Communities in developing countries have limited budgets for education. Even though they may provide a school building, they often don’t have money to buy furniture to equip it. However, low-cost, durable, attractive school chairs can be produced in essentially any region of the world from locally available wood, wood residues or semi-processed woody materials. These chairs could fill a need for economical, functional school furniture in developing countries. This six-page publication describes the process for producing these kinds of chairs.​

How to Build a Simple Chair for Schools or Homes in Disadvantaged Areas of the World Using Local Resources and Low-End Technology is available in The Education Store today!

Resources
Joint Design Manual for Furniture Frames Constructed of Plywood and Oriented Strand Board, The Education Store
The Shrinking and Swelling of Wood and Its Effect on Furniture, The Education Store
Performance Test Method for Intensive Use Chairs – FNEW 83-269: A Description of the Test Method with Drawings​, The Education Store
How Baby Bear’s Chair Was Made, The Education Store

​Eva Haviarova, Associate Professor of Wood Products
Carl A. Eckelman​, Professor of Wood Products
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University