Gig Seat Lazyback Construction

The project of the day is a lazyback on our Skeleton Gig. The original Kimball Gig had a clean seat without a back. Kind of a perch seat with not a whole lot to brace against. Our client is looking for a nice solid back rest on the seat frame for comfort and safety. Can’t say as I blame her.



Our goal is to create a traditional design for this part and build it to look like original equipment. We have cut the metal parts and the wood back rest. We are ready to start tacking things together.



I lay out the seat uprights and braces on the seat. On a project like this I like to set it up in the frame and tack it all right in place.



I have fasted the bottom foot of each leg to the seat bottom. Clamp each leg in place and place a small tack weld in each corner.



We needed to add a little tab on the side of each leg as a fastener. With everything welded I am grinding welds to give the part a “malleable iron” appearance. Original antique carriage parts such as this were often cast or forged. Nowadays we like to use standard materials so we weld and grind to create the look.



Done! With the framework anyhow. I think it will look nice. The wedge seat will cover up most of the lower portion of the metal framing. The back will serve its purpose but not be large and overpowering. We have a variety of odds and ends to wrap up on this project this week. I’m looking forward to having it ready for primer by the end of the week.

Have a great day today.

Best!
Todd