Dinette, Wife Wants One. Looking For Ideas.

[Back East Don]

There was a lot of stuff wrong with my RV when I bought it including the dinette falling apart and the cushions were kind of yuck. So I ripped it out and replaced it with a RV couch on a base I built to house the fresh water tank and electrical.

Being a man, I am quite accustomed to just eating on the couch. Makes me feel right at home. Wife tells me I'm an uncivilized heathen and she wants a proper place to eat. I can't argue with the heathen part and won't win any battles on her need for a table. This is how my marriage works and why I've been at it successfully for 30 years.

Problem (there is always one) is I hate booths and dinettes are just booths. Bothers my back and they are just terribly uncomfortable.

One thought I had was to use a couple of modern leather chairs I have that I can remove the bases on but they might be a bit too deep. Also they will stand a bit too tall unless I completely redesign the recline and arm parts. But they are comfortable and the wife would have no problem with me using them. I was also looking at boat chairs as a possible choice. Not as wide as what I have (would like to cover the bases I need to make to house the water tank and pump along with electrical on the other side.

I'll take some pictures of the chair and its base tomorrow. Perhaps there will be some ideas on how to modify that or suggestions to chose something else.

So anyway, looking for some possible ideas. Anyone seen or done anything clever that would be much more comfortable than the standard benches? Also, I do not need nor want the extra bed space. This is a two person RV only.

[jjrbus]

I am kicking this around. I relocated the water tank and am now looking for a place for the electrical. What I have in mind (not sure this will work) Is 2 van or motorhome type captains chairs. The table would be behind the chairs under the window when stored. Using floor mounts it would be moved to eat or whatever and then put away. Leaving 2 large comfortable chairs, so 4 could travel.

Still in the thinking/will it work, where do I get the pieces, is this a good idea, can this possibly work stage. Jim SW FL

[WME]

Well not a perfect answer, but many RVs have pole mounted tables. There is a socket on the floor, a 3" pipe and a socket under a table top. My first rv had 2 that were about the size of a tv dinner tray. Worked great and lived in a closet when not in use.

This way you get your couch and your wife can be civilized when she eats off her table.

[Back East Don]

I've been thinking about and doing google image searches for a while. On this project, I'm not in any particular hurry. Motorhome is ready to go for this season and I'm not sure if this project takes place this fall or next spring. A lot will depend on what I decide to do. I had pretty much resigned myself to doing a booth but spending that much money on cushions that will end up not being that comfortable, seems such a waist of money. Today I was loading up the RV before going to get it weighed and had a glimmer of an idea. The genesis of these things can be odd.

Here are some of my limitations. rear side of the dinette has the electrical. I might be able to squeeze it in next to the furnace but still have the wheel well to contend with. Other side is the water tank and pump. I'd hate to have to turn this into an even more major project than it is going to be.

Keeping the couch seems to be out of the question. I have a light weight folding table we have been using but the wife has an idea of what she wants. I'm the guy doing the work but you have to understand, the motorhome was her idea. I also have no attachment to the couch. It was something I picked up for $15 salvaged and has always been a place holder. A sort of hail mary pass when I got near the end of the first rehab. I was running out of steam and time. This came along and it took half a day to build the base and install the couch. I was ready to camp and that was all I cared about then.

Doing image searches I came up with this.

While kind of absurd it is kind of in the direction I want to go. These desk chairs though are a bit narrow and too tall especially with the pedestal and high backs.

Further in my search I found this

A desk chair without the base is no different but a non mounted idea is not an option. Still too narrow.

What I have for leather chairs are these Euro style chairs something like this.

I intend to have a good look at the chair in the morning. My thought is I can use the seat and back as they are hinged together getting rid of most of the rest. I'd only go with one arm rest against the wall using some of the existing hardware. The other side I'll have to see if I can fabricate something to lock it in position with the arm rest gone. Thinking webbing underneath at the top of the base so the seat will have some give when seated. The chair I have is 36" wide with both arm rests and 32" with one. Would cover a base large enough to fit the water tank and pump in. The ottomans would end up at the swap shed.

I'm in the figure out something stage. Happy for any ideas. A google search for "motorhome dinette alternatives" got me tons of do it yourself dinettes. Not so many alternatives.

[snail powered]

Stand at the far end of the motorhome and take a photo of the area. Post it and I will shoot you back some ideas. But it really takes seeing exactly what is there to know the more clever approaches for how you install a table.

Dinette seats do not have to be uncomfortable. Its all in the designing of them. The way the RV makers did them was all about cutting cost. They were built to the minimum standard and are not really comfortable for multifunctional lounging, eating as well as sleeping.

It is not just about how to mount the table. It is about how comfortable is the seating and will it work for multifunction. Those are two very different tasks, lounging and dining and there is a difference in the best ergonomic angle of the back when lounging versus one that makes for comfortable sitting more upright at a table for eating. If you really need both to please you and your wife there is a solution you can build. Make the back adjustable. at base.

You could have the seat back hinged at the top and it pulls forward with detents to fix the position and the seat base pulls forward on slides with detents as well. In this case the seat cushions on the base are wide enough so that the back edge goes all the way back against the wall under the lower edge up the seat back cushions. When pulled forward for lounging you have a nice deep couch with a reclined back. When pushed in with the seat back also pushed in you have a dining chair that is not too deep and has good back support with cushions that are not reclined back too far. With the back cushions attached with velcro so you can remove them you will still have a long bench that is wide enough that it can be used for napping. As it is built on a box that spans your wheel well you will also have storage room under the seating.

It is good to have a second sleeping space as sometimes a partner is having a restless night from coughing, pain or whatever and does not want to disturb the other person's sleep.

[snail powered]

if you are looking for chairs to mount on a box do an image search on "Japanese floor chairs". There are some comfortable looking ones at affordable prices. You could mount them on heavy duty lazy susan swivel plates.

[Back East Don]

Thanks Corbin

Here is the original floor plan. The area is 38" x 78"

Here is what it is now.

And

As you see from the floor plan, not a lot of space. Seems even less so with the Micro Mini than others I've seen. Doesn't take much to make passage impossible.

I looked at the floor chairs. That is essentially what I am looking to do with the Euro chairs I have already. They would be wider, I already own them and the wife has no problem with losing them. One is in my office the other is stashed in a spare room upstairs. I'll have to work out the mounting as these recline with a locking slider underneath but I still think it is workable. Nothing is etched in stone at this point. Trying to strike the right balance between form and function takes thought. I appreciate any and all input as the beginning is typically the gathering of many ideas.

[linda s]

After a long day driving do you really want to relax in a chair or that beautiful sofa you made. Tell her you won't be able to get cozy with her in a dinette. 2 nice TV tables you can strap somewhere when your driving would give you all the eating space anyone needs. Remember your camping, not dining at the Ritz. I have no dining area inside my Sunrader. Dinette area in the back is my permanent bed cause I got tired of making it up everyday. Dining is done outside under the stars. Magical

Linda S

You've done a beautiful job, inside and outside.

[Back East Don]

Marriage is give and take Linda. Besides, the couch isn't really that comfy. When we sit, we tend to be turned towards each other (it is the polite way to have a conversation) but over time becomes uncomfortable.

While perhaps not as romantic, I've a start to a plan that I think will at least be more comfortable for those long conversations. I took a bunch of measurements and pulled apart one of the leather chairs I am thinking will become part of the new dinette.

Here is the chair minus its base. Also one of the arm rests and bracket that had the recline adjustment and mounted the arm rest. The seat and back are held together via two hinges so it can recline. This means I have some flexibility in how much lean within the parameters of space I have. With the angle in this picture I am 26" from the front to where the back would hit the wall. Angle is pretty close to the upright seating position when it was on its base.

The wheel well needs a base of 24" in order to be fully covered. The original dinette had some of it exposed and covered with carpet. With a total length of 78" to work with, two 24" bases would leave me 30" of leg space under the table. It should be enough to be comfortable and I like the idea of the cleaner look underneath. The width of the chair with one arm rest originally was 32". The couch base currently is 27 1/2". I could make the new bases 32" and not take up too much more of the existing floorspace. Seating only needs to be for two (I really am romantic).

There are three main mounting points for the seating part. Two on the bottom and one on the side of the back. One hole on the bottom is only a welded tube in the frame and the adjustment bracket went in it like a dowel on one end and then was fastened at the other. I can fabricate two angle brackets that will have a welded rod coming up that will insert into it then a tab to screw the threaded hole secure. There would be a welded arm extending up the bracket to secure the the back. The angle bracket would then be secured to the base. I'll leave the top of the base where the middle of the seat covers it open so that the seat floats just like it did in its original base.

The last detail will be the arm rest. Should be easy enough but famous last words and all. The arm rest mounts into two holes of this tube bracket that is secured to the wood upright. I can recreate the upright and just cut the bracket after the front hole and put a plastic cap on it to take care of any rough edges or fabricate something new that mounts either to the base or the side of the RV.

I stayed up way too late last night scouring the web looking for ideas and woke up too early working on the idea. That said I think I can do it without making it all look absurd.

Corbin, thanks so much for the lead on the floor chairs. It really solidified the whole thing in my head which is where it has to work first before I build anything.

[snail powered]

I like that the back of those chairs provides head support. So how does the head cushion position work with your wife's back length?

I have an Xtra long back myself so lounge chair backs that are typically designed for men work out OK. But the depth of the seat tends to be too much as I have short legs to go with the long back.

I can't sit through an after dinner conversation in typical chairs so I do like your idea. But dining like the Romans is even better. I think they were on the right track

[Back East Don]

I like that the back of those chairs provides head support. So how does the head cushion position work with your wife's back length?

Although my wife is not tall, like you she has a long torso. She sits not as high up as I do but these chairs have her seal of approval for comfort and looks. They will also match the basic color scheme. I figured out most of the mounting bracket design but need to come up with some sort of end cap to dress the brace that will secure the back. Might just shape something in oak and fasten it to the steel upright. Still working out some of the mechanical aspects to it. Would like the seating to swivel but that might be asking too much. I also don't want to raise the seating any more than I have too. The current couch has a front height of 22". I'm looking to come in at around 17-18" Also seeing if I can incorporate some limited recline within the small amount of room. Perhaps will only achieve airplane recline limits but it might make some difference when relaxing.

[snail powered]

Although my wife is not tall, like you she has a long torso. She sits not as high up as I do but these chairs have her seal of approval for comfort and looks. They will also match the basic color scheme. I figured out most of the mounting bracket design but need to come up with some sort of end cap to dress the brace that will secure the back. Might just shape something in oak and fasten it to the steel upright. Still working out some of the mechanical aspects to it. Would like the seating to swivel but that might be asking too much. I also don't want to raise the seating any more than I have too. The current couch has a front height of 22". I'm looking to come in at around 17-18" Also seeing if I can incorporate some limited recline within the small amount of room. Perhaps will only achieve airplane recline limits but it might make some difference when relaxing.

You need a bar stool tilted replacement swivel plate. The swivel plates are not very thick so they are a good choice for this project. The cost about $12.00 or so apiece and there are a number of places online to purchase them from. The tilted swivel plate is for stools that have a back on them. To install it you will need to screw it to the bottom of the chair, that might require you to add a plywood plate under the chair. First attach the plate to the chair You will need to be able to remove the top of the base you are installing the chair onto so you can attach the swivel plate to it by thru bolting it to the base of the cabinet. Then install the top of the base onto the base frame to finish the job. The other choice is an extra piece of plywood that screws to the top of your base. But if you are interested in saving height experiment and figure out what works best when you have all the parts in hand. The standard height of the top of the seat for a dining room chair is between 16 to 18 inches. I usually use 18 inches. That gives you twelve inches of leg space for a 30 inch high dining room table. Whatever height of chair you choose remember you need that approx 12 inches of leg space between the chair and the underside of the dining room table.

[Back East Don]

I've got a few different versions on an Amazon wish list including a couple of automotive sliding brackets. There are a few challenges I'm trying to work out. Aesthetics has me wanting to have the seat and base edge meet without a large gap. The bottom of the chair has a curve as the seat was designed to float. It is a tubular frame around the edge that the seated section is just sprung and will need give. It is part of what makes these comfortable. I intend to leave the middle floating unrestricted by anything underneath. I can weld up a sub frame for underneath but it would have to be recessed in order to keep the height down and I'm just not willing to go through the effort for a feature of limited value. So fixed it is going to be.

I tend to work out design in my head first then work out the details in Cad when needed. I laid out the measurements in Autocad yesterday just to get a better picture of the layout and space. Bouncing ideas with a community like this is often very helpful as it is filled with people who have probably experimented with some similar problems. Hobbyists and enthusiasts abound here and I am very grateful for the shared knowledge base.

The mount is going to be pretty simple. A piece of angle iron running along the bottom tube at each side. I'll drill a hole the size of the rod and weld a section of it to act as the anchor pin. Another hole will get drilled up front for the machine screw to secure it down. I'll weld a piece of flat stock at the appropriate angle at the back end of the bracket to secure the seat back. I'm going to fabricate a trim cover making an L out of a couple pieces of oak glued together using a biscuit spline and round it over with a router. The angle bracket will be secured to the base using 4 short matching angle pieces that have a tapped hole for 4 bolts. The oak cover will have a couple recessed screw holes and the bracket will have matching tapped holes to secure it. That is the plan anyway. I'm in no hurry. We get a couple rainy days in this summer I'll begin fabricating the box frames and start fabricating the brackets. It won't be anytime soon but I'll keep this up to date.

For a visual on how the bracket mounts to the bottom, here is a picture. Thanks again everyone for the great ideas.

[Back East Don]

Well the convergence of having some time off and warm weather has finally intersected.  So I started the process of fabrication and fitting parts and pieces.  Here is the first seat location.  One arm rest will remain and be fastened to the wall.  The thermostat will have to be raised a couple inches.

The current cabinet the couch was mounted on will be removed and two separate bases fabricated in its place. Electrical has been redressed.  I'll have to re-do a couple AC outlets and DC lighter sockets.

Water pump will have to be moved a bit also.

Cut up an old bed frame to fabricate some mounts.  I marked out the location for holes for the fastener and a pin to secure.  I marked out the angle I need and will weld the pin along with a flat bar to secure the back.  Plan is to then cover with a decorative oak piece to hide the brackets.

Here are the layout locations.  I need to get supper started but will go down after and start welding these up.

Hope I can start the cabinets tomorrow.  Will update as thing move forward.

[jjrbus]

 I bought 2 of the smallest swiveling recliners I could find.  I tried and cannot fit them to be usable as recliners.   I am pretty disappointed about that. Good luck.   Jim

[Back East Don]

50 minutes ago, jjrbus said:

 I bought 2 of the smallest swiveling recliners I could find.  I tried and cannot fit them to be usable as recliners.   I am pretty disappointed about that. Good luck.   Jim

I gave up on the idea of reclining and am just going with fixed position.  Leg room is shorter than I would of liked but I'm pretty comfortable with the person on the other side of the table.  I saw your effort and agree it would be nice to recline but this is still more comfortable than my couch that this replaces.  Not good for sitting or sleeping. Was reclining the only sticking point?

The brackets have the pins welded (yes I know, photo is pre-welded)

Tomorrow I'll finish the brackets and start the bases.  We go camping this Friday so it has to get done.  The way this works just requires some holes drilled.  On the inside I'll weld a couple pins and on the outside will drill and tap the matching bracket.  This way I can remove the chairs easily to work on the electrical or water system.

[Back East Don]

Day 2 (if you don't count thinking about and planning for a couple years)

Got a late start to the day as I needed to sort out the basement and dig out the table saw.  One distraction after another and next thing you know it's past 1:00.

Got the first base out of the way.  I didn't weld the arms to the brackets yet as I am still mulling over angles and maybe some recline to the seat back.  Going to be tight getting it done enough to camp on Friday at this pace.  Tomorrow is another day.

[jjrbus]

Rome was not built in a day and motor homes are never finished.  Finished is when you do not have to do anything else to use it!   I have put my table saw outside and am building an enclosure for it, well I am trying to get around to building an enclosure for it!

How are you fastening the box to the floor? 

I have the same electrical panel,  I loped the bottom off  it so it would fit in the cabinet and then suffered trying to fish wires into it!   Your wall paper if it has a bit of green in it looks like my wall paper!       Jim

[Back East Don]

I have a little Makita table saw I picked up for $45 used that I use for almost everything.  Always at the ready and easy to move.  I had a full sheet I needed to cut so I had to dig out the full size saw that was buried behind everything else I have stored in the basement.  I'm making progress though as I decided today to get rid of the radial arm saw I never use.

The base is to be fastened in a bunch of places in addition to the floor.  The floor is simply some angle with holes fastened with some the torx lags.  When I replaced the fridge, I beefed up parts of that cabinet so where the couch base and now the chair base is attached is fairly stable.  Same with the trim panel below the berth.  The old dinette was also fastened to the wall and I did the same with the couch base and have a long cleat for these as well.

Wallpaper is a Lowes standard stock item.  No pattern to match but the adhesive didn't stick for crap.  I'm still fighting seams.

Got a couple of ideas kicking around in my head to make these have at least a bit of range of recline.  Might not have that figured out by Friday but the back can just lean up against the walls till I figure it all out.

[WME]

A couple of ideas.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-Dual-Locking-Sliders-Seat-Rails-Brackets-Bucket-Seats-Reclining-PAIR-/121876458295?hash=item1c60672b37:g:IqIAAOSw2x1XKipw&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/88-89-Honda-Crx-OEM-seat-rail-rails-mounting-brackets-tracks-/121997370724?hash=item1c679c2564:g:e9EAAOSwR5dXSLzl&vxp=mtr

Slide for recline and slide back for dinner.

[jjrbus]

I have a Rigid TS2424,  great saw but is too large and makes a mess.  I got it for $150 with a Freud dado blade a few years ago. It is either put it outside or buy a cabinet saw and I cannot justify the money for one. I would rather have a radial arm saw than the one HF sliding compound miter saw I have!

Same wallpaper Lowes and fighting the seams, I have used 1/2 a tube of seam adhesive since I put it in.  I used Romans PRO 935? primer so should be having no issues, it's the paper!   I am throwing in the towel on it and buying some trim from Lowes, cleaning the glue off some wallpaper and using a spray adhesive to glue the wallpaper to the trim and covering the seams with that. I did an experiment and it seems to be working in the test.   Except the spray adhesive I have removes the existing vinyl from the trim so that needs to be removed first or a different adhesive?

I was looking for some angle for attaching things to the coach and used the wall angle from suspended ceilings, cheap and as good as  anything the RV industry uses!

Oh well off to play with my Toy.                                           Jim

[Back East Don]

I used some angle I got a Lowes and cut it up. 

I also considered sliding tracks early on but abandon the idea as I wanted to limit the height.  I can retro some in later if I want to but would have to weld new brackets out of flat stock vs the angle I have now.  The thing with these chairs is it is a frame with the seating suspended which is what makes them very comfortable.  So I abandoned the idea of swivel bases as while it is possible to build a frame for a base, it would also add too much height.  The base front has a notch cutout to allow the seat to suspend down without hitting anything.  On the wall side I am going to add a recessed panel and mount an outlet and usb charging ports that will be just under the front of the arm rests.  If I can get the thermostat up high enough, I might re-look at sliders but then I have to also figure out how to make the arm rests slide.  Right now the plan is to just mount them static to the wall.  I head out camping Friday and I need to make something functional so other option are on hold.

 

[Back East Don]

More than just a bit of rain this afternoon really slowed me down.  Didn't get done as much as I would have hoped but with luck can catch up a bit tomorrow.  I'll do a bit of finish work tonight to the second cabinet once I get the final positions for the Mrs chair when she gets home.

 

And the two together

[snail powered]

There is a nice professional quality panel saw in the garage here.  I found it for my friend about 6 years ago on craigslist at a good price but it cost me nothing It is his dream saw, something he kept talking about wanting every time he worked on a project.  That funny orange material is a plastic called Kydex, he surplussed it to me as he was not in need of it and had plenty of it. I was making extension tables for my vinyl cutter that day. This week I have used it to cut a replacement marine plywood flooring section for my little fiberglass travel trailer. It is really nice to have a panel saw for cutting up sheet goods, the cuts are always nice and square.

Edited June 9, 2016 by snail powered

[Back East Don]

Panel saws come up from time to time on Craigslist.  Problem is I just do not have that kind of room.  Wife and I have talked about building a barn for my hobbies but that plan expired when we started discussing downsizing now that the kids are gone.

Several years ago I upgraded most of the shop.  The economy was rough and less and less people are getting into woodworking.  Everything was stupid cheap.  I went to a couple of estate sales where I picked up some really cheap machines.  Had a chance for a huge Jet tablesaw all extended out but had to pass as I have trouble enough with the Delta I have with a 30" rip fence.  I did manage to go from bench tools to full size machines for short money but am also short on basement space.

The estate sales made me wonder what my wife will sell things for once I pass.  Thinking about it changes your perspective on the value of what you own and treasure.

Made muffins this morning, had my coffee and am ready to head out and get the Toy ready for tomorrows trip.  Worked till 10 last night and got the second cabinet finished and relocated the water pump.  Got some electrical wiring left to re-route then can start buttoning up the chairs.  Wife made good and sure that we got the angle of her chair just right.  It's all marked out and ready.   

I started to add to this post to sort of complete the idea in case someone searches they get a bit more information.  I know when I started searching, I found many such pages and posts that didn't give either the end result or any of the building details.

[jjrbus]

Even here in SW FL tools come up on the cheap.  No basements here, so room is an issue, had my tablesaw in garage and it takes up too much room.  It's keep a cheap table saw in the garage or a super nice low mile Ford Ranger in there.  Lets see thousands of dollars sitting in the drive with a cheap tablesaw in the garage, just does not add up.   So I moved TS to the lanai, lanai is a southern yuppy word for screened porch. 

TS makes a mess in the  lanai so need a cabinet saw for dust collection.  Actually a cabinet saw would go in the garage.  But I cannot justify the price of a cabinet saw for the little I do.  So am building a shelter for the saw outside, the top half of the shelter will be removable to use saw.  Have router set up on little cart with wheels in lanai, just roll it outside to use, as long as it is not raining. Have the jointer in lanai also.  Hard to believe a nice 6" older Jet jointer for $125 at a garage sale.  Thinking about getting rid of the jointer and using a glue line blade, rarely use the jointer.

I think I have room for a panel saw in the lanai, unlikely I will spend that kind of money for one, sure would be nice.   

What I need to do is buy a chunk of land and put up a BIG building with a house/apt in one corner.

 

[Derek up North]

My dream house!

I keep looking for a small piece of land with a big barn on it. Unfortunately, anything with a barn comes with a farmhouse included, which I don't want/need!

[jjrbus]

52 minutes ago, Derek up North said:

My dream house!

I keep looking for a small piece of land with a big barn on it. Unfortunately, anything with a barn comes with a farmhouse included, which I don't want/need!

If you can find the land the metal buildings today are surprisingly cheap.  But you are in Canada so putting a dwelling in one is going to be $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Back East Don]

Ok, I'm about out of time.  Need to clean up the garage and start getting ready to head out tomorrow morning.  Got a camp table in place for now and still need to deal with the cosmetic stuff but that will need to wait.  Will build the table next week as well.  This changes the comfort level a whole lot and I still have a lot of room to move around without feeling cramped.

[jjrbus]

looks good, enjoy the trip.

 

[snail powered]

I think your project is coming along nicely. Those chairs look a lot more comfortable than any other RV dinette I have seen.

Like you I would be happy eating at the couch. Fortunately I  don't have to please anyone but myself. 

Had one of the Jet cabinet saws. I was so thrilled to be able to buy one but when I got it I quickly found out the main table was not particularly flat and neither were the metal extensions. It was enough that it threw off making precision angled cuts. The face of the fence square extrusion was not square to the table either and it was warped along its length. So don't worry about it, you are not missing out all that much by not having one. They are definitely over rated.

Edited June 10, 2016 by snail powered

[Back East Don]

13 minutes ago, snail powered said:

I think your project is coming along nicely. Those chairs look a lot more comfortable than any other RV dinette I have seen.

Like you I would be happy eating at the couch. Fortunately I  don't have to please anyone but myself. 

Had one of the Jet cabinet saws. I was so thrilled to be able to buy one but when I got it I quickly found out the main table was not particularly flat and neither were the metal extensions. It was enough that it threw off making precision angled cuts. So don't worry about it, you are not missing out all that much by not having one. They are over rated.

I only have a couple of tools from Jet.  A long bed jointer that took a bit work to get true but that is so with most.  The other is the band saw.  It has the height extension and is set up for resawing with a carbide blade.  I used to make a bit of furniture but wood just became too expensive to make any large pieces.  So I started making musical instruments out of odd bits.  Changes the scale on wood used. 

We ate supper in the new chairs tonight and relaxed a bit. The couch just was not comfortable and the new chairs just seems natural.   Wife is currently testing out the new mattress.  I should go and get her or she'll sleep there all night..

[Back East Don]

Well, we survived the first outing.  Seating, while vastly more comfortable than the couch, could use a tweak or two.  These seats had some seat angle but in my initial sit down testing, I incorrectly figured I could get away with flat seating.  We found ourselves sliding forward while we sat in them.  Minor adjustment I can simply make.  Might figure out the angles in Cad so I can get a more exact measurement for mounting brackets rather than trial and error (mostly error).  Found an interesting web site and this graphic. The first note on the left would have been handy before I installed these.

Edited June 13, 2016 by Back East Don

[WME]

Who knew seats could be so complicated.

[Back East Don]

About at the end of this project and perhaps done with the spring upgrades.

I cut some brackets to give the seats some back angle. While I got the seat out, installed a box for an outlet along with a 12volt port in the base.

Installed some trim

And found a door at a kitchen salvage place.  Just need to pick up some self closing hinges and install it.  A couple of panels to go behind the seats to cover the opening, along with a oak cover for the angle iron brackets and I am done with the chairs and bases.

I ordered a commercial tabletop from amazon rather than make one.  I have some oak veneer plywood but its thin and I would need a bunch of other things so this probably ended up cheaper.  The one I got is 24" x 42" but that will be a bit long.  I'll cut it down a bit before installing it.  Rounding third and heading for camping.

 

Edited June 16, 2016 by Back East Don