always designing

The prototypes on the bench, newest first, each with the question it was built to answer.

2026-09-04 · keel truss, third build

A folding lounge chair in black, white and birch plywood sticks and slats, seen from the front quarter — The Keel Truss chair, third build, from the front quarter.

The current drawing of this chair, generated from its parameters.

question: Can all ten sticks of a lounge chair be drilled at only two hole spacings?
finding: Yes. Two congruent triangles, 213, 311 and 311 mm, share the keel, so every stick takes one of two drill settings. The geometry was settled and the chair built the same day.

2026-08-18 · the first hardwood keel chair

Side elevation of the K2-Keel chair, black plywood back, seat, front and tie on a hardwood keel at 45 degrees — The K2-Keel in true side elevation: two congruent triangles sharing a salvaged hardwood keel.

The current drawing of this chair, generated from its parameters.

question: Can the two triangles be the same size, with every bolt clear of the member next to it?
finding: Sliding the rear leg forward 24.3 mm and the front leg back 1.0 mm made the triangles congruent and freed both buried fasteners. The chair was built on a salvaged hardwood keel.

2026-07-30 · rietveld's 1934 crate chair, for ten dollars

A crate lounge chair built from black film-faced plywood boards, seen from above — The ten dollar replica complete: Rietveld's 1934 crate chair in salvage form ply, ten dollars of material.

The current drawing of this chair, generated from its parameters.

question: Does Rietveld's 1934 parts list build as drawn?
finding: Almost. The seat cleat on his sheet is 390 mm, and 390 cannot fit between the two hanging seat battens: 450 less two 60 mm battens leaves 330. The arms went to 60 mm wide after the 100 mm originals split in use.