recliners

[lruthb]

I used to charge extra to redo recliners due to having to take your life in to your own hands. The new recliners have a base (inside and outside arms ) together with a connecting board binding them together. Easy to disassemble and reassemble. I love not having to be a contortionist! This is the second one in a month it makes my day. I'm off to Lacross, Wi for my son's registration for colledge. I look forward to hearing stories from all of you when I return.

[gene]

My daughter recently got two matching recliners from a neighbor for free. They are hard wood and 5/4 maple furniture grade plywood. The head rest pops up from the back of the chair as the recliner reclines.

I am reupholstering the base, as you described lruthb, the head and foot rests. I'll clean the fabric on the center section.

She is going to use them in her first apartment that she just got at college.

What an interesting coincidental post for me.

gene

[Mojo]

Recliners is just one of the many reasons why I do not do furniture.

I have a great deal of respect for you rag tackers. Maybe I am wrong but your work looks difficult and requires much more skill then what I am used to applying. I have always felt I could take a monkey and teach them how to cut, fold, crease and sew canvas for toppers and awnings. :)

My hats off to all of you furniture people and marine fab people as well. Recliners ???????? Enclosures ??????????? Yikes...  ;D

Chris

[sofadoc]

Mechanically speaking, recliners are a breeze for me. I can take one apart and put it back together in a matter of minutes.
Where they become a PITA, is with some of the crazy ones that have all the gathered seams.
They can be done, but usually too much labor involved to make them even worth doing.

[kodydog]

I used to charge extra to redo recliners due to having to take your life in to your own hands. The new recliners have a base (inside and outside arms ) together with a connecting board binding them together. Easy to disassemble and reassemble. I love not having to be a contortionist! This is the second one in a month it makes my day. I'm off to Lacross, Wi for my son's registration for colledge. I look forward to hearing stories from all of you when I return.

When you say you used to charge more for recliners does that mean you no longer do? I've priced them to the point that I only get 4 or 5 a year.

The inside and outside arms are usually the easy part and most recliners today are much easier than the recliners of the 50's, 60's, and 70's as far as taking the mechanisms apart. But I'm not sure what you mean by making your day. Have you found a recliner that is incredibly easy to do.  :) More info please.

Best of luck to your son.

[baileyuph]

I don't know what page to get on.  LOL.

For me, disassembly of major components (i.e. back from bottom, base from mechanism, or even perhaps the mechanism (some) they do come apart rather quickly. 

But, disassembly isn't the major task in reupholstering.  As already pointed out the gathers required in the cushions (seat, backrest, footrest aprons that run from bottom cushion to the rest, and even arms) do take time because the typical shop is not equipped with computer assisted differential feed equipment as factories obviously are.  In other words there is a considerable disparity between the technology set up we custom people use today and the manufacturers use.  My gut is even with the differential feed sewing equipment, the custom shop would still not be competitive with manufacturing efficiencies.

That said..............

Since there has been differential feed incorporated in manufacturing other dimensions of upholstery, cars namely, have any of the readers here learned of any differential feed equipment being marketed for the small custom market today?

I just finished some leather work on an 80's someting Merkur which was manufactured with differential feed capability.  It was a "trip" to duplicate the gathering requirements even well enough to look respectable.  That took extra time and I just lucked out.  The car collector, my customer, is talking about bringing another to be worked on.  Lucky me!  Not!

Bottom line to recliners, my experience, may be easier to separate components but a lot more time to reupholster.

On the repair side, that isn't all bad business for my small shop.

Doyle

[byhammerandhand]

When I started the business, a colleague told me that he could replace a mech in about 45 minutes.  The first one I did took 4 hours.   I think it was a Berkline.  The problem was that the springs in the seat were held in place by the mech.  So when you removed the mech, you had to remove the back rail containing the springs,    Most of the others since have a four sided "box" for the seat and that has always been much easier.

Then I started doing a bunch for one particular retail customer.  Theirs always had the back bolted on to the mech arms.   I learned quickly that it pays to open up the outside back so you can see what you are doing rather than feeling your way around and trying to find 4 holes to put the bolts back in.    A lot of them have slip-on / click-on backs that easily remove by hand when you release the catches.   Those are easiest of all.  Take a power screwdriver with long bits, ratcheting wrenches, maybe a socket wrench with 6" extension, and occasionally spring pullers to swap springs if they're not on the new unit.

I've done many since and now have it around the 45-60 minute mark, all done on the consumer's floor.  Not usually a problem unless there is a tricky issue.

I now have an account with Leggett & Platt, I send them the mech number and/or photos, and they tell me the price and model to order.   With the account, they'll just bill me.  Otherwise, they want a check before they ship.   They don't take credit cards.

[lruthb]

We made it home! Beautiful Campus. Outdoorsy community. I figured there was a 3/1 girl to boy ratio. My son didn't seem to mind. Anyway.

When I say I used to charge more I mean MORE. My labor on recliners was at or better than my sofa labor. I was always surprised when someone took me up on those estimates.
Alot of the earlier recliners were dangerous to work with. I had a coworker break his arm by being pinched between the inside arm and the seat. Once that mechanism started to go he was the loser.
Having the mechanism handy to be able to open up outside backs or arms isn't what I was getting at. The ones that you were only able to remove by sliding the me chinism this way and that to get at the bolts to remove seat/back. The ones you had to make your own tools to fit in that small space. God help you if you removed the wrong ones first. So now you have it all apart...great..untill you have to line the darn thing back together.
I have found the whole 'modern" recliners to be very easy to do. They separate into small pieces with ease. I am able to upholster all of it at my cutting table, it only reaches my saw horses to be put back together. The attached pillows, gathering, pleats, tuck and roll goes well for me.

I was happy to see all your responses!
Lynn

[Chill]

To make the gathers easier, stretch and sew 3/8 wide elastic to the back side of gathered piece just inside seamline. Then pull it to fit as you sew the pieces together.
My only recliner injury came when I accidently flipped the trigger and one of the footpiece  parts kicked me in the chin! I am a bit more careful now.

[gene]

Here's pics of the recliners I mentioned. These are pics of only one of them, but they are both identical.

My daughter got them from a neighbor for her first apartment at college.

The blue fabric is the original fabric. I had it professionally cleaned. I took the side panels of blue fabric and washed them in my washing machine and then made welt cord out of it. My daughter picked out the floral fabric, which I think is awesome. The blue in the floral fabric, which is a bit difficult to see in these pics, is the same blue as in the original fabric.

I put new foam on the foot, head, and arm rests. Notice that the head rest pops up when the chair is reclined. The head rest in the picture is not 'popped up' all the way.

There are two of these recliners matched the same.

My daughter is very lucky to have a dad that loves her and is willing to take 5% off retail price for my upholstery services.

Of course, being my daughter, I will never send her the bill - because, being my daughter, she would never pay it any way, so why bother?!?

gene

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[kodydog]

Nice job Gene. Your daughter IS lucky.

[byhammerandhand]

Wow, that original fabric sure came clean.  You'd never know it was the original.

It looks like the RSF inside arm panel is on upside down though.   

5% is a great family discount.

;D

The blue fabric is the original fabric. I had it professionally cleaned. I took the side panels of blue fabric and washed them in my washing machine and then made welt cord out of it. My daughter picked out the floral fabric, which I think is awesome. The blue in the floral fabric, which is a bit difficult to see in these pics, is the same blue as in the original fabric.

[SophiaBaker]

The chairs are exactly the same - swivel, glider, and recliner. I went back to the store last week to sit in the leather chair but they had already sold it. I tried to go in there without them recognizing me but everyone there knows I am the lady that is not happy. The plant manager at living furnitures said that they stuff the upholstered chairs more than they do the leather chairs but I didn't know that when I bought the chairs. The furniture owner said he didn't know it either - again, not accepting responsibility. I am trying not to lose my temper with him because I am hoping he can try to help me out more. I have said numerous times, I sat in the chair I wanted to buy. I wouldn't have ordered a chair that was too big for me. It's a crazy situation I have found myself in. And we did pay cash for the chairs when we bought them. We also bought a livingfurnituresleather sofa when we bought the chairs. recliners