How it's Made: Little Midcentury Sofa and Armchair
This tutorial will show you how to make a little armchair and sofa. You will need:
one length of 1mm thick bass wood (bass wood is available in most hobby stores or online);
one length of 3mm thick bass wood
one length of 5mm balsa wood;
all purpose water based glue;
standard craft blade;
fine sandpaper;
Wood stain and shellac;
fabric of your choice.
**Note: the measurements given below are for 1:24 scale. If you would like to make the sofa in 1:12, double the measurements (including the wood thicknesses).
1. Begin with the arms of the sofa/armchair from the 3mm bass wood. Cut two for each chair as shown above. Each arm should be about 25mm long.
2. Once cut, shape the arms by sanding the edges round, and give the arm a little shape as shown above. The reason we use 3mm thick wood here is to make the shaping possible.
3. Next you must make the side frame of your chair (repeat this for the sofa, as the sides are the same in the sofa and armchair). Cut four lengths from the 1mm bass wood to form the legs. Sand these roundish. The back legs should be shorter than the front legs. The back legs will be 19mm long, the front legs 21mm long.
4. Once you have cut and sanded the legs, cut two crossbars. These should measure 21mm in length. Cut the edges on an angle, as they will need to sit between the legs which slant outward.
5. Following this you can begin with the base/seat of the chair. Use 1mm bass wood cut in 3mm wide strips from which to cut the pieces as shown above. The base should be a square measuring 22mm x 22mm.
6. Now you can repeat the arm frame process for the sofa and make chair bed and back for both as shown above. The sofa chair bed and back should measure 60mm x 22mm.
7. Now you can make the cushions for the armchair and sofa. Make these from balsa wood because it can be easily shaped. Cut four pieces as shown above in the same dimensions as the back and bed of the chairs.
8. Once cut, sand the edges round. Use a wood grain filler if the surface is not smooth. Balsa wood can have varying quality, and wood grain filler helps.
9. Stain the chairs using a combination of wood stain (colour of your choice) and shellac. The additive of shellac dilutes the stain and gives a move even finish and realistic sheen to the wood.
10. Once the balsa wood cushions are shaped you can either paint them or cover them with fine fabric.
And you’re done!