Thread: Help required on correct angle for back rest of a bench seat

I hate to see a new member ignored so here goes. Make yourself a mock up seat out of scrap. Make it so you can change both the angle of the seat and the angle of the back. . Try it until you get the most comfortable seat and then use it as a template for your main event.

Cheers
Alf

One full day has passed so we can assume no-one knows the answer or there is no definitive answer, so ...... now its time for stupid sugestions and guessing.

my suggestion would be go to an (outdoor) funiture shop with a sliding bevel gauge and find a seat thats comfortable. Lock the angle on your gauge. Go home and transfere the angle to paper / plan / protractor / fridge or where ever you have planned the rest of the job.
(if they ask tell them your chiropractor specified a seat angle you have to use

Alf t and DaveInOz,

Thanks guys.

I saw a book once which showed angles and dimensions, (height from floor, spacing at the table, leg room required etc) for all types of furnityure, but of course, those details have slipped out of my indelible memory.

Thanks for your attention, it is much appreciated. I'll take both your suggestions and combine them to come up with the solution.

Was curious to see what type of replies you got. Common sence still reigns supreme by the look of things.

In the past when I have been called on to make table and chairs I have found the best formula is to measure everything around the person(s) it is being built for. Make the chairs to be a comfortable height and posture for the individual. There is nothing wrong with making up a quick, ugly looking, mock-up chair for height and comfort fittings. If you really must you can probably get them to find one they like for fit and comfort in a shop and sneak a few measurements while no one is looking. Slightly underhanded and unethical. But, hey, if that is your thing..........

I have always found it is best to build the table around the chair with the owner in it, measure for comfortable height with adequate clearance for legs. There is nothing worse or more awkward than sitting at a missmatched setting.

I have sat in chairs that were way too low at a table that was way too high. It makes you feel like a little kid again. Most disconcerting and uncomfortable. I have also been unlucky enought to sit in achair that was so high it caught you behind the knees and you basically had to be on tip toes to sit without extreme discomfort. (This is a design fault that is common today in many lounge chairs and can cause real damage to legs and backs over time).

Formulae for chairs etc would be great if everyone was the same height, weight, leg length, body length and arm length. If not then there may be a problem or two. There could also be a problem with the back, as some people like to sit forward and slouch into the back, others like to sit to the back of the seat and be held firmly but not completely upright, whilst others prefer the fully upright, straighten your back, chest out, stomach in, head up, type back.

Some prefer to have their back supported down low, some like a high support up around the shoulders and some like to have a fully contoured back that fits to the curve of their back. The variations and permiations are endless.

I like Alf's advice it is sensible and workable. Daves suggestion is just plain sneaky............. and I like it too. Good ideas guys.

Cheers - Neil.

PS Depending on how you intend to build it, the back for a bench seat doesn't need to have too much angle on it, as you can adjust the comfort by bringing the seat section forward away from the back or moving it back, during the making until you feel it is right for you. Remember not to make the back rail too high above the seat section, as little kids have a habit of falling through when they lean back. Seen it happen, makes me laugh every time.

Hi all the above responses offer up good advice,however according to the fairly comprehensive chair section of Ernest Joyce's "Encyclopedia of Furniture Making "(ISBN 0-8069-6441-3) the angle of the backrest of the chair should not produce a knee angle of less than 90 degrees with the feet flat on the floor,while the elbow angle at rest on the side arms ( if implemented) should not force the shoulders up.
If the back is curved then the arch of the curve should be a bare 8in(200mm) above the seat,and the seat should be as deep as possible but not greater than the length of the thigh measured from the fold of the knee to the back.
Cheers

There ya go. I rest my case..... Build the chair to fit the person.

Cheers - Neil.