椅子って家具の中でもちょっと特殊な存在だと思うんです。定位置に据え置かれたテーブルや棚とは違い、日常的に頻繁に動かされて、空間にズレを生じさせる。それが不意に人の気配を感じさせたり。人が安全に座れるための剛性が必要、でも頻繁に動かすなら軽いほうがいい。そんなこんなで作り甲斐も難易度も高い椅子作り。数多のデザイナーや職人、家具作家たちが挑み、歴史を作ってきた分野なのです。
ウチからも一脚。
2022年のJID AWARDにて、プロダクト部門賞を受賞したアームチェアです。
メイキングをご覧頂ければ幸いです。
The three millimeter chair
I think chairs are a bit special among furniture. Unlike tables and shelves that are fixed in place, chairs are moved frequently on a daily basis, causing a displacement in the space. It can also make people feel the presence of others unexpectedly. It needs to be rigid so that people can sit on it safely, but if it is to be moved frequently, it should be light. Making chairs is both challenging and rewarding. Numerous designers, craftsmen, and furniture makers have taken up the challenge and made history in this field.
This is the armchair that won the Product Category Award at the 2022 JID AWARD.
I would like to show you the making of my chairs.
材料カット
Material Cutting
フレームに使う材料はできるだけ薄く。でも薄すぎるとエッジを丸めても手触りがよろしくない。ちょうどいいのが3mm厚のアングル材と3.2mmの鉄板でした。レーザーカットで切り出したフォルムは、「強度が要る箇所や身体が触れる箇所は巾を広く、それ以外は細く」という考えから。
The material used for the frame should be as thin as possible. But if it is too thin, it will not feel good to the touch even when the edges are rounded. The perfect materials were 3mm-thick angle wood and 3.2mm steel plate. The laser-cut form was based on the idea of “make wide the parts that need strength or that come into contact with the body, and make narrow the rest”.
曲面パーツは鍛金で
Curved parts are made by hitting with a hammer
背もたれやアームは、身体と直接触れ合う部分。そして造形的にこの椅子の顔となる重要なところです。丁寧にコツコツと、鍛金で成形していきます。
The backrest and arms are the parts that come into direct contact with the body. They are also important parts that play a leading role in the chair in terms of modeling. They are carefully and painstakingly formed with a hammer.
鉄をほぞ組み
Mortise and tenon
ほぞ組みとは、材料同士にそれぞれ凸と凹を作って組み合わせる技法です。もともと木工で用いられる技法ですが、これを鉄でやってみました。強度と組み立て効率がUPし、視覚的なアクセントにもなっています。細かい仕込みになるので、電動工具を使わずに手ヤスリで微調整。
It is a technique to combine materials by making convexes and concavities on each other. This technique is originally used in woodworking, but we tried it with steel. This technique improves strength and assembly efficiency, and also provides a visual accent. Since this is a very detailed process, fine adjustments were made by hand without using power tools.
組み立て
assembly
角パイプで作った治具（赤いやつ）に材料をクランプで固定すると、一気に椅子のフォルムに。製作時、いちばんテンションが上がる瞬間です。そのテンションを原動力に、これまた一気に全溶接。
When the material is clamped to the jig made of square pipe (the red one), it takes the form of a chair at once.This is the most exciting moment in the production process. With this tension as the driving force, all the welding was done at once.
ビード（溶接痕）は、外側はアクセントとしてそのまま残し、内側は削って滑らかに。たこ焼き界で語られている「外はカリッと、中はトロッと」と、ニュアンスは一緒です。
The beads (weld marks) are left as they are on the outside as accents, while the inside is shaved to make it smooth.As a side note, the secret to making tasty Japanese takoyaki is to keep the outside crispy and the inside tender.
仕上げ
Finish
全体に錆止め塗装を施した後に、仕上げの特殊塗装。フレームのカラーは2種類ありますが、黒いほうは真っ黒ではございません。色味の異なる複数の塗料を、海綿でムラやボカシ作りながら何層も塗り重ねています。で、いい感じの鉄色になったところで、ウレタン塗料（艶消しクリアー）のトップコート。強固な塗膜にして、フレームは完成です。
Rust-proof coating is applied to the entire surface, followed by a special finish coating. There are two different colors for the frame, but the black one is not completely black. Several layers of paints of different colors are applied with a sponge to create unevenness and blurring. When the iron color is nice, a top coat of urethane paint (matte clear) is applied. The frame is completed with a strong paint film.
緩やかに曲がった座面は木製です。座面の作り方は秘密にしときます。
The gently curved seat is made of wood. I will keep the method of making the seat a secret.
ラインナップは4種類
4 lineups
2種類の形 × 2種類のカラー。お求めの方はこちらをご覧下さいませ。また、ショールームで実際に座ってみたい方はcontactからご連絡をお願いいたします。
2 different shapes x 2 different colors. If you are interested in purchasing, please click here. Also, if you would like to sit on one in my showroom, please contact me.
＊＊＊
室内空間での鉄の役割。他の素材と比べて強度があり、その分薄く細く作れるのが鉄の長所のひとつです。なので空間をキリッと引き締めたい時、鉄素材がうまくハマります。シャープネスをとことん追求しつつ、人体と馴染む曲面を微調整していく。いろんな体格の人に座ってもらいながら実験を重ね、自信作が出来上がりました。
What is the role of steel in interior spaces? One of the advantages of steel is that it is stronger than other materials and can be made thinner and thinner. Therefore, when you want to tighten a space, steel is a good material to use. While thoroughly pursuing sharpness, we fine-tune the curved surface to fit the human body. After repeated experiments with people of various physiques sitting on it, we were confident that we had created a product that we could be proud of.