Now that we have the design, the measurements, the tools, and the materials all collected, it’s time to make the sofa! I've been trying to do this for a few days now and only about 50% done, 5 years ago If you’re making wooden joints (like mortise and tenon), make sure you account for that as well before making cuts. Sand to at least 120 grit and the end grain parts to 220-320 so the color absorbs evenly. Plan your cuts so you keep most of the boards and try to center features or grain pattern. Not a big deal, but it also means I can’t put the arm rest on the other side. The max length is generally recommended at 85" since any longer and you’ll have trouble carrying the sofa up stairs (pivot! Also note that upholstery is thicker than normal fabric if you’re used to sewing. Set the blade height so 1 teeth is over the board. Review the cut list and make note of the measurements for the cuts you’ll need to make. Note that length of the A board will vary depending on the dimensions of your sofa arm. For the sake of simplicity, I chose a modern design. It varies from 13" to 20" and is up to a personal preference and the height of a person. This involves coiled springs set evenly at the base of a sofa and tied together with high quality twine. Since I carried light and didn’t have any furniture besides a rolling computer chair and a computer table (I didn’t even have a dining table or bed frame), I needed to furnish the place. Also, I don’t have the upholstery skill to make a traditional sofa, not to mention the hours of work and specialized tools needed to do it. Make your own sofa cushions to replace old or worn ones. Cut the lumber at the radial saw to more manageable lenght. Wait until the varnish is fully dry before applying the next coat. If it didn't go according to plan, remember it's not a mistake, it's improvised design! The reason why I went this way is it makes sense for furniture to have mechanical joints as it’s a very strong joint in all directions. The standard is 15", but again, it can vary based on design and a person’s height. When the blade touched all the surface, flip your piece over at every pass afterwards. Identify your pieces at the end of the planks so you can keep track of them. About: I'm an atheist tatooed soundman and woodworker. Thank you. Use the same wood as your project and sand it the same way and to the same grit so it reflect acurately the finished look. Pre-drill and secure with four screws in each corner. Your new sofa arm table will keep everything within easy reach so you’ll never have to search for your TV remote again. If the color came out perfect and even, you can now put varnish and the finishing touches on the work. Measure and Mark the Wood The second method is the high end Eight-Way Tied Springs. Oh man, I enjoyed this instructable quite a bit. TIP: Use sanding block to smooth any rough edges. Next, put a mark on what will become your show face. It definitely takes more time than you expect, and buying everything from scratch costs as much as a regular sofa. As it is tied to each other and the sofa, it crosses in eight different directions, giving it the name and allowing the springs to share the weight no matter where you sit. If you are making panels, do 1 face and 2 edges and go glue 'em up. It's time to Dye! I bought a new place last year, the first time I’ve been a home owner (well, condo, but close enough), so I moved my belongings from a small studio apartment into a much larger place. I used this article as one person's view on building furniture with my grade 11 students. 27 days ago, Reply 24 days ago. If you're trying something new, design a test to see what it will look like. Before glueing anything, make a dry assembly to make sure everything is where it should be and fits perfectly. The only thing I’m lacking is the blueprints in this article, which I will have to draw out (instead of the sketches I made for myself). When I say “sofa,” what comes to your mind is most likely the modern sofa and not the traditional. When working with end grain, put a martyr a the end to minimize blowouts. The dimensions for the seat cover is 24" W x 28" L x 6" H (the cut fabric is 1/2" extra to account for the 1/4" sewing margin). That way the color will absorb evenly. Clean your mortises with a mortising chisel. It’s too easy to make measurements based on numbers without actually measuring it. Sand with finer grit between coats, so 320, 400, 500 etc. I may have over-stapled the base with 9–10 staples each, but I’m pretty sure they won’t be coming out. The first is the S-Springs or sinuous/serpentine spring. take a deep breath and go for it, become the machine! Loads of great info, and some pretty damn funny lines too. All seven pieces needed for this project will be cut from one 6-foot-long 1-inch x 12-inch common board. I think these are the most commonly used springs for the majority of the sofas I see. You can make it yourself in about 30 minutes while increasing your comfort and skill with common power tools including a circular saw and drill. By tracing the rings there's less chance of confusion with the saw marks. For the covers, I measured out each side + 1/2" for sewing and cut each piece out of the giant 10 yard microfiber roll. Pre-drill and secure with two screws in each side into the 3-inch squares. A three person sofa is generally 85" long, 35" deep, and 35" high, but that’s a rough guideline. It makes a nice drumming sound when it’s correctly stretched. Now trace everything you need to do to your pieces (joints, mortise, tenon, rabbet etc). The back covers were 24" W x 16" H x 5" D with a slight angle to 6" at the bottom. Share it with us! If the boards are cupped, make sure that the ''smiley face'' is up, so when you rip it, it wont squeeze the blade and throw it back at you. What is the seat depth? I recommend a mix of 1/3 Boiled Linseed Oil, 1/3 Polyurethane, 1/3 Mineral Spirits. I'll show you how to make your own furniture so take a deep breath and let's do this! Plan your cuts so you keep most of the boards and try to center features or grain pattern. Then use a good brush or a sponge to wipe the varnish evenly. Now is time to machine everything, if there's a lot of things to do on your piece, plan the order of all the operations so it's logical and easy to measure. Whether you're planing furniture or a bank robbery the most important part is having a plan. Trace lines on your pieces with a pencil, that way when the lines are gone you'll know the sandpaper touched everywhere, thus prenventing over-sanding and deformation of the piece. I used less on the back since there shouldn’t be as much stress (and I don’t want to use that many staples). The back incline is 5 degrees for more upright sofa and 15 degrees for a more casual back. At the jointer adjust the fence to the width you need and and make sure it's 90 degrees with the table. For the rest of the sofa, I used pocket screws in order to hide the screws from the side. If you are using soft wood, use a martyr (a sacrificial piece of wood) between the clamps and the pannel so the clamps don't mark them. This also varies based on design, but the most common is 18" from the floor to the top of the seat cushion. Now every time someone looks at it and says wow! I weaved each strap through the others for more support. If the boards are cupped, make … A couple of notes before we jump into the how’s and why’s of sofas. TIP: Cut pieces one at a time, then measure and mark the next piece off the remaining scrap to ensure that all pieces are sized correctly. The webbing involved stapling one end and then using the webbing stretcher tool to stretch the webbing. If you still want to make a sofa but have neither of those skills, there’s palate bed couches that people have made. There's still holes in the wall that we keep as reminders. Luckily, microfiber is both cheap and relatively thin, so a regular sewing machine and a simple needle works. Of course, I probably over-engineered this section, but better to have an extremely sturdy base than something that could fall apart. I've seen what happens when the table saw bites on a wide piece of wood and sends it flying, it ain't pretty. Note that length of the A board will vary depending on the dimensions of your sofa arm. Apply it everywhere, wait until it's dry and sand it again so only the bottom of the fibres are sealed. These are the cheaper version of a normal coiled spring and are instead these wavy heavy gauge steel that line the underside of the sofa. The upside is this doesn’t squeak compared to springs when they start wearing out or become misaligned. So plan for it so your pieces comes out perfect every time! You can say I made that. The final part is staining the wood and sealing it, giving it that nice clean look. After getting the frame done, it’s time to make the cushions to go on top, but first, we need to get the webbing on the sofa. There’s a reason why many good sofas cost $1,000 and more. Here’s the list of tools and material I bought for this project: If we map out the cost in a pie graph, you can see where most of the sofa cost is: The materials are the majority of the cost, and within the materials, the sofa cushions are the most expensive by far. I know you'll be tempted to go and start cutting stock right away but don't. This is where all the drawings you made as a kid pays off, be as precise as possible. So now everything fits and looks good, Great! If the cushion or fabric broke in any way, it’s likely that the whole couch would need to be redone to repair it. Check with a good lamp to make sure all the marks from the sander are gone. Reply If you have panels to make, go straight to the table saw and rip your boards to 2-2 1/2 inches. Read the grain and feed the board according to the blade rotation of the planer. then say I know, F-ing Ikea right? This took much longer than just using screws, but it felt much more satisfying to see everything fit. Not appropriate for high school students. You've done it! Now that I had a design, I needed to work out the measurements. It requires having two skills below: If you can’t sew, you can buy custom cushions from shops at an additional cost. If you still want to make a sofa but have neither of those skills, there’s palate bed couches that people have made. If you are using a solvent based stain or dye wear adequate protection for your eyes, face and hands. Why a USB port? Nicely done! A lot of work goes into these, and a lot of specialized tools are needed to construct everything. Choose your lumber carefully, You want it to be as straight as possible, look for fissures at the ends, resin pockets, knots, bowing, cups and curves, you want to avoid that or at least plan your cuts accordingly. Virtual high five from me! If you want to be technical about it, most places suggest a 90–100 degree angle at the front to be comfortable for the legs to hang. The height of a couch is generally 30"-36" and is determined mostly by design and how well it matches the height of other furniture. There are two ways of making a couch: the traditional way and the modern way. Hats off to you. Check if there is tools, router bits or accessories you could buy to make your work easier and your soul happier. If you don’t care about any of this, just make everything right angles and use cushions for everything. The springs and webbing are meant to offset the stress so the cushions don’t bottom out as fast, plus it gives it more room to bounce (compare jumping on a sofa with springs and a large piece of foam on solid wood). I ordered 6 foam cushions, 3 for the seats and 3 for the back, and let them decompress for a day since they come vacuum sealed and compressed. Though it may sound daunting, this project is not difficult and requires basic skill with a sewing machine and minimal supplies.