Death Chair - 2 -

   First we will cut out the shape of our back carefully following the dimensions shown on the CAD drawings. Then you will attach this to the inside upper sections of wood we will be using to complete the back legs of the chair. It is important that both leg components are attached level to each other approximately 2 1/2" inches above the highest cutout. I recommend to glue and screw the back on with 2" drywall screws.

   Here is the rest of the pieces that make up the rear legs minus the upper and lower inside pieces. Note there is a an 8" piece at the floor, then a 10" clear section for the seat box to slide into, then the long piece that finishes to the top of each leg. You can attach the lower inside pieces now or after the back sections are attached. Glue and finish nail these pieces as you did the seat box. Finally we attach the back assembly to the rest of the legs. This means that the screws that attach your back to the legs will be covered permanently, so make sure the screws are tight.

   The front legs are made the same way as the rear. The bottom section is 8" high, a 10" open gap for the seat box and then the upper 5" section finishes it out. Make sure you make a left leg and a right leg while assembling! The arms are assembled the same way as the legs without a gap. Here is what all your pieces look like prior to making them into a functioning chair.

   Here are the parts to the speaker cover that will cover the opening of our seat box. As you can see, the frame has already been assembled to the desired size of 6 1/8" high by 14 7/8" wide. This is simply a 3/4 x 3/4 solid wood frame that has been glued at the joints with one screw to attach each corner. You will need a section of black double knit fabric that is at least 8" x 17". Now we will lay the frame on the fabric and fold the fabric over one side and place one of the 1/4" plywood strips on top to sandwich the fabric between and then staple the strip to the frame. Now pull the fabric tight to the opposite side of the frame and repeat the process making sure the fabric is pulled tight with no wrinkles of any kind on the opposite side. Repeat for each end. Here is your cover all completed. You can see that the excess fabric has been cut away using a razor blade. Now we will move on to the door.

   We are skipping ahead slightly with the photo progression to show you where to place your two 3" x 8 1/2" pieces of plywood at the back of your seat box to frame an opening for your door. This will leave you an opening of 8 1/2" x 16" for your door. If you look closely you will see also another 1" x 8" piece of plywood that is on the inside of this opening on the right that will keep the door from swinging inside the box. The door stop is overhanging by only 1/4", leaving 3/4" inside to screw to the box to secure it. I just screwed through the back of the box into the stop to attach here. You will then attach the door with two self closing full overlay door hinges to the left side. Now we are ready to construct the chair.

   It's pretty simple to assemble the chair once all the details of construction have been done. You will put some white or yellow woodworker's glue in the opening of each leg and nail through each leg into the box. Be sure your chair is sitting on a flat level surface before nailing on the last leg to make sure it is plumb and will not rock. Then measure up from the floor 23" high on the back legs and attach the back of your arms. I used pocket bores under the arms to toenail the arm to the leg, using some glue in the joint as well. You could even toenail this on with finish nails. The front of each arm attaches to the front legs with two screws down through the bottom surface of the arm into the front section of the leg. Don't worry what they look like, as this opening will be fully covered.

   The next thing we will do is belt sand divots in the edges of the arms, legs and seat box to give this a gothic look. Use your own discretion on this but remember to leave your edges square where your skulls will mate to the chair as well as where your bones will be placed. I outlined in pencil where each bone would be placed before sanding my divots so they wouldn't interfere with attachment. Next glue on 3/8" mushroom buttons to the back and the front and sides of the seat box to outline these flat, boring areas. Place them about 3" to 4" apart and use woodworker's glue (yellow glue offers a stronger bond than white glue) rather than hot glue for a very strong adhesion. Hot glue if you are in a hurry. You will need approximately 72 buttons. Next we will coat the entire chair with a sanding sealer so the paint we will apply later will not just soak right in and disappear. Once it is dry, sand with 200 grit sandpaper to smooth the top surface.