We've been a bit inundated the past few days about whether or not we're going to produce a swing seat for workbenches, after Chris Schwarz posted about his recently.
Believe it or not, this has been on our to-do list for about 5 years. Back then the industrial-look craze was gaining momentum and we watched closely as vintage cafeteria tables were popping up at chic restaurants in big cities and health-food markets in our area. Soon after a few companies started casting their own. Once we saw the prices, we laughed, then decided it was time to make our's.
These seats were used is prisons, school cafeterias, soda fountains, telephone booths, drafting tables, elevators. Illinois vise manufacturer Richards Wilcox made their own that they outfitted on benches sold by the company. The company is still in business, but like a lot of companies, they make completely different stuff now, like industrial door hardware. Sort of like Greenlee. Once know for their hollow chisel mortisers, they now make electrician's tools. Most people don't know their company logo is still the end-view of a hollow chisel.
We've got a couple swing-seat designs in the bag already, but still need to prototype and work out a few kinks. Plus, we're going to try our best to make this a reasonably priced item. $500 is just insane. There's virtually no machine work on these. Castings are still pretty inexpensive, and being woodworkers, well, we can all make our own seats by golly! We're not marketing these to Greenwich Village sushi bars. We're making them for us, dang it.
Please don't bother asking when they will be ready. We've got some other stuff already in the pipeline that we need to finish. Hopefully though we'll have something before 2016 is over.
Regardless of when you can get to them, we know they will be just awesome :)
ReplyDeleteHow about Pete Galbert's perch stool seat for your prototype? It's real comfy on the shavehorse.
ReplyDeleteAny chance you can make it easily removable? I'd love to be able to just lift it up and take it off to get it out of the way at times...
ReplyDeleteThat'd be very easy - just a two pin hinge plate (like a outdoor gate hinge) that mounts to the bench leg with the bench just lifted off if needed.
DeleteI might have to spring for a set of these if cash allows. I have this urge to build a wet bar with them for the shop.
ReplyDeleteTo quote Sir Sean Connery: "You're the man now, dawg!"
ReplyDeleteOh I know exactly where this chair lives. I love sitting on it when the man lectures me on traditional upholstery. Great to see them in the pipe line.
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