seat foam... what did you choose? Was it satisfactory?

[Rick50]

Thinking of making my own chair, something comfortable to sit in for hours. Stores don't seem to carry anything really comfortable at any price, at least not that I've sat in.

 

But... I think the single major factor that makes or breaks the idea, is the foam. Too soft, too hard, too thin or too thick, all can make an otherwise comfortable chair... downright unpleasant. But... get it right, as long as the geometry is decent... and your golden.

 

I had a thought that maybe I'd try foam from camping sleepingbag ground pads, you know, the thin foam that you roll up, and put your sleeping bag on top of, so you don't feel every pebble, every twig.

 

Similarly I wondered about those foam tiles people put on the floor of their garage or basement, the ones that seem to link together a little like a puzzle (but no challenge). They often sell at big stores in packages with maybe 8 tiles.

 

Or maybe yoga mats. Or I dunno.

 

But what considerations am I missing? What other types of foam could/should I try?

 

I was aiming to use MDF 'wood' for the frame/chassis, but maybe you have good experience with something else?

[Mr_sukebe]

I’m using a seat from a Mazda. Cheap, will wear well and very comfortable.

[metalnwood]

I don't know where I read this recently, maybe here somewhere.

 

 

CONFOR foam is used in seats for long periods of sitting. Apparently used a lot in aviation https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cmpages/conForFoan.php

[Icebeat]

I don't know where I read this recently, maybe here somewhere.

 

 

CONFOR foam is used in seats for long periods of sitting. Apparently used a lot in aviation https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cmpages/conForFoan.php

 

:thumbup:

[GregP]

I’ve been wondering same lately, as I continue to try to get my Jetseat-on-top-of-Playseat to be tolerable for more than short periods. For the seat part I currently have a layer of thick yoga pad between the two, and then two of these pads on top of the Jetseat: 4 Pack Memory Foam Honeycomb Nonslip Back 16" x16" Chair/Seat Cushion Pad https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A8NX5J6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_UrPsFbNHF8Y1H

 

Then for the seat back, I again have thick yoga mat between the two and a small additional section of mat on top of the Jetseat, right along my spine.

 

As a whole it’s ok for now but definitely could use some improvement. I’ve yet to find a way to completely mask the fairly uncomfortable Jetseat motors that constantly seem to be poking into either my upper thighs or back.

[clayvt]

I got my seat foam from hobby lobby.

They sell different thicknesses and I think I went with 2” and it’s been very comfortable on my plastic bucket seat from Jeggs racing.

[Thadiun Okona]

DIY seats can be nice but there's more to it than good foam, the contour of the seat needs to follow a certain form in order to properly support your back for extended periods of sitting. Look at what an ACES II seat looks like before the seat cushions are on it.

 

 

There is distinct bolstering along the sides and the top curves forward. This is hard to replicate using foams but you can make rigid structure to form the compound curves. I made my own seat for a mechpit a while back using plywood for the structure and first with foam wedges for bolstering but later cut/sanded 2" thick eps foam blocks to form the contours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the cushion I first lined it with yoga mat then 2" Luxfoam for the seat and 1? memory foam and regular foam for the back with Sunbrella fabric covers. Memory foam is good and used in real cockpits too but usually a laminated construction using 1/2" thick sheets of different densities with firm at the bottom, med in the middle and soft on top. It's hard to find 1/2" density rated memory foam for low cost though and in the end you can buy a nice racecar seat for not much more.

 

I have a sailplane simpit that has a kerf-bend formed seat/back to replicate the semi-supine position and likewise use sculpted eps to form the compound curves for the lummbar. That one doesn't even have a cushion and just has a sheepskin cover on it and it's pretty comfy too but would need a thin cushion as well for longer flights. No pics of it finished but here's a wip sot showing basic seat contour

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alternatively I picked up a Cipher AR9 for $100 on Offerup for my simracing rig and man is it comfy though...

 

 

 

[GregP]

I don't know where I read this recently, maybe here somewhere.

 

 

CONFOR foam is used in seats for long periods of sitting. Apparently used a lot in aviation https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cmpages/conForFoan.php

 

 

I went ahead and ordered a single 1” layer of their soft foam, and I’m pretty impressed. Definitely a better material than that used in the many cushions I’ve bought on Amazon over the years. I may be able to use this alone on top of my Jetseat and be comfortable enough. Thanks for the recommendation!

[lobo]

Memory foam. Your *** will thank you.

[Battis]

I tried all kinds of foams and found that none of them work if you have something solid under them, ie plywood in my case. So I made a belt webbing under the memory foam. Works great. No more numb butt.

[BrassEm]

The best foams are used in car seats, they are usually colour coded so you want the Salmon very high density foam. You will have to shop it from an industrial supplier though. But well worth the effort. It is dense enought that it can be sculpted with a fine wire bristle brush (from memory), but extremely messy when doing so. I got a 20mm thick sheet to layer for the comfort I was looking for. For a seat base I've used 60mm. Could go 80 for extreme duration comfort.

 

From my old notes;

 

FOAMS

http://www.foamsuppliers.com.au/

 

Pink Polyurethane foams.

 

Pink HR36-110CM5 110 +-15 50

Salmon HR36-200CM5 200 +-30 45

 

Resilience 45% or higher

Comfort factor 2.0

110 newtons

32Kg/m3

 

Used HR38-200 foam. Cut in segments and glued together.

3M Super 77 Spray Adhesive.

Bond-it Contact Adhesive (soft surface).

Edited September 14, 2020 by BrassEm
added notes

[RogueSqdn]

Alternatively I picked up a Cipher AR9 for $100 on Offerup for my simracing rig and man is it comfy though...

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't recommend a racing seat for VR use. The shoulder bolsters always seem to get in my way, especially when trying to reach switch panels behind the seat, using PointCTRL.

 

I got a Bestop seat made for a Jeep Wrangler (and I'm a Ford guy, have a Bronco First Edition reserved!)