seat update

Finally got some pictures of my seat building process.
Turned out fairly well but there are some issues.
Look somewhat like OA seats but the design was from scratch.
I like the idea of the seat back setting on the cushion rather than behind.
I started with the HiTech drawings but this is much different.

Here are a couple of pics.



Did save some money but not sure if the struggle was worth it.
If anybody is interested, I'll try to put together some lessons learned.

Dave A.
6A build

lessons learned...

Would love to hear your seat building lessons learned. I'm planning to do the same - not to save money, but to learn something

Working

to put together some kind of doc or webpage. Too many pics for thread.
Dave A.

Seat foam source

Look into these folks for foam:

http://www.sunmatecushions.com/dsi/Discounts/Sunmate.aspx

The foam is awesome, and you can't beat $10 for a bottom cut! I used this and my seats turned out awesome.

seat design - thighmaster!!!

just sat in my -9a a few hours ago, and wondered why all seat bottoms have the long thigh supports? They really get in the way sliding your feet in and out, and your thighs never touch the last 3" of them!?
If they weren't there, you might also be able to put your heel on the 'box', rather than on the seat etc. Could be really beneficial to passengers or other occasional users who haven't perfected the 'slip, move, slide, shuffle, grip, twist, drop, ease, grunt, wiggle, wiggle, ahhhhh!' procedure like most pilots.

Help yourself

http://pages.suddenlink.net/tismuoi9/seatfab.html

Guidance on covering foam seats with fabric

I've had the Vans foam seats stashed in the back corner for the past 2 years. My wife said she'll gladly (?) do the sewing but is looking for some guidance. Vans provided paper templates for the various panels but did not provide any further guidance. Any help or tips would be appreciated.

Jim Diehl
RV-7A N891DD

seat covering

Kitplanes magazine ran a four article series, from April to July 2010 by Mike Manning on the whole process. The first one is called Designing Men, the June one talks the most about seat covering techniques. I think you can acess them online through the Kitplanes website.

I also found some Youtube stuff that is helpful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pawRXvTZnRo&feature=related

Do a search and you'll see more, it's not rivieting video but it's free

I made a booster cushion as a practice piece and as soon as I finish wiring the panel I'm going to start the real seats.

Wayne Millson

RV 10 Finishing

Thanks for the plug.

Thank you for mentioning my Kitplanes articles. I also did a few articles for Custom Planes magazine about a decade ago. You can find copies of them at:

http://webpages.charter.net/mannings/trimtips.htm

Cheers,
Mike

Questions??

Hi Mike

I've been wishing there was a way to contact you! You never know who your going to find on VAF!

I picked up some leather hides at Oshkosh last year and am hoping to make them into something decent looking.
Do I still use the sandwich technique with leather?
On my practice cushion I used leather, 1/2 inch foam and canvas. The canvas and foam came from a local upolstry shop, the foam was the only fire rated stuff they had and was quite firm, making it very difficult to sew the seams together.
I've acquired some 1/4" foam from Scandia and it is much softer, but I haven't had a chance to do anything with it.

Appreciate any wisdom you can share.

Thanks

Wayne Millson

RV 10 Finishing

Answer?

Hi Waynem,

First the usual disclaimers, there are a variety of ways to do any job, there is no single right way to do any job, and your mileage may vary.

Yes, you can sandwich the foam into the leather. And, yes, the firm foam is a poor choice for that particular application. I like your idea of using quarter-inch soft foam. Actually, just last night I decided to do that on one of my next leather projects. Of course, you don?t have to include the foam at all. I usually do because I like the look it gives the finished cover. But, I?ve seen a lot of nice jobs that don?t use that technique.

When you say ?canvas,? that makes me think that you might be using a material that?s too heavy for the job. Usually a material that?s about the consistency of a bed sheet, or a little thicker, is about right. Come to think of it, I?ve known guys that have used bed sheets for foam backing.

Oh! I just thought of something. Sometimes I use a heavy canvas for the insert, bucause it produces greater definition for the quilt lines. However, for the other parts of the seat you?ll want to use a lighter backing material. Play around with different combinations of foam and backing material and you?ll see what I mean. Then, choose whichever technique produces the effect you?re looking for.

Unfortunately there isn?t an easy answer. You just have to keep trying different things until you find a way that you like.

Cheers,

Mike

Good answer!

Mike

Thanks for the quick reply! It's good to know I'm at least on the right track.
I had a look at my canvas and it's got a stamp on it that says "Sunforger Marine Boatshrunk CP A1-84" I don't know if that means anything to you?
It's closer to bedsheets than trucktarps I'd say, but it's all new to me.

It sounds like I just need to keep trying, may be back with more questions as that happens.

Thanks Again

Wayne Millson

RV 10 Finishing