To provide your child with comfortable, durable, beautiful furniture without spending a lot of money, you need to do it yourself. Start with less - try to make one high chair with your own hands. Look at the photographs of similar pieces of furniture presented on the Internet, ready-made diagrams, drawings, determine what dimensions should be ready product how it will fit into the interior of a children's room, etc.
Which material to choose?
The choice of manufacturing material is of no small importance. Of course, it will depend on the financial capabilities and skills of the master, but the factor of its naturalness and safety for the child’s health should not be overlooked. In the production of children's furniture, it is best to use raw materials from deciduous trees. The advantage belongs to beech, since its wood has good density, hardness, and is easy to process (for example, compared to oak). You can also use linden and birch. From coniferous species– pine, spruce, but to prevent resin stains from forming on the surface of the product during use, the wood must be deresined.
When choosing wood for a chair, be sure to ensure that the pieces are free of knots. Such areas of wood are less amenable to processing and are less strong. Active use the chair may break at the knot, resulting in injury to the child.
To inexpensive wood materials include plywood. It consists of several layers of veneer of coniferous and deciduous trees. In addition to its low price, the advantages of plywood include light weight and ease of use. The elasticity of the material allows you to create original curved shapes various parts
Chipboard is considered the most short-lived but cheapest material. A significant drawback is the use of formaldehyde and phenol-formaldehyde resins (6-18%) in its production. Also, chipboard does not have a dense texture; because of this, the fastenings are not reliable. In children's furniture, flat parts are often made from chipboard (as well as from plywood): seats, backs, table tops.
What you need to make a wooden highchair
We offer drawings and manufacturing procedures for a children's chair. Its dimensions:
- product height – 630 mm;
- distance between legs: depth (from front to back) – 280 mm, width (between front/rear) – 320 mm;
- length of legs: rear – 630 mm, front – 410 mm.
For a more reliable connection of parts, self-tapping screws and tenons will be used simultaneously.
To make a wooden chair for a child with your own hands, you need to prepare in advance following materials, tools and fixtures:
- We will use a block with a cross section of 50x50 mm in the construction of the frame.
- 20x40 mm block for stiffening ribs and crossbars.
- We will make a chair seat from plywood, a board or a piece of solid wood 30x10 mm.
- To enhance the reliability of perpendicular connections, we will use metal corners.
- Electric jigsaw or a hacksaw.
- Plane.
- Screwdriver or electric drill.
- If fastening will be done using spikes, you will need an electric router.
- Sandpaper or sander to make it smooth wooden surfaces.
- Tape measure, square, ruler.
Step-by-step instruction
- First of all, you need to cut off 4 legs from the timber (20x35). 2 of them should be 410 mm long and another 2 – 630 mm. Then we prepare 4 connecting strips (from the same timber) 280 mm long. They will be assigned the function of stiffening ribs, as well as handrails.
- Using spikes of a standard diameter (from 8 to 10 mm), we connect the left legs: the short front and long back. Drill holes in the required places of the parts to be joined with an electric drill. For a strong connection, the hole must have a diameter 0.5 mm smaller than the tenons. Then generously lubricate each hole with glue and firmly hammer the spike into it.
- Next, we connect the front and rear legs with crossbars at a height of 250 and 410 mm (we get the height at which the seat will be installed).
- Similarly, in the same sequence, you need to do the right legs - connect the front and back.
- The places where the chair legs connect with the crossbars are additionally reinforced with metal corners. We fasten them with self-tapping screws.
- Upon completion, we compare the two resulting designs. They must mirror each other, otherwise the chair will turn out uneven.
- We fasten both halves together using 20x20x310 mm bars. We drill holes in the crossbars with a diameter of 8 mm. We screw into them self-tapping screws containing internal hexagonal recesses in the head. At the end of this process, we get an almost finished chair without a back and seat.
- At the next stage of work, you need to make the back. To do this, we take several (2-3) pieces of plywood or planks with the following parameters: width - 30 mm, thickness - 10 mm. We glue them together and place them under a press until the glue dries. We secure the back to the long legs with small nails. This detail will give the entire structure additional rigidity. In a similar way (from glued boards of the same size or plywood) you should make a seat.
Children's furniture should not only be comfortable and light, but also completely safe for the child. Therefore, after assembling the chair, it must be processed, varnished or painted. When playing with his furniture, the baby will move it and turn it over. All surfaces, edges and joints must be thoroughly sanded using sandpaper or grinder, do sharp corners rounded.
Several layers of drying oil will create protective covering wood, will extend its service life. Afterwards you can start painting. Choose light or bright colors for the decor of children's furniture; paints that are wear-resistant will not peel off. A layer of colorless varnish on the paint will help securely fix the paint. water based.
High chair for baby
Such an original chair can be made using simple drawings, or even without them, from a light-weight (715 g) material - plywood. The chair has small sizes, namely:
- product height – 360 mm,
- height to seat – 180 mm,
- seat – 190x240 mm,
- back – 115x235 mm.
You can make a test model out of cardboard to see if a highchair of this size is suitable for your child. If this product is small, increase it by the required factor and feel free to get to work.
Materials and tools
- Plywood 8 mm thick.
- You can assemble the chair using spikes or simply screws, if desired.
- Feather drills, jigsaw.
- Sandpaper.
- PVA glue.
- Drill with screws for connecting parts.
- Clear varnish.
Operating procedure
- Based on the data or your measurements, draw a side part for the chair with a pencil on a piece of plywood.
- Drill decorative holes using feather drills. Large ones - using a jigsaw.
- To ensure that the second sidewall turns out exactly the same as the first, we place the finished part on plywood and outline it with a pencil. We cut it out the same way.
- We mark the back, seat and parts that give the chair rigidity and prevent the sides from loosening.
- When all the parts of the chair are ready, it is necessary to make them absolutely smooth, rounded, carefully sand the surfaces and especially the cut points.
- We assemble the chair using glue and fasten the joints with screws.
- At the final stage we are decorating the chair. Cover it with several coats of stain if you want it darker, or paint it a bright color and top it off with a coat of water-based varnish.
By showing a little imagination and preparing your own drawings, you can change appearance and finishing of the high chair, as well as making a table for a child of a similar design. Your child will appreciate it.
To make the baby’s life more comfortable, many parents purchase special furniture for everyone life situations. For example, a children's high chair is used to decorate a play area, a workplace, and is a necessary piece of children's furniture that is also used for feeding the baby. The cost of such a device is quite high, and the choice among materials and models is even greater. But there is a solution to this situation - a children's chair made of plywood or boards. The material, tools and fasteners for the manufacture of this product are quite accessible - they can be found in any hardware store or even at home. Special attention It’s worth paying attention to this question: how to make a children’s highchair with your own hands?
The easiest way is to build a wooden chair. This option has many advantages that relate specifically to the type of material:
- The material is easy to process
- The cost of wood is not that high
- Aesthetic appearance of the product of this material initially acceptable and without additional coloring or decoration
- Wood product is completely environmentally friendly
Let's consider what components and consumables you need to make a children's wooden highchair with your own hands. In addition to the main material you will need additional elements, without the use of which a quality product simply cannot be obtained:
- Fastening of parts can be done using furniture glue, carpentry nails or small self-tapping screws
- Sometimes metal corners are used to strengthen the structure
- Often the seat and back are upholstered with foam rubber, which is covered with fabric
- To hide the places where parts are fastened using self-tapping screws, you need to buy special plastic covers
- For the legs, there are also rubber and plastic pads to prevent them from scratching the floor covering
For processing, you may need wood stain or varnish. Sometimes a wooden chair is painted with eco-friendly paint. Such measures are not necessary, the main thing is that the baby does not get hurt due to a poorly treated surface of the product.
What parts need to be made
First, sketches and drawings are prepared, regardless of whether the chair for the child will be made of plywood, chipboard or wooden planks. Only then, using a jigsaw, are the parts cut out from which the product itself will be created. There are not so many of them, but without one of them, the made chair will not be so strong:
- Required to have top, bottom, front and side bars
- Four legs
- Middle crossbar
- Seating surface
If one of the parts is missing, the product will not be reliable and will not last long or will be completely unusable. You can think over your own option for arranging the chair. The same presence of parts is required to construct a high chair. A distinctive feature of this product is that the chair can be combined with a table, that is, it turns out to be transformable furniture.
Plywood construction
A children's high chair made of plywood is the most affordable material. In addition, it is much easier to make a plywood chair with your own hands, even if the master is new to this business. The main thing is to clearly formulate a sequence of actions and carry out preparatory measures:
- At the very beginning, it is important to prepare drawings and connection diagrams. With their help, the type of future product, as well as the dimensions, are determined.
- It is also important for a highchair to ensure comfort of use, so you need to determine the possibilities for its further use.
- First, the base is made, that is, the stool, and then all other parts are attached to it.
- You should cut plywood very carefully, as it tends to tear or break. At the same time, it is not enough to simply cut out the parts - their edges need to be properly processed.
- Any small chair requires specific handling measures so that the child does not get hurt during use.
A constructed chair can be considered ready only when all stages are fully completed. The finished product is processed according to all requirements, strength and reliability are tested. Additional finishing may be present, especially if it is a high chair.
In any case, a self-made chair made of wood, as well as its derivative materials, can be further modernized and remodeled. The cost of such a product will be much lower than in the store. You can choose the design yourself, using all kinds of materials for decoration. Such a product will last for many years, while parents will not worry about the health of the baby’s posture, and the child himself will have his own place to study.
The difficulties in caring for children are largely due to the fact that buying everything necessary can be quite a task for the family budget. Another question is whether parents manage to find exactly what they would like in stores, or whether there is actually nothing ideal among the assortment. Both reasons that prevent you from purchasing this or that product, one way or another suggest the idea that it would be nice to make it yourself. For example, a highchair - if dad has sufficient experience working with various instruments, he can easily make it with his own hands.
Peculiarities
Contrary to its apparent simplicity, a DIY high chair is not such a simple task that you can complete it without any preparation. Do not start work until you have a clear understanding of what the end result should look like and what operations will need to be performed to achieve it.
Also, don't ignore calculations. Any chair must be strong enough to support its “passenger”, and a child, although not heavy, will not sit neatly on it, especially since the dimensions of such furniture are also small.
Strength requirements are relevant not only for basic materials, but also for fasteners, be they self-tapping screws, glue or grooves. In addition, the baby is constantly growing, and it makes sense to make a high chair with a reserve for at least a couple of years in advance. For all its strength, the product should be comfortable, that is, approximately correspond to the dimensions of the owner.
Also try to ensure the proper lightness of the furniture being manufactured - it should be convenient for the owner to independently move his chair to where he wants to sit at the moment.
Don't forget to stay safe. Furniture, in any case, cannot be traumatic, and children's furniture - even more so. The presence of any sharp edges is not allowed, and if the main material is wood, as happens in most cases, then it must be carefully sanded to prevent splinters from peeling off. When covering the finished product with varnish or paint, give preference to natural ones - children tend to put everything in their mouths and can be poisoned by the toxic coating.
Finally, remember that this chair is for a child. In addition to suitable sizes, it is desirable for a piece of furniture to also be beautiful. If complex decor is not a task for you, at least try to paint it in bright colors.
Drawings, dimensions, diagrams
Before proceeding directly to the manufacture of parts, it is necessary to draw up a drawing with dimensions - this is the only way that all components will ideally fit one another. You can use one of those ready-made options, which are already posted on the World Wide Web, or draw up a diagram yourself. It is important to note here that there are drawings and instructions on the Internet that explain how to make a standard table and chair, so they are usually not suitable for those who want to create something original - for example, an elephant chair.
- Drawing the table and chairs, which can be made in the form of a kit, do not have to strictly follow the principles of drawing: they do not have so many details that they cannot be kept in mind. The main thing for us is to make sure that all the dimensions match, and the parts fit perfectly together, but the methods for connecting individual parts must be present in the drawing. In general, it can be presented schematically, without high precision of the drawing.
- Think over the dimensions (or choose ready-made drawings based on them), starting from the comfort of the child. Chairs whose seat is at knee level or slightly below are considered comfortable. In the case of a highchair, it is recommended to make the seat a little higher, because the child will probably still grow. At the same time, do not overdo it: if it is difficult for the baby to climb onto the seat, then the product can be considered a failure.
- Determining the size of the seat itself, keep in mind that the owner should fit comfortably on it, but do not make it too large - this will make the chair heavier and difficult to carry. The normal height of the backrest is approximately two-thirds or three-quarters of the owner's back; making it higher than the neck is no longer practical. When determining the thickness of future parts, rely only on the strength of the selected material and the weight of the child.
Materials
In terms of ease of processing and environmental friendliness, among materials for the manufacture of children's furniture, wood and its derivatives undoubtedly hold the palm. Therefore, you can most often find a wooden high chair. However, you cannot choose just any tree - this is also worth thinking about before starting to make it. The most popular among all types of wood is beech. It has the strength of oak, but it is easier to process and costs less. Actually exactly hardwoods are considered priority. Among inexpensive options, birch is often chosen; linden can also be considered.
Spruce and pine are suitable for making furniture from coniferous wood, but the resin contained in any such wood is dangerous - it can stain clothes, and it can also pose a health hazard. Regardless of the specific species, choose a uniform tree, without knots or cracks, with an even texture.
The seat material may be similar to the body material, or it may be fundamentally different. In order to save money and achieve greater flexibility, the seat is also made of plywood, and even chipboard. When choosing them, give preference only to the most durable types, but remember that they are in any case inferior in durability to solid natural wood.
For increased softness, the seat can be additionally equipped with a small foam cushion covered with a fabric that is pleasant to the touch.
There is also a seating option made from plastic bottles - both whole and cut. Harmful plastic, present as garbage in any apartment and polluting environment, could get a second life, especially since its strength and durability are very high. This option is still much less common due to the difficulty of securely fastening individual parts, as well as the not very attractive appearance of the finished product.
Colors and decor
For all its practicality and convenience, the baby will definitely not like the chair if it cannot be described with the word “beautiful”. Nobody makes any special chairs for teenagers, but for children younger age Brightness and attractiveness are very important. Therefore, do not limit yourself to just clear varnish or discreet monochromatic solutions. A monochromatic color is generally acceptable only if a light or very bright shade– often these are red or yellow, the so-called “warm” tones.
If drawing is not alien to you, please your child with interesting design solutions. You can go the “adult” route by painting the frame one color, and the seat and back in another, or you can focus on the child’s desire for something bright and defiant. The simplest option is “rings” on the legs of the chair; any patterns and even just blots are also acceptable, provided that it looks cute and positive. Regardless of how much and what kind of paint you used, do not forget - it should not be toxic.
If you have a creative streak and a desire to complicate the task a little for the overall benefit of the matter, you can create more complex decor. Another option is to decorate the legs or back of the chair with carvings, but adults would like this solution more. But for a child, a chic solution would be decoration in the form of one or another animal. Classic version– when the back is cut out to resemble an elephant, or any other animal that a child likes, and then painted to look more like a “cartoon” character.
Covers can also become a unique type of decoration. In addition to their typical functions, such as simplifying the cleaning of furniture and increasing the comfort of its use, they can also decorate the back of the chair. Ideally, they should depict the child’s favorite hero, characters from popular fairy tales, or the same animals. Mom can help dad make a cover, especially if she knows how to embroider or has fabric appliqué skills. If your mother does not have such talents, you can simply alter the cover from clothes on which the necessary pictures were applied at the factory.
For the youngest children
Children of the youngest age still sit on a high chair for only one single activity - eating food. Teaching a child to eat while sitting, and to sit in general, particularly at the table, is important and necessary. However, the features of its development in at this stage do not allow the use of ordinary chairs for this. The problem lies in the fact that a simple chair does not have a back with arms, and a tiny child himself will not yet be able to sit on it straightly and will simply fall.
As for children's high chairs, their sizes usually do not allow you to choose a normal table for them. In this situation, a special high chair would be an excellent solution.
Such furniture should be comfortable for both the child and his mother - for now the child cannot eat on his own, so the mother will have to feed him with a spoon. For the convenience of this operation, the chair is made at a normal height, or even a little higher - so that the mother does not bend over. The actual lifespan of such a chair is about a year, so if you have one child and the family is not planning a second one at all, you can choose not the most durable materials for manufacturing.
In terms of manufacturing, a high chair is perhaps the most complex - it has the largest number of parts. The relatively small seat is raised high above the floor, which forces the installation of additional stiffening ribs between the legs for improved stability of the structure.
Taking into account the specifics of a child of the appropriate age, both the backrest and railings are simply necessary - they must completely exclude the possibility of the baby falling. Moreover, the barrier must be in front, although it also has another useful feature– it plays the role of a countertop on which food will be placed. The space under the tabletop is left free - the baby will stick his feet there.
Cutting and assembling such a chair is quite simple. First, two identical side halves are cut out according to the drawing, which are then connected to each other by the seat, back and stiffeners using grooves, glue or self-tapping screws. Before assembly, all individual parts should be sanded to a perfectly smooth state, the finished product is varnished or painted - ready.
Models for older children
The peculiarity of high chairs for children who have finally left infancy lies in the significant variety of design options, limited only by the imagination of the creator. The backrest is still considered a mandatory attribute, but the railings are no longer there, as are the front barriers. There is no point in saving on materials in this situation - if the furniture is made with a margin of size, then the child will be able to use his high chair for many years.
The manufacturing process consists of a few simple steps:
- Think through the design down to the smallest detail and draw up a drawing. Decide on the number of parts of the body - will it simply consist of two solid halves or of separate legs and separate supports for the seat, will the backrest base be a continuation of the rear legs or will it be attached separately, and so on. Calculate everything, including the thickness of the seat and legs, provide stiffening ribs and additional supports for the seat in advance. Provide grooves and mark places for screws.
- If doubts about the correctness of the selected parameters still remain, try to assemble a temporary chair from cardboard according to the drawing. Unfortunately, it does not have the same strength to test the product from all sides, and it differs in thickness from wood or plywood, which also needs to be taken into account when specifying the dimensions, but you will get a visual idea of the future product.
- Start cutting out individual parts from wood or plywood. It is recommended to start with the body. It’s good if there are a lot of identical parts in the set - then the subsequent ones can be cut out by simply tracing the finished first one. If the design allows, do not delay assembly until you have cut everything out - start as soon as you have at least two parts that need to be connected. This will help you immediately notice any design flaws, if any. Once the pieces are ready, sand them smooth.
- When all the elements are ready, proceed to the final assembly. Do not limit yourself to one type of fastener; in particular, glue the grooves - this will significantly strengthen the product and increase its durability. Ensure that the grooves fit as deep as possible - tap the joints with a hammer to make the fastening more secure.
- The last step is varnishing and painting.
No matter how detailed and intelligible the theoretical explanation is, it is unlikely to compare in terms of information content with a clear example, because it’s better to see once than to hear a hundred times.
N and the video is one of best examples how to make a highchair with your own hands. The master talks about literally everything, including the dimensions of the parts he used, so you can even do without a drawing, simply repeating what he says. The resulting chair is quite simple in design, but easy to make. You can find many other similar videos on the Internet, but the models there are always approximately the same, but here the process is shown in great detail and clearly.
Watch a master class on making a highchair with your own hands:
The principle of making a children's high chair is generally similar, but it is worth studying in more detail both because of the increased complexity of the design, and simply because it is being told by another master who can reveal some new points.
How to make a baby high chair, watch the video:
The baby is growing by leaps and bounds, and all the time he really wants to be like adults. A table and a chair are one of those things that are not only “like an adult’s,” but are also highly functional. Most of these products in stores are either sold at a very high price, or are made of low-quality plastic with a specific odor and short-lived chipboard. But there is a good way out for parents - these pieces of furniture are easy to make yourself.
Required materials and tools
Materials for self-made A children's table and chair made of wood are not so small, they are affordable, they can be bought at any construction supermarket. As a base material, you can use not only natural wood, but also plywood or chipboard. But, of course, a much more durable and durable material is wood. It is environmentally safe and does not emit toxic fumes and does not cause various allergic reactions.
List necessary materials for the table includes a quite affordable assortment.
- Tabletop. You can work out its dimensions yourself. The tabletop, like some other parts, is best made to order. Classic square or rectangular shapes are welcome. Round children's table is not a common practice.
- Four wooden legs. It is also recommended to buy them to order. Now such products can be ordered in carpentry workshops and even in some construction stores.
- Boards for the power body. They must be purchased in quantities of 4 pieces.
- Screws, nails or tenons with glue of your choice.
You also need to purchase material for a hand-assembled chair.
- Boards for back and seat.
- Bars for handles. They are purchased optionally, depending on whether you plan to make armrest handles or not.
- Four legs. They should be small, but carefully sanded.
- Screws or nails of suitable sizes.
In addition to these things, you will need tools that will be needed for both the high chair and the table:
- electric drill;
- wood glue;
- sandpaper;
- roulette;
- ruler;
- pencil;
- hammer.
Construction schemes
When purchasing wood materials, you must check their quality. The bars and boards must be free of nicks, cracks or small protruding burrs. The wood should not be damp, rotten or infested with pests. Table. The design of the table itself is not complicated, so the absence of drawings is allowed; the main thing is to carefully connect and “fit” the parts of the future product to each other. Initially, you need to count on the fact that the height of the table will be no more than 50 cm. This height will be the most optimal for a child. It is important to consider that the dimensions of the table and chair should be comparable.
The design of the table itself may be different, but we will focus on the classic square version with 4 legs. A special feature of the table design are its legs. They should be quite thick and stable. The cross-section of each leg should be within 5x5 cm. Chair. As a rule, the design of all chairs with a back (this is what we are considering in this article) is identical; differences can only be in the shape and size of the back. You can also experiment with the shape of the seat. It can be classic square, polygonal, round, carved or upholstered.
Not so popular when made independently, but quite realistic in execution are tables and chairs, assembled without the use of screws, nails or other fastening materials. The parts are fastened using a special technique for fastening wooden blocks at the joints. Such work requires experience and skills, so it is not entirely suitable for non-professionals. Regarding the fastening of the structure, there is a large number of options - various screws, nails, types of glue and even spikes.
Upon completion of the process of constructing the table and chair, it is imperative, as in the beginning, to check them for the presence of protruding pieces of wood and cracks. All sharp corners should be smoothed out as much as possible and uneven surfaces. But more about this below.
How to do it yourself?
Let's take a closer look at the furniture manufacturing process.
Chair
- Preparing the legs. Since a children's high chair is furniture with small dimensions, then, accordingly, its parts should be small. In particular, the length of the legs should not be more than 30 cm for a 70 cm high chair. All legs need to be cut down and adjusted sandpaper up to one length. Of course, the planks must also be sanded.
- Prepare strips for the legs and jumpers for the seat. This is done for the subsequent stable and strong construction of the chair.
- Connect the entire structure. At this stage, you need to carefully check all the connections of the parts.
- Glue the structure. It's best to use furniture glue for this, but superglue from the hardware store will work just as well.
- Securing the seat and legs. This can be done with self-tapping screws or a simple hammer and nails. IN Lately Spikes have gained relative popularity. The part is “slung” onto the spikes and the whole thing is held together with glue. It turns out to be a fairly reliable mount.
- Processing with sandpaper. This process is necessary in order to remove all potentially dangerous nicks on the wood and give the high chair a pleasant appearance.
Table
- First of all, you need to use a tape measure to measure the length of all the legs. If there is a difference in their length, then they need to be adjusted. A child's wobbly table can cause a lot of inconvenience, especially when feeding the child. This is done using a hacksaw.
- Drill slots in each of the legs with an electric drill. You need to make a groove at the end of the part, and then make it rectangular.
- Measuring the depth of the grooves. Next, you need to measure a distance on each of the bars equal to the depth of the grooves.
- Correction. To do this, you need to saw each of the wooden blocks on all sides, and remove the excess with a knife or sandpaper.
- Connecting parts. At this stage it is important to check the accuracy of the angles; they should all be straight.
- Bonding the structure. The final stage, in which all the parts, if they are tightly connected to each other, are glued together with wood glue. For greater structural stability, you can use a hammer and nails.
Furniture decoration
The main thing when decorating children's furniture is the safety of the coatings. Paints and varnish should be purchased from a reliable manufacturer and tested on a piece of wood in advance. Relatively recently, domestic and Western manufacturers released a special varnish for children's furniture. According to the manufacturers, it is safe to apply and does not emit harmful fumes after drying. The most common design option for a chair after painting is stencil designs. They can be applied with a regular small brush from an art supply store. The same applies to a wide variety of stickers on furniture.
Paint colors should be bright, but not toxic. Primary colors are welcome - blue, red and yellow. As drawings, you can choose various folk ornaments, simplified drawings of animals, symbolic symbols such as stars, hearts (for girls), cars (for boys), and even letters and inscriptions. Your child may be delighted and inspired by the opportunity to decorate their future furniture themselves. A good option in this case, the prints of his palms are. Special craftsmen with golden hands can experiment with carving. You can decorate the back of a chair with it. To do this, you first need to draw a drawing with a pencil, and then begin the work itself with a jigsaw. If you initially plan to do the carving, it is best to do it before you assemble the chair.
Children's things are very often exposed to various mechanical and other influences, so it would be better to protect the surface and apply several layers of varnish. IN extreme cases and if there is an urgent need to protect the table surface, you can use epoxy resin, which, when hardened, forms a thick film similar to a glass surface. But this should only be done if the table will be used for drawing or will be frequently subjected to wet cleaning with chemicals.
A high chair is a necessity for parents of a baby. It is needed primarily for feeding the baby. Our experts have prepared a number of recommendations, thanks to which you can make a highchair with your own hands.
High chair and its features
A child will need a high chair at the age when he can sit independently, that is, from five to six months. Before this time, the baby will have no need for such a piece of furniture - he still cannot support his back well. And after six months, the child, sitting on it, will be able to eat, play, and do creative work (for example, sculpt or draw). But in such cases you will also need a table. This design is called combined.
Let's look at the features that distinguish a children's high chair from an adult chair:
- Comfortable design for a baby, not for an adult, due to its size.
- The correct design for the child’s back (since the child’s skeletal bones are not yet strong, and the posture is in the process of formation, the back of the chair should support correct position baby's back).
- The highchair should be equipped with safety belts and an anatomical insert that is placed between the legs (such additional components will help the child take a comfortable position and will be able to hold him while sitting), the seat and back are soft.
- The design of the highchair must still be sufficiently stable, even if it is equipped with wheels for moving.
- Select only environmentally friendly, natural materials from which highchairs for children are made.
- It should not be bulky, because it will be inconvenient to use and will not fit into the interior of the room.
Of course, there is a real benefit from such a piece of furniture for a baby; it lies in convenience and comfort. Especially if such a chair is made by your father or grandfather with your own hands.
Types of children's high chairs
The main feature of a high chair for a baby is its convenience. Therefore, experts have developed several types of structures of this subject furniture.
- Chair independent type. It can be either on high or low legs. Its convenience lies in the fact that it can be moved towards an adult dining table. The undoubted disadvantage is that it cannot be folded.
- Folding option. This model is the most popular, as it contains a number of functionalities in addition to its main purpose:
- adjustable backrest and leg height;
- convenient folding and unfolding mechanism;
- Possibility of attaching wheels to move around the room.
Despite a number of advantages, its disadvantage is that the structure has large dimensions due to the large distance between the legs (this is necessary for the stability of the entire structure).
- Chair table ( combined design). This design is most often made of either wood or plastic. It can be used both as an independent chair and as a “table + chair”. The design mechanism allows you to unfold it, adjust the height, and fold it, which saves space in the room. Of the shortcomings - not all similar models can be folded out into individual elements, that is, the table cannot be detached from it.
In addition to the listed options for children's high chairs, there are others, but less popular, differing in their functionality - 360 degree rotation, reclining position, play elements, etc.
Drawings and diagrams for a high chair
To make a chair for a child, you need to consider various diagrams and drawings for this piece of furniture. They must correspond to the baby’s age, height and weight.
There are two main schemes for making a high chair with your own hands:
- An independent chair that is used for a child’s daily activities (mainly for games and creative activities), its shape repeats an adult piece of furniture, but in smaller dimensions.
- High chair - its feature is that this option should either be equipped with a compact table or move closer to an adult dining table.
The classic version of the second scheme is a frame of four legs to which the seat and backrest are attached. But there is also an unconventional option, when a seat with a backrest is also attached to the solid side elements. Both options can be made from wood, although plywood and chipboard are suitable.
When considering both drawings, do not forget to understand the dimensions of this piece of furniture so that the baby does not feel discomfort.
DIY high chair: its dimensions
Children's chairs, even those made by hand, must have certain dimensions. This is directly related to the growth of the baby, who is growing and developing. For this purpose, specialists have developed special GOST standards: 11015-93 and 11016-93.
Let's look at a summary table of parameters in accordance with the child's height and the size of his stool.
| № | Baby's height (cm) | Chair height (cm) |
| 1 | up to 85 | 18 |
| 2 | 85 — 100 | 22 |
| 3 | 101 — 115 | 26 |
| 4 | 116 — 130 | 30 |
| 5 | 131 — 145 | 34 |
| 6 | 146 — 160 | 38 |
| 7 | 161 — 175 | 42 |
| 8 | from 175 | 46 |
These dimensions must also be correlated with other parameters that will be needed to make a high chair for a child with your own hands. The following recommendations apply to any chair height:
- Seat surface recess – from 10 mm.
- The recessed surface of the seat occupies 2/3 of the rear part of its minimum depth.
- The deep part falls on a certain point (it is located at a distance of ¾ from the front edge of the seat, starting from the dimensions of the minimum recess).
- Non-profiled seat tilted towards the back by 3 degrees.
- The distance from the floor to the footrest is from 0.75 of the seat height.
It should be borne in mind that the depth of the seat is measured according to two parameters:
- front edge of seat;
- the line where the seat and backrest intersect.
Another way to measure this parameter draw a vertical line that should pass through the inflection point of the back of the chair.
Table dimensions for a combined version of a children's highchair
As already mentioned, the design of a chair for a child can be combined, that is, combined with a table. Therefore, since we are talking about chairs, there is a need to consider the sizes of tables suitable for them. Let's look at a comparison table of these parameters:
| № | Baby's height (cm) | Chair height (cm) | Table height (cm) |
| 1 | up to 85 | 18 | 34 |
| 2 | 85 — 100 | 22 | 40 |
| 3 | 101 — 115 | 26 | 46 |
| 4 | 116 — 130 | 30 | 52 |
| 5 | 131 — 145 | 34 | 58 |
| 6 | 146 — 160 | 38 | 64 |
| 7 | 161 — 175 | 42 | 70 |
| 8 | from 175 | 46 | 76 |
These dimensions are taken from GOST standards and are suitable for self-production with your own hands.
Basic details for making a high chair for a child with your own hands
Any children's high chair contains basic parts that must correspond to the selected drawing and dimensions. Such details include:
- Legs (for a chair/table) - the standard number is 4, but there are design options in which there are only two side backs.
- Crossbars - there can be two of them (in the case of two side backs - one).
- Cross members:
- for a chair with four legs – 3 pieces;
- for a table with four legs - 4 pieces.
- Seat – 1 piece.
- Back – 1 piece.
- Table top – 1 piece.
These parts can be made with your own hands, or you can buy ready-made kits and assemble the structure according to the diagram yourself.
Assembly diagram for a high chair for a child (do-it-yourself)
Assembly diagrams for chairs must correspond to the drawings. But the generalized version will look like this:
- Cross bars are attached to the legs:
- start with the rear legs, between which the first transverse crossbar is attached;
- a pair of front legs is connected using a second crossbar;
- The back and front legs are combined with each other; for this you will need two more crossbars.
- The seat is attached (such a fastening must be reliable, therefore, after securing it with screws, these places are also lubricated with glue).
- The seat back is installed.
