Stick Chair, Not Stickley Chair

So, after my second cup of coffee, I decided to give the chair assembly another go.  Even sober I assembled it wrong the first time and got bonked on the head a couple of times.  Trying to maintain my composure, I decided to try using some Amsteel I had lying around as an easier and more flexible version of the threaded rod.  This went much easier.  I was easily able to thread it and then cinch it up tight with a bowline and a couple of half hitches.

It's actually quite comfortable.  The damn intermediate pieces create a psuedo-curve that is easy on the back.  The way you bring the ends together torques the whole assembly into a surprisingly ergonomic seat.

All I need now is to bring home the acorn nuts and washers I bought (sigh...), and my hacksaw at work to lop off the extra all thread.  HINT:  When cutting any threaded rod, thread on a nut before you make the cut, then when you back off the nut, it dresses the threads up for you nicely so you don't have to fiddle with a file.  After the final hardware is installed, I'm going to give it a serious sanding to round off all those 90° corners.  Maybe I'll scribe some feet onto the legs, but nothing too fancy.  These will look awesome down at the beach!  I do have to admit that even though "Some Assembly Required" are my three favorite words, assembling this damn thing was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life...;)

Of course, never being satisfied with just following the plans, I started looking at the assembly with an engineer's perspective.  The plans called for 1.25" thick stock, but I used 1.5" 2x2's (don't ask), which meant my chair was 20% wider than it should be.  I started thinking about removing a stick or two, but then I realized that it would make the gathered ends too narrow for comfort.  The additional width actually makes the chair look almost like a love seat or at something a tad more substantial than your standard folding chair.  I like it.  I'll leave it, and I'm probably going to install a cup holder on the starboard side...;)  Now, I just have to decide if I'm taking it to the movies in the park Saturday night.  They're playing one of my all-time favorite movies - Princess Bride.  Now where did I put that t-shirt?

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