Old Ropes Home
new hope for old rope
A chair kit that provides a second life for climbing rope after its inevitable retirement.
WHAT IT DOES
Most climbing rope is retired after less than 5 years of use. After that, it languishes in a shed or becomes a variety of handicrafts on Etsy. This kit provides a second life to climbing rope after retirement: as a rocking chair. new hope for old rope
INSPIRATION
I first saw a chair made with climbing rope at my local climbing gym. The rope was haphazardly woven around the skeleton of an old chair. I thought it was a fun use for something that was no longer useful for its original purpose. I then checked the internet to see what other people had done and found several other examples of varying beauty and presumably varying comfort. I can only assume that these people were trying to find a place in their home for a rope that had saved their life on numerous occasions. I thought it would be nice to create a product that provided an opportunity for more people to do the same.
HOW IT WORKS
The chair’s wood components are loving cut by CNC from a single sheet of plywood. It is easily assembled by the user with six horizontal rails. The rope is woven in a repetitive process that is deceiving simple, but yields beautiful results. Instructional videos that detail how the frame is assembled and how the rope is woven will be available. BYOR (Bring Your Own Rope) The user can print a QR code to insert into the metal locket plaque. It can be linked to any website the owner desires, but I suggest a YouTube video or Instagram account that documents the adventures the rope has been on. When all is done, have a seat. You deserve it!
DESIGN PROCESS
The initial concept was a rocking chair in the form of an inverted thought bubble. I decided to prototype that and a more conventional Adirondack style design. Both designs would employ the same weaving technique, so I opted to build out the more sensible of the two, which would also require considerably less material in the long run. For the second prototype, I opted to combine my two earlier designs, adapting the Adirondack prototype into a rocker. My first priority was layout, and designed the frame to be cut from a single sheet of plywood. I fabricated it with hand tools and assembled it with steel rods as rails. The biggest development was how the ropeis woven. I devised a way for the seat and back to be woven separately so two shorter ropes can be used, rather than one long one. This opens the possibility for the kit to be used for shorter gym ropes, and not just ropes used outdoors on big walls. The most recent prototype was modeled in Fusion 360 and cut by CNC. The previous version tipped backwards too easily, so I adjusted the model to remedy that. I looked at different joints/hardware and opted for bolts and barrel/dowel nuts, which are easy to use, inexpensive, and low profile. I used two different color ropes to better illustrate how the seat is woven.
HOW IT IS DIFFERENT
Although I did not invent the climbing rope chair, this is the first frame designed specifically for this purpose. There is no existing product that encourages people to find new use for their retired rope (further than cutting it down into other ropeshaped items like dog leashes, dog collars, and camera straps). I haven’t been able to find anything similar to the QR locket. I figured that grownups don’t have exposed QR codes on their furniture, so this was a tasteful way for guests to discover the adventures this chair has been on. The rope is a piece of life saving equipment and can finally have a place of honor in the home after a life well lived.
FUTURE PLANS
My next step is user testing. Now that the Gen 3 prototype is complete, I’d like to see how the chair sits before going full-scale. Fortunately, the 1:2 scale should be a good size for kids. After that, I have to reevaluate the rails and hardware, because smooth cylindrical rails are necessary to be able to tighten and adjust the rope. Once that is sorted out, I can look at selecting wood material for the final product. Eventually, I would love to partner with a rope manufacturer or large outdoor sports retailer to produce, promote, and/or distribute the kit.