Lounge Chair With Matching Footstool Cut on CNC Machine

I designed and built a wooden lounge chair with a matching footstool made from layered wooden slats. I made this set so it can be placed outside the dorm I live in, giving people a spot to sit and enjoy the weather.

Materials:

1. Wood (plywood or hardwood sheets for the chair and stool)
2. Acrylic
3. Metal rods
4. Knobs
5. Washers
6. Wood glue
7. Fast clear glue
8. Sandpaper

Machines & Tools:

1. 3D printer
2. Laser cutter (for cutting acrylic pieces)
3. CNC machine
4. Wood-cutting saw
5. Oscillating multi-tool
6. Clamps (to hold pieces together while gluing)

The stool is a design I created on Onshape that can be done using the sketch feature. Sketch on the front face using the rectangle feature. and the circle feature to draw 4 circles (0.44 in measurement). Then save the sketch and extrude it. Once it has been extruded mirror the sketch so the other side has the same proportions.

After completing the stool and chair designs, create small-scale test prints using a 3D printer. Testing out the designs is great for evaluating the proportions and structure before moving forward with the full-scale production.

Once the prints meet expectations, export each component from Onshape into Adobe Illustrator. Prepare the files for laser cutting by using a thin stroke (I included two images showing the difference in thinner and thicker strokes). Print the pieces in acrylic. Creating the acrylic versions helps with understanding the assembly process before committing to wood.

After laser cutting all of the acrylic pieces, assemble them using clear glue and pull the metal rods through the holes to test the structure. Once you are happy with both the design and stability, scale the Adobe Illustrator files to 2 feet by 4 feet and sent them to the CNC machine.

After the full-scale components are cut using the CNC machine remove each piece from the wood sheets using an oscillating multi-tool. This part is tricky because the stool needs to be even and the tool can quickly shave a piece to the wrong size.

Sand all of the components to have smooth surfaces and insert the metal rods through the holes to measure the correct length of each rod.

Cut the metal rods to the appropriate lengths and begin assembling both the chair and stool. Wood glue needs to be applied between each piece to create a secure structure. The metal rods are used to provide additional reinforcement.

These are the finished pieces! I had a lot of fun with this project and encourage others to try!