Jacob Sheldon
Year 12
Asquith Boys High School, NSW
Teacher: Natasha Jackson, TAS
The inspiration for my industrial technology major work came from a photo that I stumbled across on the internet – the rest was a journey in design and experimentation. It is not only a functional chair, but a work of art, with each piece of timber individually crafted to fit the overall design. The project required building a steam box and steam bending each piece of timber – all recycled from pre-owned furniture such as bookcases and tables. The chair helped me learn so many new ideas and techniques and helped me expand the way I think about overcoming various difficult tasks.
The steam bent chair was first sketched and CAD modelled to create the geometry. The geometry was confirmed by 3D printing a small scale model. The CAD file also generated templates for the internal support ribs. These ribs were mounted and used as a mould for bending the strips of timber. The timber strips were steamed in a plywood box attached to a wallpaper steamer, bent over the frame and tacked in place. Laminated beans support the frames and are attached to turned legs. To ensure sufficient stability in the splayed legs stainless steel bracing was used under the seat.
