Does This Chair Actually Work? My IMPOSSIBLE Chair Build

[@corytenhundfeld1553]

I would stabilize it by adding 4 vertical pieces of wood that connected from the seat slats to the floor. 😎

[@betanick14]

It's been done a million times

[@generalmemeking334]

@@betanick14 that was the joke

[@nzfoy3568]

That's genius

[@brookesedgedesigns9441]

I see what you did there. 😂

[@chrisbuckley1785]

That's genius. 🤯🤯

[@crmcbrideww]

Everyone gives you a hard time for making chairs that you can't sit on because they seem fragile. I think you should make a throne that you can park your truck on.

[@SethXB]

well sure.. he should.. but that doesnt change the fact that he cant.. becuase hyes clearly bad with weight managment in all forms

[@BeingMyself__]

He should try to make a da Vinci bridge

[@sheldonclemendore7879]

One already exists....lol

[@ksdragona_5583]

Now I'm picturing a pick-up sized throne. 🤔

[@HeraldTubeman-ve1jr]

@SethXB He’s bad with actually science

[@pengwin429]

Anyone new to woodworking, just because Bessey sponsored this video doesn't mean that him saying " Bessey is the answer" was because of the ad. They really do make the best clamps you can buy. Especially for the price. I have never had a Bessey clamp fail on me.

[@John_Malecki]

You my friend are correct hahha

[@partciudgam8478]

Having a clamp maker sponsoting a woodworking project is like a fresh lemo ade stand in the middle of the sahara... The only answer a woodworker can give to how many clamps do you have? Is "not enough"

[@skibumhops1531]

John, I think some of the issues may be coming from how the cables are ran through the wood as one cable. I think the way they are ran through the seat back proper allows the chair to slide back and forth. If they were attached to the chair as individual pieces the chair couldn't move.

[@Big__Farmer]

More importantly the supporting outer cables need to be tensioned when the chair is under load. The way it was produced here the supporting outer cables become slack under load ie. not supporting the load. Applying more poorly tensioned cables did little to improve the situation.

[@deadblade300]

The outside cables don't support the load, they go slack when someone sits down because you're taking tension off of them... The only cable that supports your weight is the center cable, the rest of the cables try to balance the forces. If you imagine a plate on a ball with each corner tired to the ground, as you push on one corner the rope on that corner becomes more slack, while the opposite corner becomes more tense. HOWEVER, your point is still valid to a degree. You can over tighten the outer cables, causing the object to collapse with the smallest tip in balance while it's not under load, but you don't want them to be too slack while under load, or they are not fulfilling thier purpose.

[@alexsarkisyan5192]

“It’s wants to fall but can’t because of constant pressure” Same chair same

[@SP3TRAK]

actually the joke is "It wants to fall but can't because of constant stress" same...bzz

[@mynameiswhat105]

Daily dose of memes?

[@Puke0010]

The center of gravity needs to be centered more over the central cable when someone is sitting in the chair. But the fact that it's a chair means that leaning back places a rotational moment, moving the CG that overpowers the cable tension in the front. a stool would probably work better. Though, it does look awesome.

[@John_Malecki]

I thihnk i need to triangulate the whole design, add some widt hto the back and it may help! thanks Puke!

[@AustinMiniFreak]

@@John_Malecki if you make a cable from the lower suspension point to the rear legs, it probably stops the unsteadiness and the lower point cannot move forward. and was able to learn many of your projects and use in making projects in the netherlands

[@roan5250]

Had to agree. I would love to see this as a stool as well, since you will only sit upright on the center the twisting/rotation will be minimized

[@bertot4563]

I agree with Schmill. The main cable that holds the weight needs to be towards the rear of the chair. Basically line it up with your spine when sitting. You had it too far forward and created a moment that caused the front cables to burden the load instead of containing the load to main support cable. I’m a mechanical engineer so I saw the issue right away.

[@MrJoesephwhetsel]

Could you add another main cable from the center straight to the main support of the top... and add tension so when you lean back the chair does not

[@C0rn123]

What helps a lot with these tensegrity structures is diagonal cords. like from the left front down at the ground to the left back of the seat itself, from the left front of the seat to the right back down, etc. i did that on my tensegrity shelf and the stability improved drastically. evan and katelyn have a video about it

[@prozack1312]

What makes these tensegrity items so “magical” is that it looks like it’s floating; when more and more cables are added it begins to lose that magic because it looks cluttered. The fewer cables the more magical. I also think you should increase the distance between the underside of the chair and the top of the bottom support to really emphasis the illusion that the body of the chair is not connected to the legs.

[@andrewclark3383]

Intermediate skills world class shop tools. Geometry of cables is absolutely paramount. Love the videos and his personality.

[@DIYDREW]

"I can sit in any chair and snap it in half!" Same John, same...

[@MM-jn2ny]

Watching this video vs your new videos, you do a significantly better job explaining things now than you did in the beginning

[@DilluminatiTV]

“You and your stupid rope” is from Boondock Saints. My favorite movie

[@jauken83]

"Why don't you make like a tree, and get the f*ck out of here?!"

[@sagemalaikini8534]

What is the "SSSSSSSSSSSSymbolism"

[@jephzombiekiller]

Fooken rope*

[@skel1tor945]

Are you ohbe kaybe

[@Tyler-vw9bh]

That's right! I knew that sounded familiar. Great movie! Idk about the second because I was hammered when I saw it and don’t really remember lol

[@TheBeardedEntertainment]

"Is that right Rambo..." 😂 Boondock Saints!

[@John_Malecki]

HAHAHHAHAHHAH such a good line

[@DougTurley]

@@John_Malecki Is it dead?

[@Plrbear98]

The Golden Gate Bridge had less cabling than that "floating" chair... interesting build though

[@DreamingBlindly]

It's coz it's a first try for them but yeah taking notes from suspension bridges is probably needed here.

[@TrickOrTreatFishing]

Liar.

[@Watttttttt123]

To be fair though!

[@wyattstanley5349]

Actually there is about 80,000 miles of wire on the Golden Gate Bridge and there is approximately 11 to 14 feet of cable there

[@1000percent1000]

@@SodaDaquavion cringe af mate quit bleeding social platforms

[@cds72209]

That gives me an idea for a full tensegrity dining room table

[@KnightsWithoutATable]

Not what would be cool.

[@KnightsWithoutATable]

Wow, I typoed that one really badly.

[@greggarrot8132]

Make a metal frame covered with wood do some seriously scary you've never done it before cable tension with a lot of weight on top of the table it will be Rock Solid

[@cds72209]

@@greggarrot8132 I'm in the process of building it got the design done. Its going to be amazing

[@loganmorris9005]

You are literally living my dream. Your shop, your job, and your creativity are all dreams of mine. I’m wanting to start an epoxy furniture/countertops business but also want to be able to do all kinds of metal and wood work and build different types of furniture. Literally what you do!

[@loganmorris9005]

Oh and home remodels as well!

[@offended9081]

@@loganmorris9005 did you ever start the business

[@pengwin429]

As an amateur wood worker, seeing those perfectly square edges after jointing makes me weak in the knees

[@TheHomeMaker1]

Dude same I only been woodworking about 2 years now and the two best days of my woodworking life so far we’re the two different days I bought A a plane and B and jointer lol and don’t just buy the cheap ads big box store bench top ones sage up and buy the big 13” dewalt planet and a floor model at least 6” jointer that’s what I have and now it’s so so easy to make perfect square edges and faces that are beautiful and will leave you loving your hobby much much more it’s totally worth it oh and a table saw and track saw and good sanders lol that’s all you need literally

[@pengwin429]

@@TheHomeMaker1 I bought a wen lunch box plane and it does a decent job. But I also bought and had to return a porter and cable 6" jointer. The jointer had aluminum tables and jointing just soft yellow pine for one project on it, huge deep scratches went into the face of the jointer leaving positive matching scratches onto the wood face... I'm now saving up for a for model, any recommendations?

[@andrewdg90]

@@pengwin429 if you can afford it (or save up enough), one with a spiral bit cutter-head. I still need to get one eventually. Probably a Delta, Jet, Grizzly etc.

[@MilesHolt]

Boondock Saints. The first one. I love those movies.

[@BreakfastClubJiuJitsu]

"Serial crushed by a big friggin' guy" - One of my favorite lines from that movie, lol.

[@DestroBB]

We're like 711, we ain't always doing business... But we're always open.

[@John_Malecki]

Bahaahahaha

[@ktillers4502]

John that is the greatest movie ever! Boondock Saints, and when he says “aye Rambo” hilarious.

[@Godemes]

Amazing quote, "Someone skinny! Prepare your ass." 19:03

[@MCsCreations]

Pretty nice work, John! 😃 It may have problems, but looks really nice! I don't know what to do to fix it, but next time start with a cheaper wood as a prototype. 😬 Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@jeffjackson2871]

9:40 I can't believe the chair disrespected your time and effort like that! Your commentary is so funny and your woodworking skills are top notch, keep up the great work.

[@FreviriousQuigby]

"Charlie Bronson's always got rope. He's got a lot of rope strapped around him in the movies, and they always end up using it."

[@SpencleyDesignCo]

Nicely done boys!

[@tjstengel]

"What we need, is some rope" "Is that right Rambo?" "Take your stupid ...rope" LOVE this movie!!! "Is it dead?!"

[@sparky040887]

ooooooohhhhh what's the cat's name?

[@usherjer]

I was thinking Boondox Saints.

[@MOUNTAINEAGLES]

Excellent work!! 👍

[@crashweekly7925]

So what we are going to do is add a few hundred cables to the seat until it doesn't wobble and make it not look like an Impossible chair.

[@MrPavaroti]

Of course! you have to make another one !,Cheers from Toronto Canada!

[@H4shT4G]

185 people cant even build with legos, its amazing how many keyboard professionals have all the answers and opinions, yet you are the one with a successful business and KZbin channel.. weird how that works.

[@notahotshot]

I know right? It's almost as if other professional woodworkers are actually watching, and commenting on KZbin videos. We know that's not possible though. Why would people who are actually knowledgeable in a subject they're interested in watch videos on that subject?

[@robertwinans7736]

YES! please do another one. I am also a big guy and would love having a chair like this. especially if I built one myself.

[@rationalicthus]

What about a tensegrity hammock, where each “arm” that holds the hammock is a tensegrity element?

[@jeffreyschoeneck1955]

Just found your channel today and have greatly enjoyed 3 videos so far... love them and can practically smell the wood... love it!!!

[@Jasta315]

I have a Boondock Saints movie poster in my home theater. One of the best movies ever.

[@chrisgirone]

and I believe it's "...stupid fuckin' rope!"

[@RestoreMoreMCM]

That is the most beautiful carnival ride I have ever seen.☺️

[@jsc0330]

“I’m f**king fine..... I’ll catch you on the flip side.”

[@itsdaroc11]

IT WAS A FIREFIGGHHHTTTTT! great movie. Great floating chair

[@DaCaRy1]

As a project it's quite nice. I've always loved this kind of "How the hell does this work?" things. My thoughts about the design are, that the connection between the base and the chair that supports everything should be more on the rear, this way the main tension rope goes with the center of gravity. Probably it's enough to invert the orientation of the wood hooks that he made for the main cable.

[@DIYDREW]

I've never been this early to the party, but I'm psyched about this build! Ready to learn some more about real woodworking!

[@nanoreaper5002]

Awesome job, sitting in the chair may require some mental focus, Best line in the video "Someone Skinny prepare your ass" John you said that right as my Girl Friend walked in my computer room.

[@SchysCraftCo.]

Getting crazy wowsers amazing video as always John keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friend keep making

[@Andy-jq5yw]

"I'll get my stupid rope. I'll get it. There's a rope right there!"

[@terynq9427]

For stability tighten the front wires a lot more, bringing the chair forward a bit. Then how about, adding wire straight down to floor base, as oppose to two that you did and add tension spring to the center tension wire also to absorb some shock?

[@LogHouseFarm]

I can't recall ever laughing with someone sitting in a chair!

[@toxman69]

Run the play until it is perfect! Looking forward to chair version 2.0

[@wardencobb7442]

You could benefit from taking some physics courses. The main issues you're encountering are coming from alignment. Your loads are varied, but your cabling is not, it generally follows one direction which is obviously weak and unstable. That is not to advise perpendicular alignment. I recommend short interval curved parallel alignment. Consider compression, ductility and the engineering benefits of shallow, long span lateral and vertical arches when designing your pieces.... Good luck.

[@billparrish4385]

I think the key to this is to think of the cables on each corner as a 3-legged stool, for a total of 12 cables (13 if you count the center one). Also, think of the base as a 4-anchor-point plane, and the bottom of the seat as another. Now it's a simple task of having 3 cables come up from each bottom corner, to the seat corners directly above and to the left and right (i.e., not the far diagonal corner). Also, engineer some sort of tensioning system into each of the 12 cables, such as turnbuckles, hidden perhaps within the seat and accessible from the bottom. Now those 12 cables, 8 of which are on a diagonal line to 2 other corners, will provide the rigidity you're after, without sacrificing too much of the 'invisibility factor'. And if it does, simply start subtracting cables, starting with the straight vertical ones.

[@pengwin429]

Can we get a "Fancy as F&*%" shirt?

[@John_Malecki]

I will add it to the idea sheet !

[@BigHeinen]

I admire the maximum clampage greatly boss!

[@Evan_Saboe]

Boondock Saints!!!! Love the ass clownery!

[@John_Malecki]

Nailed it !

[@JarJarArt]

How can are there people not loving this content. Keep on going man! love it!

[@corey9857]

I can't even put together Ikea items, yet I can't stop watching this channel!

[@TrilogyBPM]

Boondock saints! My all time favorite movie and you just became my favorite wood worker for that lol

[@factChecker01]

Yood video! I am impressed that it is much harder to get it to work than I thought it would be. The flexing of wood is a problem. That might be why most are made of steel instead of wood.

[@gabebosarge1521]

Hey I know one like might not be much but what ever helps supports what you love I’m glad to do it and I love wood working myself

[@maxg6581]

To fix the rocking back back problem you can run a hole from the base of the seat "arm" (where it pokes out from the rear vertical back support) and twist the 2 wires together and inlay them into the front arm of the base to anchor them at the very bottom where the chair sits on the floor

[@daveg2802]

Hello Amazing fabrication regarding the chair As a civil engineer i can help you by reminding you about one small thing : in this type if design the key is to have both of the gravity forces on the same alignment and by meaning both i mean the person sitting and the vertical cable holding the curved center part in the chair otherwise you will have the extra force coming from the eccentricity that the cable will take Good luck on thr build it was a great one overall

[@wadewilson3681]

“ Boondock Saints” One of my absolute favorites. We can officially be friends now John.

[@SteamGeezerUK]

As a big guy myself (6'4", 260lbs), I feel your pain... :-) One way to possibly stop the rearward motion in the chair as it is now would be to run a cable from the rear section, along the top and down the front of the front section, if that makes sense. This would actually pull tight as weight is applied to the seat and prevent, or at least limit, the rearward movement. If necessary, a groove in the wood will prevent the cable slipping sideways. You could even be really clever and fit a V groove bearing at the apex of the curve on the front section to prevent wear and tear. Also, with regard to the fans/background noise in your shop, I have the same problem. It gets stupid hot in my shop, plus I have the 3D printer running almost 24/7. I found that one of those little sponge covers on the mic really helps eliminate background noise while helping you stay more comfortable. I would also add that, if people continue to moan, tell them politely to do one. After realising very quickly that people will moan no matter what you do to try and accommodate them, it's far better for your sanity to just ignore them. KZbinrs are providing masses of content for free - viewers must learn to make allowances. I generally say to people now "if you don't like it, don't watch". Sure it may cost me a few views, but it's made the whole process so much more pleasant for me and for the people who genuinely appreciate the content.

[@ericfrederick1215]

Dude. I just found your videos today. All I have to say is..... “I’m not worthy!” I love your vids man.

[@kurtmann654]

Love the look. The only way I see fixing the forward/backwards rotation is to move the center of gravity back as you said. Boondock saints is one of my favorite movies.

[@prattmandu]

Love it. I wish I could buy 2 of these and put them in the waiting area in my office. I'm a chiropractor and I often use tensegrity models as a way of explaining the biomechanics of the human body (Compressive forces = bones. Tensile forces = muscles, tendons, and ligaments.) However a chair like this would probably easily cost $1,500+ each so I think I'll see if I can have my uncle (a great woodworker) make them for me. But yeah, damn, this is one of the best examples of a tensegrity chair I've ever seen. Well done!

[@Dgahn]

Very cool. Definitely make another one that is a chair you can actually sit on for a while.

[@a-a-ron8201]

Boon dock saints is absolutely one of my favorite movies!

[@ryanstrong6164]

@John Malecki Why not try to put another short cable in the front? the same way you supported/connected the top and bottom halves with the metal rod in the wood.

[@C-C00]

This was so dope , you guys should Build another one ! I wanna see the whole process of building a fully stable one where you can sit at any angle

[@budfry8406]

Big guy problems with chairs, my life story 😆 I'm with ya John, great build and video!!

[@TheLastRealPanda]

soo this was the first video i've ever watched of you. and oi gotta say. i like the way you talk freely. like every other youtuber at this point is holding back because of ad revenue. but you just shoutout sponsors every 5 minutes, and honestly i dont even mind. at least your sponsors are relevant!

[@darknight409]

"And shepherds we shall be. For Thee, my Lord, for Thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand. That our feet may swiftly carry out Thy command. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee. And Teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomine Patris, et Fili, et Spiritus Sancti." and yes the best two movies I have ever seen

[@botocollin]

Could you reverse the base and chair arm components? So that the Arch comes from the back of the chair from the ground and vise versa? as well with realigning the center point i think that would help.

[@TedStrang]

Can you make it with the center of gravity back further like you said. Also what about having 2 of the center (looking from above) spines? one left and one right. So there would be 2 center cables suspending the top to the bottom, and way less cables to support the side to side sway.

[@makethepart]

Fantastic video John!

[@0vertime2476o]

Hi John, every time any one of you sat in the seat, all tension was lost on the back lines, basically making them useless. Way too many lines for my taste, but the wood looks awesome! Go for a redesign. If you took the base and turn it around, then rebuild the chair with the hook in the front going back, it will relieve some of the seat tension issues. Use a pulley system to maintain tension through the rotational forces. Connect the seat stabilizer lines straight down to a pulley then straight back to the rear of the base to a pulley and up to the back of the chair. This should be more stable. You may still need an extra line in the hook area to prevent it from sliding back too far when you sit down, but that should get you on the right path.

[@Tobbst3r]

You need to shorten the base that holds the wire at the front by a couple inches and then make that arm extend a few more inches towards the back of the chair. I think it's because that fulcrum point is way too high and that's why its tilting back. Please upvote so he can see this!!

[@joshuabreeden1211]

I'm paralyzed from the waist down it would be awesome if I had a realtor that floated. Awesome chair and great video

[@623_RC_No_Prep]

Very nice build. It looked like some of the wires you built were able to slide through the wood. I would change those out were they were unable to slide. Also I would run wire from the back piece at the lower point that has the main wire (the very first wire that you built in thto the vide) to the front legs. Hope this helps.

[@mattbowers5342]

Another great video! Why not use the CNC for the chair legs?

[@andrewdg90]

Bessey IS the answer. At least in my home shop

[@kyfore]

Gotta love the 'Saints'! "Oh, is that so, Rambo?"

[@NinjaWeazel]

That was nicely done, Roc...

[@deanyank7571]

John, what you should do, in order to give the floating chair a full floating feel without any cables is do like your cave coffee table. Use crystal clear resin between the chair seat and chair base, standing on edge, essentially, tongue and grooved into the wood for rigidness. That way, there are no visible cables and it truly looks like the chair is floating. Know what I mean?! Let's see it!!!

[@danielcox2772]

Boondocks Saints. One of the best movies ever!

[@John_Malecki]

Hell ya Daniel ! never gets old

[@vernonbradshaw9999]

Boondock saints is the movie reference. Awesome build on the chair

[@robertsteinwandel6658]

After watching your vids I finally bit the bullet and used some nice wood in a project, built a black walnut toolbox with a thick poplar handle (not the strongest ever I know but it seems alright hahaha) but wow!! I still have a ton to learn but honestly it looks really nice, Im so pleased! Thanks for the inspiration man

[@Nicolchu_]

Wicked idea and execution... I have to see every stone, pound & ounce of your hefty frame suspended in one of these chairs. I recon it's going to take some scaffolding-handrail bent with a mandrel and some slightly thicker gauge wire!

[@MrMaacin05]

Awesome video again. Any possible you could do a dust collection video?

[@John_Malecki]

I have one on the channel. look back a year or 2

[@GregsGarage]

I may have been rooting for a ca-chunk moment there at the end... LOL! Killer build John. Tension structures always start to look a little radio tower like, so I think you're on the right track.

[@BearCreekWoodworking]

This is CRAZY!!!!

[@sathiatwitch]

What if u use some kind of plastic/plexi glass or something in the «floating» area? U would need less cables, cause its not actually floating, and i think it would become more stable that way, and also more clean looking😇 would be cool to see if u could try that💗 Love ur vids, they’re really enjoyable✨

[@GuyConscious]

Boondock saints! My favourite movie of all time. Nice reference.

[@EdHadder]

I Love John's Videos 💗🐉💐

[@Ruthsdreamgarden]

Yes! Nice work.

[@TheShapeshifter901]

Building on what someone said above, the biggest issue that you're facing is the rotational element when someone goes to sit back in the chair and causing the center of gravity (CG) to shift. I believe if that center cable were located further back, by lengthening the top center spoke (coming from the base) and shortening the bottom center spoke (coming from the back and base of the chair) it would greatly reduce the rotational instability you're seeing. Alternately, four straight and fixed length cables coming from either the four corners of the seat, or the two front corners of the seat and the two bottom corners of the back, into the four corners of the base should also prevent this issue.

[@TheFisherman2345]

Boondock saints is the one of my top 3 favorite movies and what a good scene to quote as well

[@toacinpatwary2226]

More DIY vs Amateur vs Pro ! Love that series

[@clydebalcom8252]

You need your own Waterboy for some high quality H2O. Awesome build.

[@tfwoodcraft]

This is sweet. i still cant wrap my head around whats keeping it from rocking backwards, at least to the point where the lower mounting cable mounting point (bottom of the chair piece) goes forward and its the back of the front vertical support. I'm sure its simple, but its some kind of optical illusion that I can't figure out

[@shandor9583]

As a hobbyist woodworker I'm impressed, but as a fulltime architect watching that cable setup was an absolute pain :D Still works tho, 9/10

[@dominiqueharelle1853]

Nice idea i would try adding a tension line just under the front of the seat to the top of the pillar to stop sway back