Rathskeller Folding Chair

It is a folding chair that, unlike traditional folding chairs, folds right down the middle. It is made out of one single slab of incredibly wormy maple. I picked the most interesting section to be the seat and the backrest which are 1-1/2" thick and then milled the rest to 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" to make the legs.

All of the frame pieces are joined together with dowels. To set it off just a little bit more, I stained the legs with a walnut stain and then applied three coats of polyurethane to the entire piece. The seat and backrest are joined by stainless steel piano hinges which, incidentally, are the only pieces of metal on the chair.

To keep the chair locked in the open position, I made a latch out of a 3/4 oak dowel which slides open and closed. The purpose for this is so that the chair won't fold when you grab the back to pull it under you.

I designed this chair for myself so it is the only one in existence. I named it the Rathskeller chair because it reminds me of moving bookshelves to reveal a secret passageway into a speakeasy. It definitely makes people do a double-take.