A Footrest For My Folding Lounge Chair

Footrest:  A structure to support the calves and feet of the seated occupant at a comfortable angle and height above the floor.  

Cherry Footrest

For this project my aesthetic goal was to create a solution that belongs to the lounge chair next to it. Detail continuity. It should appear as an obvious mate. As my lounge chair folds up flat for easy storing and moving, the foot rest should also ideally fold up flat.  A bonus option is that the foot rest stores under the frame of the lounge chair when not needed. It doesn't slide under the seat assemble for a quick clearing of the space in front of the chair.  The front stretcher blocks that path.  It will slide under the stretcher if folded up first though. This footrest is just a bit narrower than the outer frame of the lounge chair so it can slide underneath it without scraping against the sides. 

I had enough cherry wood to make this footrest. I also had the hardware needed for it on hand. I had canvas for a sling to support a pad.  I didn't have any material that matched or complimented the cushion on the lounge chair so I ordered a cushion online.  

To make the side parts I started with three 15 inch long strips, 3" wide,  and 1" thick. They were glued together side-by-side. Once the glue was dry I scraped off any squeeze out then ran the board through my drum sander to smooth both sides. The final panel thickness was 31/32".   A nice feature of my CNC software is that it can render how the board will look after the toolpaths are cut.  This render is how the side parts were cut out. I held the board down with clamps on the outer corners.  The opposite side of each piece needed a little more work, but I try and maximize what is done while the board is on the CNC.  

All Four Side Parts

After the toolpaths were done I took it off the CNC.  I used my bandsaw to cut through the tabs and free the boards. Next step was to use a spiral downcut flush trim bit in my trim router table to cut off what was left of the tabs.  The CNC could only round over the edges of one side of each piece.  I put a 1/4" radius roundover router bit in my clamp-on trim table to round over the other side.   It only took 3 minutes or so including time to clean up whatever cherry chips the shop vac missed while cutting.   

My trim router table.

Dowels: Three dowels were needed. The dowels have a mating taper on their ends to fit snug into the tapered mortises.  I had enough cherry, but no pieces long enough. I ripped six 1" wide strips from a 9" long board, and then took them to my router table to round over all corners.  I then joined those 9" dowels end to end using this end-to-end finger joint design.  

End A

End B

The same vectors were used for both sides. The reality of CNC work is that sometimes bits bought turn out to be something other than the diameter they claim.  Testing the fit of this joint after cutting both sides I found it looser than I expected.   My conclusion is that the bit I used was slightly larger than the 3/16" diameter it claimed to be. My experience with Onsrud brand bits is that they are the most accurate.   As such I ordered new 3/16"d upcut and downcut bits.  

For the third dowel I remembered that I had a bag of 1" cherry dowels that were 12" long. I took two and used the radial finger joint show above to glue them end-to-end. Fit was not as tight as I expected it to be using the Onsrud 3/16" spiral upcut bit.  It was tighter than the other joints I used an older bit to cut though.  After gluing the two sections together, I cut it to the needed length, then clamped it vertically on my CNC to taper then ends.  

Puzzles occasionally show up when parts assembled don't match expected action.  This showed up when I first assembled the side parts and found that the inner leg didn't rotate under the upper dowel of the outer leg.  This was not a critical failure, but became a nagging subconscious thought as I remembered checking that it would fold flat in my CNC software.   A few days later I checked the drawing to determine how long the canvas needed to be. I realized I'd misplaced the bolt holes on the outer legs. Drilling new holes where they should have been was fairly simple.  Patching the initial holes took a new CNC toolpath file and scrap of cherry to cut snug fitting plugs from. The inner frame now rotates flat within the outer frame. The dowel ends and the sockets for the dowel ends are tapered with a 3 degree tapered end mill. 

The canvas sling.  Some careful measurement suggested it needed to be 19.24" + 1.5"overlap for two rows of snaps and 3/4" wide hems on each end long, and 17.5" wide + 3/4" wide hems on each side. The snaps allow installation and removal without taking apart the frame. Nice when it may need cleaning or replacing. Two rows of snaps keep the canvas flat. With just one row the canvas ends may bend up/down when snug and try to pull the snaps apart. I laid out the canvas I had, marked and drew the rectangle needed. Trimmed a 45 degree slice off the corners so when the hem were folded over they would miter together. I marked the fold line as well as the reference lines that the canvas folds to. Using fusing tape and some straight pins I folded over the sides and used my iron to seal them down. 

Canvas with Snaps

To verify the canvas with snaps would work, I assembled the frame for a test. 

Upside down to snap the canvas ends together

Standing up the canvas loop serves to limit how far  the frame opens. The slope is intentional as it is the angle my lower legs want to be at when sitting on the lounge chair. 

Standing up. Canvas Sling.

Teak Oil Finish

8/7.  The cushion arrived after spending 20 days between my house and somewhere in China. The red fabric is darker than the cushion on the lounge chair. Pretty much what I expected. It had been vacuum packed and was a tedious challenge to get through the wraps of tape that covered  the packaging. It needed a few days to recover/expand from the vacuum process. 

In use the angle of the frame and cushion make a very comfortable footrest for use with the lounge chair.  

I'll be making one more at least to improve on a couple flaws I found in this prototype. The lower dowel is right where my feet want to plant when getting out of the chair. Model #2 will move that dowel 4" up the sides rather than at the ends. Model #2 will also rethink how the cushion attaches. This one came with elastic straps that stretch then click together.  There is no adjustment. They want to collapse the frame unless the weight of my legs are on top of it. For now I've hidden a "push" bar in the middle under the canvas to keep the canvas tight. 

Comments I encourage.  

4D

Winning Strategies for Student Furniture Design Competitions: Lessons from the Judging Room

Winning a design competition is not luck. It is not about hoping judges share your subjective taste. It is an exercise in deliberate strategy. 

As an undergraduate student at Kansas State University, I entered three projects across two competitions. All three won First Place in their category:

• The Ze-Chair: First in Seating.
• The Phdesk: First in Case Goods. It folded flat for easy shipping.
• The Fit Lounge Chair: First in Summer/Casual. It folded flat to carry between the living room and the deck.

As a graduate student, I won first in the Graduate Category with an Executive Desk. It featured a closing lower drawer for the PC, and a split upper cabinet for a CRT monitor and dot matrix printer. All cables routed invisibly through a hollow rear leg.

Later, while teaching at K-State, I judged the 2007 Fresh Wood competition. That experience confirmed exactly how judges think. If you want to break through the noise, use these three foundational strategies based on real judging room experience.

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Tip 1: Master the Math of the Scorecard

The math of a competition is brutal. If you ignore a single judging criterion, you mathematically cap your score at an 80% maximum.

• The Pre-Screening Gate: Judges do not see every project. Organizers use initial digital scoring to slash the entry stack. If you miss a criterion on paper, you are eliminated before the show floor.
• The Scorecard Trap: Judges use scorecards with hard point values for criteria like originality, craft, and mass-producibility.
• The Flaw: If your piece is beautifully handcrafted but impossible to mass-produce, you get a zero in that column. Your score stalls under 80%.
• Make it Visible: Judges cannot reward what they cannot see. Did you use Teflon washers between pivoting wood parts?  Clever but hidden joinery?  Detail it explicitly on your poster and in your entry essay.

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Tip 2: Maximize the Narrative - Move Beyond "Nice Chair!"

A beautiful chair is only remembered as "Nice chair!" That is an intellectual dead end. To win, your design must tell a story.

• The Lifespan of a Story: An objective winner builds utility into the object. My Fit Lounge Chair didn't just sit there. It folded to move between spaces, store flat, or ship easily. It solved a real-world human scenario.
• Posters are Blueprints, Not Billboards: Do not just plaster your poster with one giant beauty rendering. Show the story chapters not obvious when looking at the project itself. 
• Show the Mechanics: If the utility or internal mechanics are not obvious by looking at the chair, illustrate them step-by-step on the poster. Judges study these posters during evaluation.

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Tip 3: Establish Detail Continuity

A masterfully designed piece whispers its story through micro-details that purposefully repeat, relate, and reinforce one another.

• Design Continuity: No element should exist in a vacuum. Connect your structural choices directly to your aesthetic choices.
• The First-Place Adjustable Lounge: One of my students designed a unique, highly comfortable chair using rows of vibrant red strapping for the seat and back.
• The Structural Challenge: Frame tension from sitting threatened to pull the lower stretchers loose.
• The Solution: The student used through-wedged tenons to flare the joints and lock them permanently.
• The Masterstroke: The wedges were cut from bright red bloodwood. Those small red strips perfectly related the structural joinery to the red strapping above.
• Layering the Details: The chair also featured red cam levers for angle adjustment. The straps wrapped around hidden brass rods and buckled underneath for adjustable tension.

The judges stood there and actively talked about how beautifully the red wedges and cam levers tied into the straps. It was original, comfortable, and easily mass-produced. The mechanics were explained clearly on the poster. It was an undeniable winner.

Conclusion

Most projects entered, and even those winning usually don't cover all the judging criteria, and are no more than a well made static piece. The odds of winning when all project scores are just under 80% are even. The prettiest ones win in that case. Subjective.

Throw in your project that scores a 95%, tells a great story, is dynamic, and supremely well crafted. Once your project stands above the average it becomes one that the judges dwell at. One they talk about to each other. One they bring friends over to see when the trade show opens and all are on display. A conversation starter. Objectively a winner.

Folding Lounge Chair. Cherry

I needed a project to distract me from the boredom of retirement.  Approximately 45 years ago I designed and built my folding Fit Lounge Chair.  Other than one update to trim the legs and lower the seating height, that original made from red oak has survived the passage of time and still serves me as a nice place to relax.  I made a second one from redwood to help point out the value of folding it up to move easily in and out from my deck to indoors over winters. The first two were made before I even knew what a CNC was. This one exploited the capabilities of my CNC to make the best use of the material I had on hand. 

Folding Lounge Chair.  Cherry.

First came dimensioned drawings, My Aspire CNC Software had all the drafting features I needed. 

Side View

There are three main sections of this design.  They include the rear legs with a stretcher between them, the seat frame with one stretcher and two dowels between the sides, and the front frame with two stretchers between the sides. 

I had quite a bit of cherry wood hoping it was enough to make the parts for one chair from.  A check of the size of each part revealed I didn't have any Cherry boards long enough to make the front leg frame from.  This was not a project ending problem though as I can join boards end to end with CNC cut joinery.  

Rear leg frame.

I had two 24" long sections of 6/4 cherry already sliced 2" wide.  Those were enough for the rear legs. The two strips of cherry were planed down to 1.25" thick.  I drew up the toolpaths needed for them. and cut them out. They needed slots for the sliding pins, tapered mortises for the stretcher end tapered tenons, and holes for bolts.  I had to order the needed bolts for them.

Next came the rear stretcher. Boards in my garage yielded enough for the stretcher that goes between them. All the cherry I had was 6/4 thick,  I ripped three strips of 6/4 cherry 1" wide, then tipped them 90° and glued together them together to make one 1" thick rear leg stretcher from.

Seat frame.

The seat frame sides have a hook on their rear ends. These are the most complex/detailed parts of this design.  They needed threaded inserts for the cam levers that pull the canvas tight. They needed holes for bolts that join the seat to the front frame. Two tapered mortises were needed for the front stretcher end tenons. It also needed projecting bolts to slide in the slots in the rear leg sides. To cover the bolt ends I made two 1/2" long bushings from HDPE, 3/8" o.d. and 1/4" bore.  They slip over the bolt ends and slide in the slots. 

The stretcher for the seat front is the most complicated one.  It traps the canvas end and needed a slot to trap it into. The cover plate needed three threaded inserts for bolts to hold it down.  The seat frame doesn't need to come apart after it is glued up. 

I have my garage router table set up with a 1/2" round over bit to round over the stretchers and make the dowels.  I CNC cut the tenons on the ends of the stretchers.

Press-in threaded inserts/capped nuts were needed for the seat/front leg pivot.  Amazon didn't seem to have them. Lee Valley had them, so I ordered 10 of them. They arrived a few days later. 

Insert Nut

I cut a block of cherry large enough to make the two sides of the seat frame from. I  had to wait for the press in cap nuts to verify their size.   I needed all the hardware on hand to measure and finalize the CNC toolpath for the sides. I had to mirror the sides, and could only cut all the details on one side to optimize the layout of them. I had to set up a new toolpath layout for the second side details after cutting it out from the initial block. 

I made two 1" diameter cherry dowels for the seat. As I bought more 1" thick boards than needed for the stretchers I ripped one into 1" strips and rounded them over to make the dowels.  One dowel serves as the rear stretcher of the seat frame.  The second dowel is there to support the back canvas.  

Front leg frame

Last parts I made were for the outer long leg frame.  Two legs each 2" x 1.25" and 46.375" long, with two 1"x 3" stretchers between them. I didn't have any cherry long enough so some CNC joinery came to the rescue. One leg was made with twin tapered floating tenons between two halves.

Two Tapered Floating Tenons Hiding

The wood I used was salvaged from a past failed project. I'm hoping this will be a strong enough joint.  The other leg was also made from two sections. I ripped and planed the cherry for that leg from 6/4 cherry I still had. To join them I used an end--to-end finger joint.  

End-to End Finger Joint

I clamped the leg sections vertically in my CNC frame to cut the male and female sides of the finger joint. 

Next step after gluing up the legs was trimming them to length.  The ends were rounded off. Mortises for the two stretchers were cut, along with holes for the bolts that connect them to the rear leg plate and the seat sides.  

Once all the bolt holes, stretchers, etc., were all done the frame was dry assembled to verify it works. 

Dry Assembled

To deal with the canvas and straps I had to take apart my initial prototype done 4.5 decades ago to see how I trapped the straps into the frame sides.  

Details:  

On  the bottom of the seat front stretcher there is a slot. The canvas wraps around a dowel and is held in that slot securely. A cover plate traps the canvas in the slot:  

Cover plate

Under the cover plate there are 3 threaded inserts for screws. The cover plate was made from 6mm plywood.  I used some flat head nylon screws to hold it down.  

Cam levers to pull the seat canvas tight I cut from 6mm plywood. These will likely be replaced by metal levers. 

Cam levers

Lumbar straps needed slots in the sides of the long frame. I cut mirrored files, one for each side.    The cover plates and pockets for them were cut using the same perimeter vector to make sure they fit. 

Back strap slots and cover plates.

One side of the chair frame needs to be removable for assembly ease. The stretchers have embedded square nuts on one end for bolts to draw the tenons tight into the mortises in the side parts.  I cut pockets for square nuts near one end of each back frame and long frame tenon.

Pockets for Square Nuts.

 

Hole for the bolts to intersect them.

Two 1.75" long bolts for each stretcher end draw them tight.  I ordered the bolts from the jungle store.  They arrived 2 days later. 

The recess over the nuts needed plugs to cover the nuts and keep them from falling out.  I used the same vector that made the pocket, array copied it, and cut 6 plugs out using my CNC.

Six Plugs

I cut the plugs free using my bandsaw.

Plugs cut free from the scrap.

A little glue in the pockets before I pressed a plug into each one.

Plug glued in.

Once the glue dried I sanded them flush.

Sanded flush.

I  used Teak oil to seal the wood.  It nicely darkens the cherry.  Canvas and lumbar support back straps, as well as the red cushion were also ordered from the jungle store. 

The straps were cut to length, then wrapped around a short section of wood dowel. A couple staples keep the ends from pulling out.   

Lumbar Support Straps

To pull the seat canvas support tight I needed a 1/2" metal rod with 1/4" diameter ends.  I clamped the rod vertically in a v-block between the jaws of my CNC bridge vise. 

1/4 inch end

Using a milling bit rather than a router bit I then stepped in 1/64" at a time until the center was just under 1/4" in diameter.

Milling Bit

I am pleased with how well the ends turned out. The rod fits perfectly between the cam levers on the inside of the seat frame.

For the canvas seat and back supports I used iron-on fusing tape to hem the edges.  I wanted to avoid needing to sew.  The canvas is one long strip, with  both ends trapped under the front stretcher. They wrap forward and back over stretcher, over the rear dowel, then around the metal rod. That took twice as much canvas, but simplified the work needed. 

The inner width of the seat frame is 19.25".  Between the cam lever the width is 18.75".  As such the canvas strip is 19.25" wide, then tapers down to 18.75 after it rolls over the rear dowel.   The canvas doubles back after wrapping over the metal rod. I kept it narrower when returning so the hemmed edges of one layer rest inside the hemmed edges of the other layer.  

Once hemmed it was time to see if it worked as designed.

View from below the seat frame.

The canvas was installed with the side cam levers loose.  Once the ends under the front stretcher were trapped down, a flip of the cam levers pulled the canvas drum tight. 

To support the seat cushion. 

The last build step was the canvas back support. I cut it out and hemmed the sides.  The back canvas snaps onto the front of the top stretcher, wraps down and over the stretcher and over the snaps to the lumbar straps, over the rear dowel of the seat frame, around the rear leg stretcher, then snap it to itself.  

The top edge of the canvas has 4 snaps, each 5" apart.  The mating part of the snaps were  screwed into shallow pockets on the front face of the top stretcher   A snap kit bought from the jungle store made it easy installing the snaps on the canvas. 

Back support Canvas

The canvas was the last detail to solve.   Finding a cushion took two tries, but I like the fit and color of this one made for rocking chairs. 

Job Done.

I don't remember much about making my first prototype of this design.  My sense of that time when I was in my early 20s is that nothing was impossible and making this chair was a quick effort done in my limited garage shop space.  Making this cherry version was also not impossible, but seems to have taken twice the effort and time.   Such is life.

4D