Which material should I use to make the thing?
Should I even make the thing at all?
Maybe I should just make models?
For now I have settled on an idea and am currently moving forth.
I started by using the 3D printer to make some small models based on a drawing I did on the computer. They were a great, fast way to test the tipping point of the seat.
From these tiny models I discovered that the back "leg" needed to extend farther back to account for the momentum of weight moving quickly towards the floor. For the next round of tests I moved up in scale and made the models by hand so I could quickly adjust to different ideas.
The 1/4" scale plywood models were easy to make a super-helpful. I quickly realized that the large mass under the seat added too much actual weight and too much visual weight to the seat-side of the chair. So I cut some of the material away but thought the leg looked a little stubby. The third version (the one on the left) was the most successful. I extended the leg which fully accounted for any backwards motion and looked more proportionally in balance with the rest of the piece. Additionally, I lowered the footrest to a more natural height. This throws the balance of weight off a bit but I think I can account for this in the final piece by hollowing out sections of the interior.
I liked the plywood models well enough and think I will go ahead and make the full-scale prototype from the same material. The challenge is getting all the layers to line up perfectly so the crisp lines are preserved. So I think I am going to get a machine to cut all the layers out perfectly so I just have to put them together.
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