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== Budget ==
== Budget ==
Budget: This is the budget for what we anticipate spending on the furniture. We will try to find all of our materials through a donation process or by utilizing Thrift Stores, so the costs are subject to change.
Budget: This is the budget for what we anticipate spending on the furniture. We will try to find most of our materials through a donation process or by utilizing Thrift Stores, so the costs are subject to change.


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Revision as of 22:54, 1 March 2010

Template:305inprogress


Project Participants

Spring 2010:

Background

We are taking Engr. 305 – Appropriate Technology at Humboldt State University. The project we have chosen is to design and build furniture made from cardboard for those people who want to save money, reduce their carbon footprint, or just be creative. We want to demonstrate that stylish furniture can be made completely from recycled materials at a very low cost.

Our plan:

  • To use recycled cardboard donated from businesses or individuals in the community
  • Make our own homemade eco-friendly non-toxic glue from rice, flour, or liquid glycerin.
  • Use eco-friendly fabrics and paints for upholstery and decoration.


Opportunity Definition

During the 2010 spring semester at HSU we decided to build stylish and functional furniture for Engineering 305, Appropriate Technology. We want to demonstrate that furniture could be made with reused and renewable materials using sustainable methods. We also want to be able to create a design on par with trendy brand name furniture as well as be safe and durable. Our goal is to describe a method in which students on a budget can have furniture they can be proud of and feel comfortable using in their dorm room or first residence. We hope to try out different materials, binders, paints, upholstery and cushions.


Literature Review

This is a review of some of the available literature pertaining to Cardboard Furniture.

Furniture Design and Inspiration

Inspiration for designs and projects can be found everywhere around you and can be made out of a variety of materials, including cardboard. [1] The aesthetics and design will be an important component of this project. Anyone can make any type furniture. Cinder blocks and plywood can be a functional bookshelf, a stack newspapers can serve as a seat, or wooden cask can be used as a table. We can stack cardboard to an appropriate height for a chair, but the overall look and feel would not be appropriate for a warm and inviting living space. For the aesthetic design, we can get inspiration from traditional furniture designs,[2] from artistic designs,[3] or from simple functional designs. [4] The chair of my own (Stanley Instness) design was inspired from art deco architecture. Once the general look of the furniture is decided upon the dimensions and functionality will be determined. The dimensions for the chair have not been determined as of yet, but size will be typical of a cushion-armed chair. The method of design will vary for different projects. For this project I decided on the look first and the dimensions and functionality second, but some projects may be limited by space, in which you would want to determine your dimensions first and then find an appropriate look or design that works for the space.


Cardboard Architecture

Cardboard is used extensively for packing and shipping, but it's use as structural material has only been minimally explored,[5] but there are examples of architects and designers who have used cardboard to make different types of furniture and temporary structures. Cardboard is relatively inexpensive and easily recyclable, which makes it's use as structural material appealing to those willing to explore alternative building material uses. We are confident that we can reuse cardboard shipping material for furniture and add another use to its life-cyle. When our furniture reaches its end-of-life, it can then be recycled as it would have been following its shipping use.


Forces

When designing furniture out of cardboard it is necessary to take into account the structural integrity of what you are building. In the case of using cardboard, you must consider the five forces that act upon your structure. These five forces are:[6]

  • Compression - is when the load is applied to the top of a structure.
  • Tension - is load applied along the structure in a pulling action.
  • Bending - is like a bookshelf loaded down with heavy books.
  • Shear - is when forces are exerted on the same plane but in opposite directions.
  • Torsion - describes forces that try to twist the structure apart.


Ply's of Cardboard

Corrugated cardboard comes in different ply thicknesses: [7]

  • Single Ply - is the most used cardboard when making furniture because it's readily available, extremely inexpensive, and ease of use.
  • Double Ply - is used when structural support is important, like when making bookshelves or beds.
  • Triple Ply - is the least used cardboard because it is hard to find and very expensive.


Upholstery

The art deco inspired chair will be upholstered. This will disguise the cardboard structure and is necessary to cover and protect the cushion material. The method of upholstery will be learned from how-to-websites.[8] The fabric will be made from eco-friendly or reused materials.


Safety

Upholstered furniture should be fire resistant.[9] Since some people smoke, we want to make sure that a burning cigarette will not set the furniture on fire. We will conduct tests on sample pieces. Our criteria and method of testing has not been determined yet.

Types of Glue

Natural home-made non-toxic glues can easily be made out of a variety of materials, including wheat flour, rice, or liquid glycerin.


Flour

Glue made from flour is non-toxic, convenient and easy to make. It is unfortunately not very strong, but we will know more after testing.[10]

Rice

Rice glue is an extremely resistant adhesive and can be used to glue all types of paper. In Asia, it is used in traditional bookbinding and luxury cardboard products: papers bonded with rice glue are considered tear-proof. Though white when moist, rice glue becomes transparent as it dries.[11] By adding a little turpentine to the mix, it gives the glue natural pesticidal properties.[12]

Liquid Glycerin

Glycerin, derived from plants or animals, can be purchased at your local craft or drug store, and can make your glue waterproof. [13] [14]

Criteria

Apholstered Chair

The apholstered chair will be donated to an appropriate technology instructor, and used by his students for office hours. The client specified a chair that was comfortable enough for 20 to 30 minute sessions. The chair will be used several times a day by different individuals, and will be moved throughout the office, therefore, the chair must be durable enough to withstand this type of stress. The office is newly remodeled and the chair should reflect professional quality along with a neutral color scheme. The client specified having a chair with low embodied energy as a priority. Despite being upholstered, the client would like some of the cardboard exposed to show what the chair is made of.

Desk and Office Chair

Due to an overwhelming schedule and not enough time, I have not met with CCAT (potential client) to discuss criteria. As a back up, the desk and office chair will be built for the use by a twelve year old boy. Therefore, durability and strength would be the most important criteria.

Criteria Constraint Weight
Durability Must hold up to normal wear and tear on a daily basis 8
Aesthetics Must have an appealing and desirable look 7
Mold Resistant Must resist mold propagated by Arcata's wet climate 9
Cost $100 dollar Budget 8
Pest Resistant Must not attract pests for nesting or food 6
Sustainability Low eco-footprint, low embodied energy and recyclable 10
Niftiness Should have at least one innovative feature 5
Fire Safe Resist igniting from a smoldering cigarette 4
Strength Glued joints should not fail from weight of adults 10
Method of Construction Must be replicatable and easy to build 6

Budget

Budget: This is the budget for what we anticipate spending on the furniture. We will try to find most of our materials through a donation process or by utilizing Thrift Stores, so the costs are subject to change.

Qty Material Needed Source Cost Total cost
4 months Workspace Warehouse space from my friends with Italian Dragon Pasta Donated $0 $0
50 lbs Cardboard Various sources Donated $0 $0
1 spool Upholstery Thread joann.com $2.29 per spool $2.29
1 bat cotton fiber insulation Alternative Building Center $10 per bat $10
4 yds Hemp Fabric Fabric Temptation $21 per yard $84
~3 lbs. Rice Flour Wildberries $1.59 per lb. $4.50
1 container Organic Vegetable Liquid Glycerin Wildberries $5.99 per container $5.99
1 package Unflavored Gelatin Wildberries $1.79 per package $1.79
1 container Eco-Friendly Turpentine Ace Hardware in Arcata $5.99 per container $6.53
1 cup White Vinegar Wildberries $1.89 per container $1.89
~3 lbs. Wheat Flour Wildberries $1.39 per lb. $4.07
7 oz. White Rice Already had some Donated $0 $0
Total Cost $ 121.06



References

  1. Ragsdale, Linda. Creative Cardboard: Making Fabulous Furniture, Amazing Accessories & Other Spectacular Stuff. illustrated edition ed. New York: Lark Books, 2002.
  2. Emery, Marc. Furniture by Architects. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1983.
  3. Domergue, Denise. Artists Design Furniture. First Edition ed. New York: Harry N Abrams, 1984. Print.
  4. Hennessey, James. Nomadic furniture 2,. 1st ed. New York: Pantheon Books, 1974.
  5. Eekhout, M., F. Verheijen, and R. Visser. Cardboard in Architecture: Volume 7 Research in Architectural Engineering Series. illustrated edition ed. Amsterdam: IOS Press, 2008.
  6. Linnell, Charles C.. "Designing and Building a Cardboard Chair: Children's Engineering at the TECA Eastern Regional Conference." Technology Teacher, The, April 1, 2007.
  7. Hennessey, James. Nomadic Furniture 1. New York: Pantheon Books, 1973.
  8. "Learn to Do It Yourself: How to Reupholster Furniture." Repair-Home - Kitchen, Bathroom, Window, HVAC and Other Home Improvements. http://www.repair-home.com/how_to_reupholster_furniture.html (accessed February 13, 2010).
  9. Waxman, Lisa K. 2008. Voluntary Flammability Regulations for Residential Upholstered Furniture. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences 100 (4): 34-39.
  10. "How to Make Glue: 5 steps - wikiHow." wikiHow - The How-to Manual That You Can Edit. http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Glue (accessed January 28, 2010).
  11. esprit cabane. "*** Rice glue recipe, esprit cabane, eco-friendly DIY and decorative arts." *** esprit cabane, the magazine of crafty & green living ideas. http://en.espritcabane.com/green-diy/rice-glue.php (accessed January 28, 2010).
  12. esprit cabane. "*** Wallpaper paste recipe, esprit cabane, eco-friendly DIY and decorative arts." *** esprit cabane, the magazine of crafty & green living ideas. http://en.espritcabane.com/green-diy/wallpaper-paste-recipe.php (accessed January 28, 2010).
  13. " Formulas making your own homemade glue." Welcome to Make-Stuff. http://www.make-stuff.com/formulas/glue.html (accessed January 28, 2010).
  14. Gaulin, Pam. "Paper Crafts: Homemade Glue Recipe for Kid Crafts - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com." Associated Content - associatedcontent.com. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/295379/paper_crafts_homemade_glue_recipe_for.html?cat=24 (accessed February 13, 2010).

All references are in Chicago style format and were obtained from http://www.bibme.org/

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