Methods of making articles from fiber board

Abstract

Abstract This invention provides a method of making furniture from flat sheets of fiberboard In accordance with the method a flat sheet of fiberboard is cut to a particular shape and then softened preferably by immersion in a liquid. The cut and softened sheet is then bent to a required three-dimensional shape and is fixed in that shape by drying. This invention relates to methods of making articles of furniture from fiber board, and in particular hard board, and to articles made by such methods. According to the invention I provide a method of making an article of furniture comprising the steps of cutting a flat sheet of fiberboard to a particular shape softening the cut sheet by treatment with a fluid, bending the softened cut sheet to the required three-dimensional shape and then fixing the sheet in the required three dimensional shape by drying. The invention also includes a method of making an article of furniture comprising the steps of cutting a flat sheet of fiberboard to a particular shape which includes parts that must be secured together to form the finished article, softening the cut sheet by treatment with a fluid, bending the softened cut sheet to the required threedimensional shape with the said parts adjacent to one another, securing the adjacent parts together and then fixing the sheet in the required three-dimensional shape by drying. The threedimensionally shaped piece is preferably joined to at least one other three-dimensionally shaped piece to form a laminated structure. The invention also includes articles when made in accordance with the above method. One advantage of the invention is that it provides articles which are strong. The fluid may be liquid or steam. The other three-dimension-ally shaped piece or pieces may also be made of fiber board, or may consist of other materials such as paper, cardboard, textile fabrics, rubber, plastics materials, wood, or metal. The sheets are preferably joined together by adhesive. The method according to the invention is particularly applicable to the manufacture of seats for chairs and sofas. Therefore according to another feature of the invention I provide a method of making a seat from fiber board, including the steps of cutting a flat sheet of fiber board to a particular shape which includes parts that must be secured together to form the finished seat softening the cut sheet with water or steam, bending the softened sheet to the shape of a seat with the said parts adjacent to one another, securing the adjacent parts together joining the shaped piece to at least one other sheet, to form a laminated structure and fixing the structure in the shape of a seat by drying. The seat thus formed may if desired then be upholstered, or decorated in any known manner, for example with paint or plastics materials, and may be fitted to a base frame to form a chair. A sofa may be constructed from a seat formed according to the invention by cutting the seat vertically into two sections and joining these by a frame, for example a conventional timber frame, so that each section forms one end of the sofa. The sofa may then be upholstered, decorated and fitted to a base frame as above.

Inventors

• 👤 Graham Wilton Jeans

Bibliographic Details