manufactured - it should be convenient for the owner to independently move his chair to where he wants to sit at the moment.
Don't forget to stay safe. Furniture, in any case, cannot be traumatic, and children's furniture - even more so. The presence of any sharp edges is not allowed, and if the main material is wood, as happens in most cases, then it must be carefully sanded to prevent splinters from peeling off. When covering the finished product with varnish or paint, give preference to natural ones - children tend to put everything in their mouths and can be poisoned by the toxic coating.
Finally, remember that this chair is for a child. In addition to suitable sizes, it is desirable for a piece of furniture to also be beautiful. If complex decor is not a task for you, at least try to paint it in bright colors.
Drawings, dimensions, diagrams
Before proceeding directly to the manufacture of parts, it is necessary to draw up a drawing with dimensions - this is the only way that all components will ideally fit one another. You can use one of those ready-made options that are already posted on the World Wide Web, or draw up a diagram yourself. It is important to note here that there are drawings and instructions on the Internet that explain how to make a standard table and chair, so they are usually not suitable for those who want to create something original - for example, an elephant chair.
- Drawing the table and chairs, which can be made in the form of a kit, do not have to strictly follow the principles of drawing: they do not have so many details that they cannot be kept in mind. The main thing for us is to make sure that all the dimensions match, and the parts fit perfectly together, but the methods for connecting individual parts must be present in the drawing. In general, it can be presented schematically, without high precision of the drawing.
- Think over the dimensions (or choose ready-made drawings based on them), starting from the comfort of the child. Chairs whose seat is at knee level or slightly below are considered comfortable. In the case of a highchair, it is recommended to make the seat a little higher, because the child will probably still grow. At the same time, do not overdo it: if it is difficult for the baby to climb onto the seat, then the product can be considered a failure.
- Determining the size of the seat itself, keep in mind that the owner should fit comfortably on it, but do not make it too large - this will make the chair heavier and difficult to carry. The normal height of the backrest is approximately two-thirds or three-quarters of the owner's back; making it higher than the neck is no longer practical. When determining the thickness of future parts, rely only on the strength of the selected material and the weight of the child.
Materials
In terms of ease of processing and environmental friendliness, among materials for the manufacture of children's furniture, wood and its derivatives undoubtedly hold the palm. Therefore, you can most often find a wooden high chair. However, you cannot choose just any tree - this is also worth thinking about before starting to make it. The most popular among all types of wood is beech. It has the strength of oak, but it is easier to process and costs less. In general, it is deciduous trees that are considered priority. Among inexpensive options, birch is often chosen; linden can also be considered.
Spruce and pine are suitable for making furniture from coniferous wood, but the resin contained in any such wood is dangerous - it can stain clothes, and it can also pose a health hazard. Regardless of the specific species, choose a uniform tree, without knots or cracks, with an even texture.
The seat material may be similar to the body material, or it may be fundamentally different. In order to save money and achieve greater flexibility, the seat is also made of plywood, and even chipboard. When choosing them, give preference only to the most durable types, but remember that in any case they are inferior in durability to solid natural wood.
For increased softness, the seat can be additionally equipped with a small foam cushion covered with a fabric that is pleasant to the touch.
There is also a seating option made from plastic bottles - both whole and cut. Harmful plastic, present as garbage in any apartment and polluting the environment, could get a second life, especially since its strength and durability are very high. This option is still much less common due to the difficulty of securely fastening individual parts, as well as the not very attractive appearance of the finished product.
Colors and decor
For all its practicality and convenience, the baby will definitely not like the chair if it cannot be described with the word “beautiful”. Nobody makes any special chairs for teenagers, but brightness and attractiveness are very important for younger children. Therefore, do not limit yourself to just clear varnish or discreet monochromatic solutions. A single-color color is generally acceptable only if a light or very bright shade is chosen - often red or yellow, the so-called “warm” tones.
If drawing is not alien to you, please your child with interesting design solutions. You can go the “adult” route by painting the frame one color, and the seat and back in another, or you can focus on the child’s desire for something bright and defiant. The simplest option is “rings” on the legs of the chair; any patterns and even just blots are also acceptable, provided that it looks cute and positive. Regardless of how much and what kind of paint you used, do not forget - it should not be toxic.
If you have a creative streak and a desire to complicate the task a little for the overall benefit of the matter, you can create more complex decor. Another option is to decorate the legs or back of the chair with carvings, but adults would like this solution more. But for a child, a chic solution would be decoration in the form of one or another animal. The classic version is when the back is cut out to resemble an elephant, or any other animal that is cute to a child, and then painted to look more like a “cartoon” character.
Covers can also become a unique type of decoration. In addition to their typical functions, such as simplifying the cleaning of furniture and increasing the comfort of its use, they can also decorate the back of the chair. Ideally, they should depict the child’s favorite hero, characters from popular fairy tales, or the same animals. Mom can help dad make a cover, especially if she knows how to embroider or has fabric appliqué skills. If your mother does not have such talents, you can simply alter the cover from clothes on which the necessary pictures were applied at the factory.
For the youngest children
Children of the youngest age still sit on a high chair for only one activity - eating food. Teaching a child to eat while sitting, and to sit in general, particularly at the table, is important and necessary. However, the peculiarities of its development at this stage do not allow the use of ordinary chairs for this. The problem lies in the fact that a simple chair does not have a back with arms, and a tiny child himself will not yet be able to sit on it straightly and will simply fall.
As for children's high chairs, their sizes usually do not allow you to choose a normal table for them. In this situation, a special high chair would be an excellent solution.
Such furniture should be comfortable for both the child and his mother - for now the child cannot eat on his own, so the mother will have to feed him with a spoon. For the convenience of this operation, the chair is made at a normal height, or even a little higher - so that the mother does not bend over. The actual lifespan of such a chair is about a year, so if you have one child and the family is not planning a second one at all, you can choose not the most durable materials for manufacturing.
In terms of manufacturing, a high chair is perhaps the most complex - it has the largest number of parts. The relatively small seat is raised high above the floor, which forces the installation of additional stiffening ribs between the legs for improved stability of the structure.
Taking into account the specifics of a child of the appropriate age, both the backrest and railings are simply necessary - they must completely exclude the possibility of the baby falling. Moreover, there should be a barrier in front, although it also has another useful function - it plays the role of a countertop on which food will be placed. The space under the tabletop is left free - the baby will stick his feet there.
Cutting and assembling such a chair is quite simple. First, two identical side halves are cut out according to the drawing, which are then connected to each other by the seat, back and stiffeners using grooves, glue or self-tapping screws. Before assembly, all individual parts should be sanded to a perfectly smooth state, the finished product is varnished or painted - ready.
Models for older children
The peculiarity of high chairs for children who have finally left infancy lies in the significant variety of design options, limited only by the imagination of the creator. The backrest is still considered a mandatory attribute, but the railing is no longer there, as are the front barriers. There is no point in saving on materials in this situation - if the furniture is made with a margin of size, then the child will be able to use his high chair for many years.
The manufacturing process consists of a few simple steps:
- Think through the design down to the smallest detail and draw up a drawing. Decide on the number of parts of the body - will it simply consist of two solid halves or of separate legs and separate supports for the seat, will the backrest base be a continuation of the rear legs or will it be attached separately, and so on. Calculate everything, including the thickness of the seat and legs, provide stiffening ribs and additional supports for the seat in advance. Provide grooves and mark places for screws.
- If doubts about the correctness of the selected parameters still remain, try to assemble a temporary chair from cardboard according to the drawing. Unfortunately, it does not have the same strength to test the product from all sides, and it differs in thickness from wood or plywood, which also needs to be taken into account when specifying the dimensions, but you will get a visual idea of the future product.
- Start cutting out individual parts from wood or plywood. It is recommended to start with the body. It’s good if there are a lot of identical parts in the set - then the subsequent ones can be cut out by simply tracing the finished first one. If the design allows, do not delay assembly until you have cut everything out - start as soon as you have at least two parts that need to be connected. This will help you immediately notice any design flaws, if any. Once the pieces are ready, sand them smooth.
- When all the elements are ready, proceed to the final assembly. Do not limit yourself to one type of fastener; in particular, glue the grooves - this will significantly strengthen the product and increase its durability. Ensure that the grooves fit as deep as possible - tap the joints with a hammer to make the fastening more secure.
- The last step is varnishing and painting.
No matter how detailed and intelligible a theoretical explanation is, it is unlikely to compare in terms of information content with a clear example, because it is better to see once than to hear a hundred times.
N and the video is one of the best examples of how you can make a highchair with your own hands. The master talks about literally everything, including the dimensions of the parts he used, so you can even do without a drawing, simply repeating what he says. The resulting chair is quite simple in design, but easy to make. You can find many other similar videos on the Internet, but the models there are always approximately the same, but here the process is shown in great detail and clearly.
Watch a master class on making a highchair with your own hands:
The principle of making a children's high chair is generally similar, but it is worth studying in more detail both because of the increased complexity of the design, and simply because it is being told by another master who can reveal some new points.
How to make a baby high chair, watch the video:
And chairs are no exception. They come in large and small, classic and elegant, designed for different types of premises. Potential buyers can choose chairs from a huge number of models made from various materials. If you are not afraid to experiment and have experience in performing construction work, then you will quickly figure out how to make a chair with your own hands. For the first time, it is better to take a simple design as a basis. Let it be an ordinary wooden chair for the garden with a comfortable seat and a straight back.
Material selection
We should not forget that furniture made of metal or plastic is more suitable for cafes, bars and offices. For a house or apartment, it is much better to make a chair from wood, since this material is environmentally friendly and fits perfectly into any interior.
The first thing you need to do is decide what raw materials the product will be made from. You can assemble a chair from various building materials, each of which has its own advantages.
When thinking about how to make your own original chair, it makes sense to opt for a wooden base also because in our time the choice of wood is very rich. You can use wood species such as birch, pine, walnut, maple, oak or beech. It should be taken into account that the last two breeds are difficult to process and are quite expensive.
Preparatory operations
The first phase of production will begin with carefully taken measurements. Next, you need to draw up a project, draw a detailed drawing of the future product, and only after that you can proceed directly to construction work.
Construction materials that should be available:
- Two wooden beams (4x4 cm and 4x6 cm). At a hardware store you can purchase already planed timber or process a regular one yourself. To do this, it needs to be planed with a plane and thoroughly polished with sandpaper to give it shine.
- Edged board (10×42 cm).
- Edged board (40×48 cm). The thickness of the board should not exceed 1–1.5 cm.
- High density foam rubber for making seats.
- Felt or polyurethane foam for the internal filling of the seat.
- A piece of thick fabric, leather or leatherette for draping.
Tools for work:
- Chisel or chisels.
- Jointer.
- Saw with small teeth.
- Construction gun with staples (stapler).
- Sanding paper of different grits.
- Bolts, self-tapping screws.
- Glue.
- Roulette.
- Pencil.
- Screwdriver Set.
- Screwdriver.
Process of making a wooden chair
We cut the timber with a saw into 4 parts. The first two pieces of the workpiece should be 44 cm long and have a cross-section of 4x4 cm. The front legs of the product will be made from them. Two other wooden blanks will be needed for the rear legs, and should be 80 cm in length with a cross-section of 4x6 cm. Recesses are made in them for mounting transverse and longitudinal strips and runners. It is very important to ensure that the grooves of the bases are at the same level as the grooves of the legs. Next, we mark the future grooves taking into account their sizes: 2–4 cm – width and height, 1.5–2 cm – depth. There should be a distance of 1 cm between the inner edge of the grooves and the inner edge of the leg.
On the two adjacent edges of each leg there should be 2 grooves into which the bases will fit. The easiest way to make holes in wood is with a chisel. After completing this stage of work, all small chips must be removed from the grooves.
To give the rear legs a spectacular look, we cut the ribs on each of them as follows: from the upper notch to the upper edge of the leg, and from the lower notch to the lower edge of the leg. As a result of such actions, a beautiful smooth transition is formed, which will give the chair additional charm.
After completing all the work associated with making the legs, you can begin to prepare two legs and two longitudinal bases. To do this, we saw the timber into four equal parts, the length of each of which is 35 cm with a cross-section of 4×4 cm. At the end of each workpiece we mark the sizes of the tenons (1–1.2 cm), after which we cut them out using a hacksaw and a chisel. The tenons must fit into the grooves with some effort, and the presence of gaps is unacceptable.
At the next stage, to create the transverse bases, we will need two beams 42 cm long with a 4x4 cm cut. We need to cut exactly the same tenons on them.
The next part of the furniture product is the back of the chair, for the manufacture of which we will use an edged board. The backrest dimensions will be as follows: length – 42 cm, width – 8–10 cm.
In the inner ribs of the rear legs we make recesses of the required width, and then carefully insert the backrest into them.
We fix the seat from below with fasteners. For better stability, corners can be installed between the bases.
The outer edges of the legs and the back of the chair must be given an aesthetic appearance through the procedure of rounding and polishing them. Then you need to apply a layer of varnish to the product and let it dry. If necessary, several layers of varnish can be applied to the wooden parts of the chair. It is not recommended to varnish a chair in residential areas, as there is a high risk of poisoning from paint fumes.
At the final stage, when all the parts are ready, you can begin assembling the chair. To do this, all the tenons need to be coated with wood adhesive and secured together using a hammer with a wooden knob. The seat and backrest are secured with bolts and nuts. If desired, you can add decorative items to the finished product.
Video
See how you can use a chainsaw to make a chair stool from a log:
This video shows how to make a chair from tires:
Making a chair yourself is an opportunity to make a piece of furniture comfortable for you. To do this, you need to make a lot of preliminary measurements and calculations. You can give any shape to the back, seat, or make an exclusive model for the interior.
Wood selection
The following materials are used in the manufacture of the chair:
- boards;
- solid wood;
- logs;
- bars
When choosing materials, the flexibility of wood and other characteristics are taken into account. The material must be treated with stain. It reveals the structure of the wood, making the product very aesthetically pleasing. It is worth considering all factors that may affect its strength and durability.
Treatment with anti-corrosion compounds helps protect and extend service life. The material must be of high quality: without knots, cracks and fungi.
Material parameters:
- no distortions or cracks;
- material strength;
- durability;
- practicality.
When purchasing initial material, you need to take a little more than the intended amount.
Home chairs
A massive wooden chair is considered comfortable and durable. Thanks to its design, it is stable and reliable. The product is suitable for both adults and children. Kids will not be afraid, and the chair will withstand any load.
There are standard types of products:
- chair with soft seat;
- armchair chair;
- folding chair;
- transformable chair.
The aesthetics and comfort of these models are quite high. The choice of manufacturing style and material depends on your desire. If you need to make a durable but lightweight chair, use plywood or boards.
The elegance of the design is determined by the carved legs and backs. Each of the above types has its own special use, creating coziness and providing maximum comfort for home, work or leisure.
How to make a chair with your own hands
First you need to decide on the model, and then move on to manufacturing. The sketch can be drawn up either by hand or using special programs. Detailed drawing and dimensions are required. For a visual representation, you just need to depict everything in advance. 
Accurate drawings and dimensions of the chairs are necessary for correct drawing, and then the actual production of the model. All elements must be clearly presented and drawn with indications of all dimensions.
When making furniture, it is important to first purchase or rent the necessary equipment:
- jigsaw;
- manual frezer;
- grinding machine;
- screwdriver;
- clamps.
It is important to select a place where the entire manufacturing process will take place.
Chair with back
After selecting the material, self-assembly is done, which is partially reminiscent of assembling a stool, but differs in the presence of a backrest. Tools required:
- screws;
- glue;
- cutter;
- chisel;
- hammer.
The whole point of the work is that chairs with a back are assembled in several stages. In the absence of drawings, the product may turn out uneven and distorted.
All parts must be sanded, and after the manufacturing process is completed, they must be stained and varnished. This will allow the chair to preserve the beauty of the product and its strength for a long time.
The seat can be covered with dermantine, leather or any other material. To prevent the product from spoiling the floor, you need to attach special pads to the legs made of rubber or felt. This will give the chair stability and protect the floor from damage.
Finishing the chair
The finished chair is kept in order using varnish and stain. If you want to add personality, you can paint with acrylic or chalk paint in even tones or add unusual patterns. If scratches occur accidentally, cover them with furniture putty.
The primer should be used to increase the wear resistance and strength of the chairs. Careful sanding must be done between coats. Finishing is the final stage of woodworking. There are several types of finishes:
- veneer finishing;
- use of melamine paper;
- cladding with PVC or other materials.
Finishing serves as the final stage in the independent production of chairs. The choice of coating depends on the nature of the room and its features.
Making chairs yourself requires clear and thoughtful preliminary work, procurement of material, tools and drawings, which can be done both on paper and using computer modeling programs.
The final touch is decorating the product to your liking. To evaluate the quality of the work from the outside, you can take a photo of the chair. Having professional equipment in your arsenal, you can create a masterpiece for any type of room.
Photos of DIY chairs
A sheltered cool terrace is a great place for a country holiday, the best place for family dinners on a hot summer afternoon.
The plastic table successfully served as a dining table for several years, until it broke under the excessive weight of a careless guest. I had to look for a replacement table because... the amount of damage was critical.
The best option was a homemade table, made one morning on December 31st for the New Year by a large company. Then it was assembled from furniture panels and ready-made metal legs purchased from a chain hardware store.
It must be said that the table with a wooden top fit perfectly into the new terrace interior, framed by a support structure made of unpainted textured pine, but the plastic chairs, alas, were clearly discordant. Therefore, the need was born, and behind it the idea, to make wooden chairs for the terrace, so to speak, to “fill out the set.” The terms of reference were formulated as follows. The chair should be durable, comfortable, beautiful and inexpensive, made from scrap materials, using existing tools, without the use of complex equipment, precision milling and adhesive joints.
In search of suitable material, my gaze fell on the guest bed. Once upon a time, back in the last century, I made a bunk bed for my daughters. For the upper tier, we managed to obtain several oak boards in that distant and difficult time. The daughters have grown up long ago. The bunk bed eventually turned into two regular beds. And not so long ago, the oak bed moved to the dacha as a guest sleeping place. And now another “reincarnation” awaits the rich wood.
Of course, the presence of good material influences the design solution. The parts can be made relatively thin and durable, using simple fastening fittings and simple manufacturing technology. A pleasant bonus from using oak is its beautiful appearance and good resistance of the finished product to fluctuations in humidity and temperature.
It’s time to materialize what was planned into a project. Having spotted some ideas in industrial and handicraft production samples, I started modeling.
How did we live without computers?
The preliminary design turned out like this.
Basic dimensions from the above plastic chairs. The depth and width of the seat, the angle of the backrest and the width of the armrests have been slightly increased. I wanted to get not just an ordinary chair, but a chair on which I could sit and eat and relax.
I extract all the main dimensions from the computer model and make sketches of the parts.
Fine art is over. I move from the computer to the workbench. The bed is undergoing a global restructuring; I would not want to lose my sleeping place for the sake of chairs. I replace the oak parts of the bed with new parts made from pine boards in a hurry.
I saw the headboard that was put into production using a jigsaw.
Using a hand-held circular saw, I cut the boards into bars approximately 33-34mm wide. Hard wood cuts more slowly than pine, but still without any problems.
The unevenness left from the circular saw, which is manual work, is still removed using an electric planer. The surface of the wood remains flat and smooth. You can refuse further sanding. Using the same plane, I remove right angles along the bars and make chamfers. For comfortable work I use wooden pads with a diamond-shaped cutout. These simple devices securely hold the block “on the edge”.
For one chair, I select nine bars of the required length.
Armed with a pencil, tape measure and square, I make dimensional markings. A miter saw, purchased at one time for the production of garden paths from decking boards, is ideally suited for cutting bars at the desired angle, of which there are many in our parts.
It is problematic to make cuts on the back at sharp angles with a miter saw, so I do them with a jigsaw. The cutting blade “walks” as expected, but this is not a problem. I clamp a couple of parts together and smooth out the uneven surfaces with a sander and a coarse-grit belt.
Next up is the crucial moment, marking and drilling holes in the bars for furniture screws. The strength of the chair and its beauty depend on the quality and accuracy of the assembly of three parts: the back leg, back and seat, forming the main load-bearing triangle. Inaccurate assembly of this unit can result in the birth of a lame freak instead of a stylish piece of furniture.
Such furniture screws (confirmations) and a special drill can be purchased at a hardware store. I had the screws, but I decided to buy a drill, although previously I made do with three ordinary drills, with a diameter of 5, 7 and 10 mm.
I haven’t made the holes for the screw that fastens the parts of the back and seat yet. A little later I will make this mount “in place”.
I begin assembling the left and then the right “triangle” of the frame. I connect the rear leg with the parts of the back and seat with two 7x75mm confirmations.
I clamp the left and right pair of frame parts in a vice. Here it is possible to correct small errors by grinding the end of the seat part of one of the assembled “triangles” in order to achieve their maximum symmetry.
I make holes “in place” and then screw in furniture screws connecting the parts of the back and seat without removing the assembly from the vice.
Next up are the armrests. For them I take a regular pine board. I cut rectangular blanks to size. I make the roundings with a jigsaw with a narrow blade. I use a plane to bring the thickness to 15 mm. I perform the final processing of curves and surfaces with a grinder.
I connect the front leg with the seat part using a confirmat. There is still only one attachment point and therefore the leg does not hold rigidly.
I clamp one of the “triangles” in a vice. I apply the armrest to the upper ends of the legs. I level it and press it a little with my hand. I make a hole “in place” to attach the armrest to the rear leg. I hold the drill axis at a right angle to the plane of the armrest.
For this connection I use shorter screws. I have 7x55mm, this length is quite enough.
Placing the front leg in a vice, I orient its upper edge at the 35 mm mark from the front edge of the armrest. Having drilled a hole “in place”, I fasten the armrest and the front leg, which now becomes a full-fledged part of the rigid half of the frame.
The last operation of this stage is connecting the backrest and armrest. Here you need a long furniture screw.
I am also assembling the second half of the frame.
I get to work on the planks for the seat and back. I had “lining” in stock, two two-meter boards. They are polished, quite thin, about 10 mm thick, light and durable. I cut out the eight parts I need to size, make holes for the mounting screws, and deepen the holes for the caps.
The process of installing the seat and backrest at the same time is the final operation of assembling the chair. It's very simple. Planks are sequentially attached to one of the halves of the frame, clamped in a vice, at intervals of 1 cm. You just need to maintain a right angle between the parts. I use 3x35mm wood screws. For the top plank of the back, I take short self-tapping screws, 18-20mm long.