DIY chair computer repair

The other day my home computer chair broke down.

Although this chair is already a little old (it is already about six years old), nevertheless, until now, it has served me and my family members quite well. Moreover, about once every six months, I carried out prophylaxis, which consisted of tightening all threaded elements, as well as lubricating the rubbing parts (first of all, the bearing at the end of the gas lift rod).

However, some time ago, I felt that the chair began to dangle and sway from side to side, and the further, the stronger.

Having disassembled it, I saw that the plastic sleeve, which stands in the upper part of the outer gas lift pipe and serves to center and fix the gas lift cylinder, is badly cracked, and several pieces have even fallen off from it.

When I began to pull it out, the part of the bushing, which was directly inserted into the outer pipe of the gas lift, fell apart into pieces, so that only the rim remained intact, that is, the uppermost part of this bushing.

Naturally, I immediately began to look on the Internet to see if such bushings are on sale among spare parts for computer chairs. However, it turned out that such small parts as bushings are not sold separately (at least I have not found such anywhere).

Nevertheless, I did not want to buy the whole gas lift, because, on my chair, the gas lift still works quite well and without any complaints.

Therefore, I decided to make such a sleeve myself.

To begin with, of course, I wanted to find some similar plastic sleeve, but not finding one, I decided to make the sleeve out of wood. For this, birch wood is best suited, it is strong enough and well processed.

However, the problem here was that such a bushing is a pronounced body of rotation, so it is best to make it on a lathe.

I don't have a lathe, but using a drill for this would also be problematic, since the part is quite complex - you need to process not only the outer surface of the workpiece, but also the inner one (the hole in the sleeve).

As a result, I decided to go the other way and make almost the entire bushing using hole saws (or crowns) for wood.

And here I must say that I was very lucky, because having measured the inner diameter of the tube into which the bushing is inserted (it is 48 mm.), As well as the outer diameter of the gas lift cylinder, which will be inserted into this bushing (it is 28 mm.), I was able to find hole saws that are almost perfect for cutting the diameters listed!

So, in order to make the mentioned bushing, I needed the following accessories:

Materials and fasteners:

- A piece of a thick, well-dried birch branch, 6-7 cm in diameter, and about 50 cm long.
- Four small screws 3.5x10 mm.

- Drawing and measuring tools (pencil, square and vernier caliper).
- Shiloh.
- Hand saw for wood.
- Electric drill-screwdriver (preferably two electric drills).
- Drill bit for metal with a diameter of 4 mm.
- Hole saw for wood with a diameter of 29 mm.
- Hole saw for wood with a diameter of 51 mm.
- Perforated drill bit for wood with a diameter of 25 mm.
- Clamp.
- Sandpaper.

I must say that above I mentioned only the most basic tools, but in the process of work, I periodically had to use many other tools (for example, chisels, knife, file, etc.), but I did not mention them, otherwise it will turn out to be huge list of tools.

So, first, if necessary, we update the end of the birch blank by sawing off a small part of it with a saw. By the way, this can be done with a jigsaw, but I specially took a hand saw to warm up once again, because it's freezing outside! : e113:

Then we set aside from the end of the workpiece, about 35 mm, (this is just the depth of the hole saw and the length of the lower part of our future sleeve) and cut in this place in a circle, about 5-6 mm deep, with a hand saw with a fine tooth.

After that, we mark the center at the end of the workpiece, clamp it with a clamp and make it along the longitudinal axis of the workpiece, cut it all the way, using a hole saw with a diameter of 51 mm installed in a drill.

Next, we chop off excess wood with a semicircular chisel.

Now we also make a cut to the stop, but with a hole saw with a diameter of 29 mm.

After that, insert a 25 mm diameter perforated drill into the drill, and use it to drill out excess wood from the internal cut.

When the wood has been selected to a depth of two to three centimeters, you can again cut the hole with the hole saw to the stop in order to deepen the inner hole.

Then again remove the excess wood with a feather drill. And we do this several times alternately, until the depth of the inner hole reaches 4.5-5 cm. By the way, for these operations it is better to use two drills (if possible) so as not to rearrange the drills every time.

After the bushing is formed with us, you can remove the clamp and finish the surface of the bushing, first with a knife and then with sandpaper.

Now you can saw off the bushing blank.

To give it a neater look, you can chop off excess wood from the top ledge of the bushing with a chisel.

Then we carry out the final finishing with a knife and sandpaper.

And now our sleeve is finally ready!

Now it is necessary to make a slight revision of the tube of the computer chair, into which our sleeve will be inserted, namely, drill holes in it for the screws.

Therefore, with a drill with a diameter of 4 mm, we drill four holes in the tube for screws.

Then we remove the chamfers, and at the same time the burrs from these holes with a drill of a larger diameter (8-9 mm.).

Inside the tube, remove the burrs using a round metal file with a fine notch.

Now you need to thoroughly clean the tube from small metal shavings and you can install our sleeve into it.

We carefully hammer the sleeve with light hammer blows.

And then we wrap the screws in the prepared holes for additional fastening of the sleeve.

Now you can assemble the computer chair.

But first, it is necessary to lubricate the thrust bearing well with grease.

And, of course, the inner surface of our sleeve.

Well, now, we finally assemble the chair, that is, we put the bearing on the gas lift rod, then we put the crosspiece with the tube and the sleeve on the gas lift cylinder, we install the outer washer and the fixing washer-latch.

And this is what our chair looks like with a new wooden bushing.

After testing the chair, it turned out that everything is functioning normally, the chair rotates, the height of the chair's rise is adjustable without problems, there are no special backlashes.

In general, I don’t know what will happen next, but so far everything is working fine!

Although I must say that theoretically, a wooden sleeve should not be inferior in strength to a plastic one. Therefore, I hope that it will work long enough.

In my opinion, the only thing that can happen to this sleeve is that it can crack. But I think that in this case, too, it will not lose its performance, and to strengthen it, you can simply fasten its upper part with a clamp or even just wrap it tightly with electrical tape.

Well, however, it will be seen further!

Well, that's all for me!
Everyone, so far, and reliable and durable homemade products!

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The armchair is an integral attribute of the interior, which is found in almost every home. A person uses this furniture almost every day, which leads to a deterioration in its condition. An operation such as repairing seats will help restore the technical parameters of the structure.

Furniture repair is a complex operation that depends on the type of product and the breakdown itself. Today, such operations are rarely carried out on their own. It is desirable to entrust the solution of such tasks to experienced specialists who will perform them much faster and better.

Furniture restoration is the restoration of not only its functionality, but also its appearance. A feature of upholstered furniture is that it uses fabric upholstery. To repair the internal structure, the fabric will need to be dismantled or replaced. This operation also requires some skill and effort.

Chair breakage is not always a problem, as you can try to restore it yourself. There are several types of operations that can be easily performed at home:

1. Padding. This process involves replacing the old fabric with a new one. This also includes changing the filler (foam rubber, etc.) and restoring the internal structure of the chair. If necessary, the wooden surface itself can be restored.
2. Upholstery. This approach involves upholstering the surface of the chair with fabric in order to update its appearance. Often, such operations are performed with old rigid structures, the surface of which is not so easy to restore with paint.
3. Repair. This is a general concept that includes the previously discussed operations. But often this word is understood as all repair work related to the restoration of the state of the chair frame. This can include strengthening the structure with metal corners, replacing legs or a seat, and restoring the surface of the material with paint and sanding.

To carry out all the previously described operations, one should not only have experience, but also stock up on a variety of special tools.

Modern armchairs are made from a variety of materials. The design of such modifications consists of many elements that can be replaced if necessary. Often these chairs include office models that are equipped with a gas-lift mechanism. For the restoration of such products, you may need several types of components:

1. Rollers. This mechanism is made from various types of plastic. When choosing this product, it is important to consider its purpose, connector type and fixing method.
2. Gaslift. Almost all office chairs are equipped with this element, which allows the chair to be held at a certain height. There are several types of these designs on the market today. It is important to pay attention to the type of mechanism that was previously used in the damaged chair.
3. Crosspiece. Plays the role of a pivot element. It is carried out in the form of a 5-ray star, to which the rollers are attached. When buying, it is important to pay attention to the quality of the material and the way of joining the parts.

There are many other components that will be needed when repairing such furniture. This includes everything from small knobs and bolts to specialized fabrics.

One of the ways to restore an old leather chair is to stretch it. This process is quite lengthy and laborious. New fabric is bought first. The upholstery can be done like leather and other popular materials. Some experts also recommend purchasing stuffing materials (foam rubber, batting). To simplify the hauling operation, you also need to have a stapler, nails, a hammer, etc.

The algorithm for solving this problem can be described in several sequential steps:

The process of upholstering a chair is slightly different from a constriction, although in many ways it is very similar to it. This operation involves covering the chair with a cloth. For such purposes, only furniture is used that was not originally equipped with fabric upholstery.

Upholstery technology involves the performance of several sequential operations:

All other elements are sheathed according to the same principle. The material can be trimmed if necessary.

Old chairs are often very sturdy and durable. But after a long service life, they lose their attractive appearance. Do not rush to throw away such furniture, as it can be easily restored.

Unlike all cabinet furniture, a computer chair is subject to extremely increased wear and tear, because, in addition to daily use, it has mechanical, and most importantly, hydraulic elements. For example, repairing a gas lift of an office chair with your own hands can be done, but first you need to understand the reasons for the breakdown. So for what reason, for one user, the chair broke down after a few months, while for another, it serves for years without the slightest breakdown? We will deal with this in this article.

Much to surprise, this circumstance does not always depend on the reliability of a particular model. First of all, you need to pay attention to the weight of the owner, as well as to care during operation.

Important! Modern armchairs, as a rule, are designed for a weight of no more than 120 kilograms, and the manufacturers themselves, in turn, provide a guarantee for any malfunction from 12 to 18 months.

From this it can be concluded that the reasons for the breakdown can be:

• careless handling;
• non-observance of weight restrictions;
• the warranty period has expired.

But in the event that your chair has broken down, and the warranty period has already expired, then, having sufficient knowledge and dexterity, you can easily repair a computer chair at home.

Important! Since you have taken up the repair of the chair, it makes sense to put things in order at the entire workplace. And since a computer desk is, as a rule, a bunch of wires of papers and little order, let's start with the main thing - remove the wires from the computer under the table. The next step is the countertop:

If your computer chair lowers itself when you sit down and rises during lifting from it, while the period of lifting or lowering can vary from a couple of seconds to a day, this is a sign that gas has escaped from the gas cartridge.

Important! Gas lifts cannot be repaired in any way, because their disassembly is quite dangerous for human life.

In this situation, you can fix the chair with the help of available tools in the required position, or change the gas cartridge for a new one.

Important! The price of a gas cartridge is not so high, and it can be purchased at absolutely any specialized store.

So, you have made the decision to replace the gas cartridge with your own hands. For this case you will need:

• Armchair;
• Curly screwdriver;
• Rubber hammer;
• Metal drift;
• New gas cartridge that will match the length and diameter;
• Vise for more comfort.

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In the event that you carry out repairs in a cool time of the day, the liquid in the gas lift may well freeze - it is strictly forbidden to use it. Wait until the new gas cartridge is at room temperature. To achieve this, you will need to leave it on for about 24 hours.

• First of all, use a curly screwdriver to unscrew the seat directly from the piastre or the rocking mechanism.
• Flip the chair over, mark the front of your rocking unit.
• Remove the 4 screws that secure the chair seat directly to the rocking mechanism, then set the chair body aside.
• Dismantle the protective casing, take your gas cartridge in a comfortable hand, the swinging block down.
• Use medium blows to tap the rocking mechanism at the very base of the cartridge.

Important! Carefully monitor the degree of flexion of the swing mechanism, do not allow it to bend. If you did not succeed in knocking down the block, try to fix the base of the gas cartridge in the clamp and turn it.

• After removing the rocking mechanism, knock out the gas cartridge from the crosspiece.
• Turn the crosspiece over with the rollers upward and, using a metal drift, knock out the gas cartridge from the tapered base of the crosspiece with precise and accurate blows.

Important! Be sure to watch out for damage to the front side of the chrome crosspiece, as well as the stiffeners of the plastic crosspiece.

Thus, you have disconnected the crosspiece. This means that the difficult task is over, now assemble the chair:

• Screw the rocking mechanism onto the backrest seat itself and pay attention to the correspondence of the front sides of the seat and this block.
• Next, put the crosspiece on the floor with the wheels, dismantle the transport cap from the new gas cartridge.

Important! You should see the button, but under no circumstances press the gas cartridge button in your hands, because it is dangerous.

• Install a new gas cartridge and make sure that the diameter of the gas cartridge fully matches the crosspiece.
• Slide the protective cover and then the chair body directly onto the rocking mechanism.
• In the event that everything is in order, press the body of the chair with your hands, re-check all the elements.

Important! If your chair is not a year or two, then in addition to the constructive repair of the gas lift, it also needs aesthetic, replacement of the upholstery. How to do this, learn from our master class - "How to pull a computer chair with your own hands."

• Now you can sit on the chair, thereby checking the performance of the new gas lift.

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• If you have problems with the gas cartridge immediately after assembling a new seat, it is likely that you have come across a defective gas cartridge. But before you go and complain about the trading organization and demand replacement of the element, check if the button of the gas lift is fixed by a lever from the swing mechanism.
• When the gas lift does not respond when the lever is pressed, check if you have properly secured the piastres or the swing system, if the lever for pressing the gas lift button is not damaged.

In all other cases, it will be necessary to replace the gas cartridge.

Important! If, after reading everything about the repair, you come to the conclusion that, for you personally, it is easier and cheaper to buy a new chair, then do not forget to read the article on how to choose a computer chair.