People who enjoy the Star Trek series will enjoy the idea of having part of the series' set. One popular item is the captain's chair, especially that of Captain Kirk. This particular item has become even more popular since a Las Vegas Star Trek convention displayed a life-sized, fully operational, original series captain’s chair. According to Trekmovie.com, it used "expert measurements and the highest quality durable materials." While captain's chairs kits can be purchased for just under $3,000, most like to take on building their own.
Things You'll Need:
- Measuring Tape
- Chair Plans
- Office Or Other Squared Chair
- 6 Nuts And Bolts
- Nails
- Pencil
- Wood Glue
- Paint
- Covering Material
- Plywood Or Press Board
Building a Captain's Chair
Find a flat-backed chair; one with a high back and arm rests is best. Disassemble it, removing the back, seat and arms for later use. If the seat and back are connected, leave them that way.
Measure, mark, cut and lay out your base frame according to command seat plans. If you are not using plans, use the outer dimensions of 40 inches wide, 44 inches high and 38 inches deep, if going with the authentic size--or you may size the frame to fit your own chair.
Assemble the wood frame pieces with wood glue and nail them to hold. The frame can be assembled in one piece or in sections, the sides, back and base pieces. Paint all sections in a gray or cream tone.
Set the chair seat and back into the frame and center. Secure using nuts and bolts, two for the seat and two for the backing.
Fully-covered chair arms may be secured to the sides of the base using the remaining bolts. If your chair does not have full arms or has no arms at all, you can build frames or surrounds and cover with matching material.
Tip
Adding a thin covering to your finished base can clean up any rough wood edges. Colored plastic sheets or a veneer can easily be glued to the outer surfaces to smooth.
For a clean look to an armless chair, re-covering with new material may save you from having to find an exact match to cover newly built arms.
Optional: Add button or switch plate panels to arm tops for a more realistic command chair.
Warnings:
- Building the base in one section may make your base too large to move from place to place or fit through doorways.
