Step chair explained

Step chair should not be confused with chair step.

A step chair, also called a ladder chair, a library chair, a convertible chair or a Franklin chair, is a piece of furniture which folds to become either a chair or a small set of steps or stairs. Building one (usually in the diagonal-side-cut style) is a popular DIY project.^{[1] [2] [3]}

It is sometimes claimed that these chairs were designed by Benjamin Franklin. Franklin himself preferred to sit in a step chair he designed for his own library. This chair folded in a slightly different way from the common diagonal-side-cut step chair; the seat flips up, resting against the reclined back of the chair, and forming three steps; one formerly hidden under and parallel to the seat, and two attached vertically along the seat's front edge and midline.^[4]

A variant form has a third position, in which the back of the chair becomes an ironing-board.^[5] This design was common in the 1700s, but was revived in the 1990s.^[6] It has been described as suitable for small apartments. Its design is sometimes attributed to Thomas Jefferson, and thus called a Jefferson chair.^[7] This type is also known as three-in-one chair, bachelor chair, or onit chair.^{[8] [9]}

See also

• Monks bench
• Metamorphic library steps

External links

• Taylor . Clive . The Regency Period Metamorphic Library Chair . 2009 .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Barrett . Neal . How to Build a Step Stool: Simple DIY Woodworking Project . Popular Mechanics . 12 October 2007.
2. Web site: Marshall . Chris . Project Plan Convertible Step Stool Chair Woodworking . Woodworker's journal . 8 September 2014. (PDF with plans
3. Web site: Scott . DIY Ladder Chair - A Modern Twist on an American Classic . Remodelaholic . 9 December 2017.
4. Web site: Library chair with folding steps . www.benfranklin300.org . The Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary (Exhibition) . 1760–1780.
5. Web site: 14-1302. - Bachelors Chair Woodworking Plan . https://web.archive.org/web/20100122135058/http://www.woodworkersworkshop.com/store/Bachelors_Chair.html . 2010-01-22. 22 January 2010. Woodworker's journal.
6. Web site: Rohrlich . Marianne . Currents; CONTRAPTION -- Step Right This Way (Or That Way) . The New York Times . 4 June 1998.
7. Web site: Zimmer . Lori . The Bachelor Chair is a Step Stool, Seat and Ironing Board All in One . Apr 1, 2011.
8. Web site: Bachelor, Jefferson, Folding, Ironing Board, Step Stool, Chair . www.cottagecraftworks.com.
9. Web site: Ironing Board Step Stool Collectors' Concerns Kovels Komments . www.kovels.com.