84 Spin Off • http://www.interweave.com
If you’ve ever been vexed by back or body pain after
time spent at the wheel, you’ve no doubt pondered how
to find the ideal spinning chair. Antique spinning stools
and rigid wood spinning chairs can look like torture
devices to the modern spinner. Many spinners have touted
adjustable office chairs, padded piano benches, and even
recliners as potential seating solutions, but perhaps you’re
still looking for a chair that allows you to spin pain-free.
Odds are, you’ve yet to find your spinning-chair
solution because you didn’t know what to look for. It
turns out that there are methods and measurements to
help you find the ideal spinning chair. The equation is
based on you and your wheel, so your best seat is unique.Walt Turpening
The Art & Science of Your Best Seat
By Deborah HeldPhotobyRoxanneEklundFormer geophysicist, researcher, and technology
developer Walt Turpening has not only developed basic
measurements to help us sit comfortably at our wheels,
he has made a booming second career in handcrafting
spinning and weaving seats. Best of all, he’s willing to
share much of what he has learned over the past 20-plus
years as a chair and bench maker.
Even if one of Walt’s coveted, meticulously
fashioned, made-to-measure woven seats never
makes it into your spinning corner, understanding
his customization process can help you find your
own best solution for ergonomically correct, pain-
free spinning.Walt’s custom-made chair for spinner
Roxanne Eklund and her Majacraft Aura.