Chair/backpack

[BowEd]

Hello....Here's a project finished from a picture I saw some time ago.Making use of beef rawhide in a snow shoe weave and local wood around here steam bent.Nothing bought except for dowels and glue and that was very cheap.Those items a person can make themselves too.Elm[frame]/ash[braces]/and osage[runners].It's stronger than it looks.Very tough.Downward weight pressure while seated is where it is strongest.Lower joints on runners are doweled and glue in.I used smooth-on for the glueing of wood & epiphanes spar varnish on the rawhide for water proofing.Picture I saw they were all rawhide laced wrapped on.I dowel connected a number of joints on there.The connection between the 2 frames were just rawhide wrapped.
Fun project!!!!

If anyone is interested in making this here's a parts list:The process of putting it together is stated later in this post.

Frames- 2 strips of wood at least 74" long and at least 5/8" by 7/8".The center 13" is steamed and bent around 9.5" wide forms.

Cross braces- The back rest from bottom to top lengths are 18" long and attatched dead center 4.5" from bottom,next brace 17.5" long attatched at 6.5",next brace 17" long is attatched at 8.5".Final top brace is 6" down from top and is 10.5" long.Width  against your back side will be 15" to 16" wide.Seat will be approximately 13" long to center bend of frame and the backrest is around 26" long from seat height.

The seat portion frame has no braces on it.

Backrest braces- are 27" long a piece and steam bent to the angle of the back rest.

Runners- 22" long a piece. Width of runners of chair after assembled are around 18.5" at the front and 23.75" at the back.

You will need at least 140' of good stout rawhide lace if used to be sure.That'll use up a good 2 square feet[ closer to 3 really[a person should have more than enough] or more of rawhide.

These measurements are not written in stone and can be modified to suit yourself.I'll leave the back rest carrying straps and belly strap to your own taste.









I figured it was a good item to use on long hunts doubling as a seat while hunting and back packing meat out.Total chair/pack weight is less than 5#'s.A person could pack out upwards of 80 to 90 pounds if needed.As much as a person can handle.Or I'll just use it at my camp at bow making gatherings.Chair height while seated is just right around a camp fire.
Years ago back in the Lewis and Clark days while exploring these items were made out in the bush.Used as canoe seats then too.

[PEARL DRUMS]

I love it, Ed. I haven't been inspired to do much of anything archery/hunting related for well over a year now. This looks like something I could get into, thanks for posting.

[BrianS]

Very nice design and craftmanship

[bjrogg]

That is awesome Ed. I love it. Giving me some ideas for chairs in my man cave.
Bjrogg

[Stoker]

That is cool. Great workmanship.
Thanks Leroy

[Aaron H]

Love this!  Great work Ed

[Hawkdancer]

Great idea and a very nice job!  I seem to remember seeing a picture similar to that crediting the northern tribes and the French Canadian voyaguers with the idea.  Areal handy chair!
Hawkdancer

[JW_Halverson]

That would come awful handy turkey hunting. Nice work, Ed!

[Pappy]

Got to love that, beautiful work.
 Pappy

[Buckeye Guy]

Nice job
Looks like a great project

[BowEd]

Thanks.....Actually the most difficult part was figuring out the weaving pattern of the rawhide.With having so many forms for bending wood for bow making making the frame was'nt difficult.
Main frames



Backrest supports

[chamookman]

Outstanding - WAY Cool  ! Bob

[bjrogg]

Really cool Ed, thanks for sharing it.
Bjrogg

[Chief RID]

Not difficult for you my friend. Excellent work. Thanks so much for the pics and showing us your craft.

[BowEd]

Thanks....It's a step by step process putting things together.I chose elm for the frames because of it's interlocking qualities/toughness/and elastic abilities.Ash for it's toughness as the braces.Osage for toughness and non rotting qualities for the runners.The main frames can be made from thin laminations glued together too I guess.
Once the cross member braces are doweled in place into the backrest frame the 2 frames can be slid into each other at a 90 degree angle.Clamped in place the runners are made to see where the legs will be doweled to them.

I thought about doweling some reinforcement cleats to the bottom of the legs but so far it holds up pretty well using it.

Once that's done the connection where the 2 frame pieces interlock with each other can be rawhide wrapped in place.Then the back braces can be doweled to upright back rest frame and rawhide wrapped below to seat part of frame.They can be doweled into the runners then too.

Now it's standing on it's own.
.
From then it's just a matter of weaving your rawhide lace in.I used 1/8" thick or more beef rawhide.I used what they call a larks' head knot weave.



I finished it off with multiple coatings of spar varnish to a candy coat finish.It weighs overall less than 5#'s.
.