The seat was the part of the build I hated most, so I'm finally trying to make a new one. I'm steam bending 1/8th in thick wood and gluing layers together like a skateboard, then I'll glue foam on top. The original seat wasn't uncomfortable, but mine Just didn't come out like I wanted, I'm hoping the curves and making it a little wider will make it more comfortable and look nicer.
I built a cheap steam box out of particle board and used water seal inside. it has two layers of pins so I can steam two sheets at a time. The steam is from a home steamer for clothes I think, but it worked great for well over an hour. I put harbor freight moving blankets over it to keep it warmer. This was about as cheap as I could make it.
This is the wood form, its a few 2x6 and a lot of drywall screws, the paint is just for quick registration.
After an hour of steaming two pieces were clamped together successfully. I wasn't sure the direction to run the grain, so this was a test with each board being different and neither cracked. so I'm going to cross grain the next two as well and hopefully end up with a half inch thick cross grained seat....
I built a cheap steam box out of particle board and used water seal inside. it has two layers of pins so I can steam two sheets at a time. The steam is from a home steamer for clothes I think, but it worked great for well over an hour. I put harbor freight moving blankets over it to keep it warmer. This was about as cheap as I could make it.
This is the wood form, its a few 2x6 and a lot of drywall screws, the paint is just for quick registration.
After an hour of steaming two pieces were clamped together successfully. I wasn't sure the direction to run the grain, so this was a test with each board being different and neither cracked. so I'm going to cross grain the next two as well and hopefully end up with a half inch thick cross grained seat....