It is not uncommon for parts from a particular hobby or pursuit to be repurposed by enthusiasts as furniture. Car nuts will make sofas from the rear bodywork of a saloon car, for example, or coffee tables from engine blocks as you might have seen in the Top Gear studio.
A cycling enthusiast asked [Quinn Dunki] to produce a workshop stool using a bicycle seat, and the resulting piece of furniture is both elegant and functional, if probably comfortable only to those used to a racing saddle.
The stool itself rests on a vertical tube with a tripod at the bottom, each leg of which is fitted with a caster. We are taken through the steps to make the metalwork, in particular the rather tricky 45 degree tubular joint required for each leg. We see the unexpectedly high forces above the casters cracking the initial tack welds, and the resulting more substantial joint. And finally we’re treated to the stool being elegantly modelled by Sprocket the cat, as you can see below the break.
We’re never ones to pass a stool by without comment here at Hackaday; in the past we’ve shown you a plywood stool without any glue, this robotic footstool, and of course the larger than life 555 timer footstool among many others.
You will still have to get up to fart. The gap isn’t able to prevent pressure on the rest of things.
Likewise, for men, sitting on a bike seat for long periods does bad things to your ulnar nerve and other items such as blood vessels leading up to your testicles.
Damage to the ulnar nerve, called handlebar palsy, can happen frequently to an avid cyclist or person who sits on a bike seat for long periods of time.
I don’t think Quinn is worried about that. Although mistreating her drill press just after tuning it surprises me a little. No harm I’m sure.
I wonder how the peeps in the custom bike shops do those cuts? That just didn’t look stable in her blog photos.
Women can be affected by numbness and other problems too…
Women also have pudendal nerves and are not immune from these type of issues, although obviously they are less likely to experience erectile dysfunction.
A team from NIOSH looked at bike riding and sexual function in women who rode for an average of two hours several days a week. These women experienced decreased genital sensation compared to women to ran several days a week. In a later study, the team found that narrow seats and so-called cut-out seats increased pressure on the perineum.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/biking-and-sex-avoid-the-vicious-cycle-201209145290
Bike builders have special machines for the purpose. Not to worry, my drill press is fine. It’s good to push the limits on occasion and make our tools earn their keep. ????
Your ulnar refers the wrist. I know we all sit around with our thumb up our… wait, I don’t think that’s you’re supposed to sit on a stool
No shit! You ULNAR nerve is what people refer to as the “funny bone”… You know, when you hit your elbow just right in that little divot on the inside of your elbow joint and you get a zinging jolt. The ULNAR never is in your arm, not your ass!!! It innervates the pinky side of your hand… I think you are referring to either the peroneal or sicatic nerves, pal.
Disclaimer: I am not a Doctor, I only play one sometimes behind the woodshed.
“sciatic” nerve, sorry
Thats of course right and no issue here. It is obviously an issue while riding a real bike, gripping the handle for longer time.
LOL WUT?
id at least use a fatboy seat. she used what looks like a very uncomfortable piece of buttocks parking.
Yes!
And I think there is a reason why most stools use 5 coasters, not only three. So this is a very minimalistic piece of furniture.
Anyone else see a potential pinch point?
KITTY SQUEE!!!!
had needs to do an article on the perils of cat butlery on hacking.
not so wheelie, but rocky. my friend makes these, quite often a customer wants to use their own saddle…
http://www.designtree.co.nz/products/furniture/giddyup-rocking-stool
damn your friend sure makes a lot of overpriced crap
Yes they are uncomfortable.
Mine consists of a a bike seat, some discarded galvanised plumbing (perfect size match) an old automotive brake disk. Made it, tried it, never used it.
If anyone wants to replicate my cheap (not as pretty) one, here’s a tip: Cast iron parts don’t weld easily, instead, put 5 bolts with nuts through the mounting holes and weld onto them.
There are special welding sticks for cast iron, but I agree you are usually better off using bolts. Not fun to weld and it usually cracks. :(
I’ve had some luck with tig welding using brazing alloy filler. The times I’ve tried using stuff intended to actually weld cast iron, even with the iron preheated to 150C, as fast as I welded I could _hear_ it cracking, and the only reason the welds held was because of mechanical interlocking between bits that did stick.
Also, man, I put about 6000 km a year in on bikes, and I would not choose to spend even more time sitting on a bike seat.
You need to preheat cast iron when welding it. Even then, not easy.
This looks more for pleasure than business… But to each their own kink, I’ve always said. I don’t care if you are a bicyclist, being on a bicycle seat is fucking terrible for you. And most I see riding are always standing for the power crank, not much sitting on the seat involved in this hilly terrain. Maybe that’s the point here, a seat so uncomfortable you don’t want to sit down. But then may I suggest a simple board, or a knife edge, or a spear point even?
https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–1KeCFCuw–/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/17d1xavq6w9agjpg.jpg
Instead of a spear point, what about looking up images of dildo bike seats? There are quite a lot of those out there. Might be more comfortable. Some even move when you pedal the bike.
tehe
A stool like this is useful for when you want to preserve upper thigh movement. For example when you have a footpedal speed control.
LOL – These comments are better than the article! ;-)
I think a repurposed old tractor seat would feel much better than this after an hour at the bench. Maybe a little John Deere nostalgia for the workshop?
I was looking for some for our kitchen high stools. They may as well be made of unobtainium.
What about these?http://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/casting-pro-boat-seat/A-p8598658e
That looks comfy.
Yes but old tractor seats have that post apocalyptic mad Mac feel.
Was supposed to MAD MAX
Like this seat I made for my daughter when her legs were just too short to reach the pedals.
http://pasteboard.co/evumMcWNg.png
http://pasteboard.co/evxMXWbLt.jpg
Was supposed to Mad Max
https://s16.postimg.org/af5fmpolx/Bike_Seat.png
https://s16.postimg.org/8bv0f1ot1/Bike_Seat2.jpg
Like this seat I made when my daughter’s legs were just too short to reach the pedals.
Been done with style by Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and Achille Castiglioni (industrial designers) in a 1957 design, manufactured by Zanotta in 1969 as Mezzadro…https://goo.gl/images/61wytu
All the discomfort of a bike while sitting in your workshop. At least use one of those classic spring assisted bike seats that at least is wide enough to cover your entire rear. Just my .02c….
This is a bad idea for at least two reasons.
Cyclists never put all their weight on the saddle; even an amateur cyclist just by pedaling diverts some of his/her weight on pedals. Sitting for a long time on a bike saddle won’t be healthy at all, and the steady posture will only make things worse.
Also, 3 legged stools are suboptimal when stability is needed; that is the reason that brought us 6 legs office chairs.
The Chair of Sodom pretty sure this chair was mentioned in Genesis not with Phil Collins.