Modern Cardboard Chair
Introduction: Modern Cardboard Chair
I recently moved to a new apartment, and you know what that means - a big pile of moving boxes.
Rather than put all of this fantastic cardboard out on the curb to be recycled, I decided to make it into a chair!
This is a super satisfying project, and you can make with just a few simple tools!
Be sure to check out the full build video for more details:
Let's get started!
Supplies
All you will need to make a cardboard chair:
Lots of big cardboard boxes (I used about 30 boxes to create 120 layers)
Utility knife (I like the OLFA style with snap-off blades): https://amzn.to/3pIw4by
Extra blades (Though surprisingly, I only went through 3 segments of a single blade): https://amzn.to/39YkSTl
Permanent markers: https://amzn.to/3wqJihL
Super glue: https://amzn.to/3fClbqp
White glue (PVA glue): https://amzn.to/3dBBKjo
5-10 big, heavy books
Time!
Note: The above links are affiliate links, meaning that, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Step 1: Develop Your Template!
Before touching any cardboard, I drew some lounge chair profiles in my sketchbook until I found one that I liked.
Researching some common chair dimensions is a worthwhile step. My design is loosely based off the proportions of an Adirondack Chair.
Next, I tried sketching the full scale shape on a piece of cardboard.
Keep in mind that your shape has to fit on all of your boxes (and ideally, you want to get multiple pieces from a single box!).
At this point, my goal wasn't to get a perfect profile - I just wanted a starting point that I could test and refine.
I cut out the piece with my utility knife, and then got my girlfriend's help in testing it out!
We realized that the back was too reclined, and there wasn't quite enough support under the knees.
So, I traced v1 onto another piece of cardboard, and adjusted the shape to make v2!
At this point, I realized that it's a lot easier to test the profiles by lying on the ground, instead of awkwardly hovering over a cardboard cutout 😂
v2 was pretty good, but the seat felt a little short. I lengthened the seat in v3, and the shape was just about perfect!
If you don't want to develop your own template, you can get a full-size, dimensioned PDF of my template here.
If I were to change anything, I would add a slight outward curve to the back of the chair, to create some support for your lower back.
Step 2: Make the Master Template!
This master template is what you will use to trace every. layer. 493
of. the. chair.... so you want it to be sturdy!
You could go all-out and make the master template from a piece of plywood, but mine was just two layers of cardboard, which worked great.
The layers are glued together with white glue, and a smattering of superglue dots held the pieces together while the white glue dried.
Step 3: Cut Out Your Layers!
... 120 of them, that is 😬
I was able to squeeze 4 chair profiles into each box, so I needed about 30 boxes total (actually slightly less, as some of my boxes were double thick - get these if you can!)
I used a sharpie to trace the master template, and cut out each layer with a utility knife.
It is important to always trace the same side of the template, and cut on the INSIDE of the sharpie line, so that your layers are a consistent size.
Of course, you can only be so accurate when cutting with a utility knife, but this will help you get the best finished product with the tools you have!
It's fine to include notched areas of the cardboard in your profiles (these will have a negligible effect on the overall chair), but I tried to keep these to the underside or back of the chair.
Some of my boxes had big notches, and I filled these in with cardboard "patches" (I'll cover this more in the next step).
Step 4: Glue Your Layers Together!
Cutting 120 pieces of cardboard in one shot isn't my idea of a good time, so I mixed this step with the previous one.
Every time I cut out 10 pieces, I would glue them onto my ever thickening chair. 163