ÿþ<html><head> <title>box chair</title></head> <body bgcolor="#CCCC99" text="#000000" link="#003333" vlink="#663366"> <center> <p align="center"><font size=6><b><i>A Gothic-Styled Box Chair</b></i></p></p></font></center> <p align="left"> <img src="mboxchair.gif" align="left"> I came across the article for the Viking Box Chair at <a href="http://www.currentmiddleages.org">Medieval Pavilion Resources</a> a few years ago, and the project kind of stuck in my head. The one in the article appeared to be more shaped of a box rather than utilized as one (it didn't open), so I wasn't fond of the design...but I liked the concept. Besides, we sit on whatever's available around the fire, including the nearest box or chest, right?</p> Once upon a Pennsic, someone I camped near had a little chemical toilet in the tent, one of the fancy kinds that flushes. She kept it behind a large scarf hung in the corner of a Viking tent. The setup did not seem sensible to me; one would have to concern themselves with stepping on the scarf and yanking it down, tripping over things, what if stuff was piled up in front of the drape? Nevertheless I really liked the idea of having the toilet inside the tent, rather than getting up in the middle of a cold rainy night, having to get dressed, strap on boots and brave the muddy road and treacherous ditches just to get to a stinky porta-potty, where the only difference between that and the woods is a plastic wall to break the wind (no puns intended!). </p> Eventually I came up with the idea of a box chair built to house a porta-potty. I found a cheap chemical toilet at Wal-Mart for under $15. I then put some plywood and 2x2's together for a box, and it occurred to me I should have more than just a single board to fold down as a seat, so that you wouldn't be uncomfortable with the sides of the box when you sat on the potty. I used vinyl for the seat until I could afford leather, and with a simple stain and coat of urethane to protect the wood from the lovely moisture of the Deep South I had a nice chair that can sit in the tent or out, wherever it's needed, and the potty is neatly hidden. No, it doesn't smell; it's a chemical toilet with a snug plastic lid. </p> I was going to put arms on the chair, but once the box was built I decided that arms were impractical. Then it occurred to me that if the back of the chair folded down, it would be easier to transport. So there's now two sets of hinges, one for the lid of the box and the other for the back of the chair. I found a decorative chain at Home Depot to hold the back up, the end links loop onto small drawer pulls on the edge of the chair back. Larger drawer pulls on the sides of the chest make transport easier and the chains simply tuck inside the chest so as not to tangle. My mother encouraged putting a toilet paper roller on the side, but I decided that would not be very discreet.</p> The chair gets used a lot more as a simple storage box than it does a porta-potty, I usually only need that for extended events like Pennsic and Gulf Wars. But it's there when I need it!</p> Click on the following buttons to see diagrams of how the chair was put together. The chair has short legs to keep it off the ground, protects the bottom from ground moisture & mold, also keeps it cleaner & doesn't' kill grass. If you're concerned about the legs tearing a plastic ground tarp, you can get some of those rubber chair-leg stoppers that fit over the end of the chair leg; you'll probably have to whittle the end of the leg to fit it. </p> <p></p> <center> <a href="bchairdraft.html"><img src="bchairdraft.gif"></a> <img src="150x10pixblank.gif"> <a href="boxchair-build.html"><img src="bchairbuild.gif"></a> <p></p> <hr> </p></p> <a href="http://www.HouseBarra.com/">Home</a> | <a href="http://www.HouseBarra.com/members/">Members</a> | <a href="http://www.HouseBarra.com/projects/">Projects & Artwork</a> | <a href="http://www.HouseBarra.com/PastTimes/">PastTimes on the Web</a> | <a href="http://www.housebarra.com/EP/">Early Period</a> <br> <a href="http://www.HouseBarra.com/gallery/">Photo Gallery</a> | <a href="http://www.HouseBarra.com/bard/">Bardic Resources</a> | <a href="http://www.HouseBarra.com/Alex/">Alex's Page</a> | </center> <hr><hr><hr> </body> </html>