# Can I Saw The Arms Off My Chair?



## RickyRozay (Sep 22, 2014)

I just bought a new office chair, like the kind that is leather and plush and all that stuff... but I hate having arms on chairs. When I'm playing games it like pushes my elbows into the air as my desk is fairly low, so now I can't aim properly.

I'm planning on sawing them off tomorrow, but I was wondering if anybody else has any experience or knowledge about whether there would be metal cores in the arms? As I don't want to cut half way through and then be stopped and just stuck with big saw marks.

Thanks


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## natr0n (Sep 22, 2014)

Some are bolted on and can be removed that way too.


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## erocker (Sep 22, 2014)

I suppose it would depend on the chair. You can cut through metal. Get a Sawzall.


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## RickyRozay (Sep 22, 2014)

natr0n said:


> Some are bolted on and can be removed that way too.



Well actually I built it myself and bolted on the arms, but unfortunately the structure relies on the arms being present otherwise the back isn't attached to anything. So I'm just planning on cutting off the top parts and leaving the parts that hold the back together.


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## RickyRozay (Sep 22, 2014)

erocker said:


> I suppose it would depend on the chair. You can cut through metal. Get a Sawzall.



Don't think they exist in the UK  Also I was just planning on using a cheap manual saw, power tools are money


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## TheMailMan78 (Sep 22, 2014)

erocker said:


> I suppose it would depend on the chair. You can cut through metal. Get a Sawzall.


Sawzall? Really bro?

How about a hacksaw...


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## RickyRozay (Sep 22, 2014)

So am I to expect metal inside the arms, as a standard for most of these types of chairs? Or not really

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/6172987.htm


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## TheMailMan78 (Sep 22, 2014)

RickyRozay said:


> So am I to expect metal inside the arms, as a standard for most of these types of chairs? Or not really
> 
> http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/6172987.htm


Use a darn hacksaw and be done with it.


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## RickyRozay (Sep 22, 2014)

TheMailMan78 said:


> Use a darn hacksaw and be done with it.



You will all be hearing from me tomorrow.

PS. Where can I rent a saw in the UK? I'm poor and don't want to buy one.


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## erocker (Sep 22, 2014)

Jim Duggan!! Favorite wrestler ever!



RickyRozay said:


> You will all be hearing from me tomorrow.
> 
> PS. Where can I rent a saw in the UK? I'm poor and don't want to buy one.



Forget the saw... YOU DON'T NEED TO SAW ANYTHING. There are two caps/covers on the sides of the chair. Pop those off and unscrew the arms from the chair.


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## RCoon (Sep 22, 2014)

RickyRozay said:


> PS. Where can I rent a saw in the UK? I'm poor and don't want to buy one.



Pop by my workplace? I have a few industrial tools in one of the classrooms, including a nice bansaw. I can cut your chair up in no time.


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## Frick (Sep 22, 2014)

Or you can return it and buy one without arms maybe? Those exist you know.


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## RickyRozay (Sep 22, 2014)

erocker said:


> Forget the saw... YOU DON'T NEED TO SAW ANYTHING. There are two caps/covers on the sides of the chair. Pop those off and unscrew the arms from the chair.



Yea I know but unfortunately without the arms the chair is not actually together. I built it earlier today, and the back is attached to the arms, which are attached to the bottom. So if I take off the arms, the back and the bottom become 2 seperate pieces


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## RickyRozay (Sep 22, 2014)

RCoon said:


> Pop by my workplace? I have a few industrial tools in one of the classrooms, including a nice bansaw. I can cut your chair up in no time.



where abouts?


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## Vario (Sep 22, 2014)

Only way to do it is cut those arms off, hopefully it still has enough rigidity from the remaining 'L' of material.  As he said, If he just unbolts the arms the back of the chair will come off with the arms.  Otherwise you should return the chair.

Hacksaw is usually about $5-10, blades about $5 a pack.  Just buy one, they are pretty useful.

I would be worried that the remaining material won't be rigid enough.


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## RCoon (Sep 22, 2014)

RickyRozay said:


> where abouts?



Middle of Lincolnshire


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## RickyRozay (Sep 22, 2014)

RCoon said:


> Middle of Lincolnshire



Wow. That's about 3 hours away  If your job is by any chance a helicopter pilot you could bring me a saw?

Basically I got the chair with a £17 discount from 70 to 53, so it's the best I'm gonna get for the price, plus all the armless ones I can find are either expensive or terrible, or both 

I definitely think the L shape will be enough !


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## RCoon (Sep 22, 2014)

RickyRozay said:


> Wow. That's about 3 hours away  If your job is by any chance a helicopter pilot you could bring me a saw?
> 
> Basically I got the chair with a £17 discount from 70 to 53, so it's the best I'm gonna get for the price, plus all the armless ones I can find are either expensive or terrible, or both
> 
> I definitely think the L shape will be enough !



Hah, sadly not. I'd mail you a few spares saws but with my line of work I'm liable to get arrested and put on a list.


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## Vario (Sep 22, 2014)

RickyRozay said:


> Wow. That's about 3 hours away  If your job is by any chance a helicopter pilot you could bring me a saw?
> 
> Basically I got the chair with a £17 discount from 70 to 53, so it's the best I'm gonna get for the price, plus all the armless ones I can find are either expensive or terrible, or both
> 
> I definitely think the L shape will be enough !


You have to have a hardware store somewhere in your town.  Hacksaws are great, you can cut just about anything with enough muscle.


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## RickyRozay (Sep 22, 2014)

I will do some hunting and show you all the results if I'm successful


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## erixx (Sep 22, 2014)

Or buy a chair with all adjustable parts! Removing armrests? Heresy!


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## Frag_Maniac (Sep 22, 2014)

RickyRozay said:


> So am I to expect metal inside the arms, as a standard for most of these types of chairs? Or not really
> 
> http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/6172987.htm



If ^this is the chair you're talking about, you can't just unbolt the arms via the bolts under the caps (red arrows). Reason being the entire area shown in the red box serves double duty as the arms AND brace to connect the back and seat. It might have an L shaped piece of steal wrapping around the lower back under the seat as well, but if so, that's not enough to hold it rigidly for use.

Take the arm/brace assemblies off one at a time, hold it steady on a bench or table with the flat side that faces the chair down, and hacksaw it on the yellow lines. If you like you can take a knife and trim the edges of the cut ends to make it look more rounded and smooth. Then bolt them back on.

I wouldn't worry too much about metal cores. If it has one at all it would more likely be only on the brace part. The arm part is probably just plastic.


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## RickyRozay (Sep 23, 2014)

That's executive, bitch.


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## Jetster (Sep 23, 2014)

That's a POS. You should return it and tell them you don't know what happen


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## RCoon (Sep 23, 2014)

Jetster said:


> That's a POS. You should return it and tell them you don't know what happen



"I was checking my emails, and then all of a sudden I had no arms, and saw marks were left. Plz refund"
At this point, have the chair arms in your teeth, and have your own arms hidden inside your top.


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## FreedomEclipse (Sep 23, 2014)

That chair looks pretty.....



Spoiler



*ARMED* and dangerous



Should have created a plan of action and posted it in the mods sub-forum


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## RickyRozay (Sep 23, 2014)

I do feel kinda sick from the plastic fumes when I was sawing it and it heated up...

But other than that it's sooo comfy.


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## Rowsol (Sep 23, 2014)

That's gonna break as soon as you lean back.


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## Sir B. Fannybottom (Sep 23, 2014)

RickyRozay said:


> That's executive, bitch.


this is maybe the best thread on TPU.


Side note: srsly that chair will break. I had one almost exactly like that, girlfriend sat on my lap and we leaned back a bit and the arms snapped off, don't imagine one missing 2/3rds of the arm would be much better.


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## Vario (Sep 23, 2014)

So goddamn executive.  Think of us @ TPU when you fire someone from your executive corner office, from behind your executive desk, and in your executive chair.  We helped make it possible.


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## FreedomEclipse (Sep 23, 2014)

Sir B. Fannybottom said:


> girlfriend sat on my lap and we leaned back a bit and the arms snapped off, don't imagine one missing 2/3rds of the arm would be much better.



*ON A SIDENOTE:  - *Please tell me that you at least turned it into a joke by telling her she was fat and to lose some weight. Im guessing you didnt because youre still alive or not missing any limbs...


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## RCoon (Sep 23, 2014)

Sir B. Fannybottom said:


> this is maybe the best thread on TPU.
> 
> 
> Side note: srsly that chair will break. I had one almost exactly like that, girlfriend sat on my lap and we leaned back a bit and the arms snapped off, don't imagine one missing 2/3rds of the arm would be much better.



"my girlfriend sat on me and we leaned back and the arms snapped off"

There's a lot missing between "leaned back" and "arms snapped off"

Wub-a-lub-a-dub-dub


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## FreedomEclipse (Sep 23, 2014)

RCoon said:


> "my girlfriend sat on me and we leaned back and the arms snapped off"
> 
> There's a lot missing between "leaned back" and "arms snapped off"
> 
> Wub-a-lub-a-dub-dub



save that business for the front seat of a car and get your coon out of the gutter!


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## TheoneandonlyMrK (Sep 23, 2014)

RickyRozay said:


> Don't think they exist in the UK  Also I was just planning on using a cheap manual saw, power tools are money


Well hacksaws do , , you don't have to use power tools on such assmall scale job.


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## 64K (Sep 23, 2014)

RCoon said:


> "my girlfriend sat on me and we leaned back and the arms snapped off"
> 
> There's a lot missing between "leaned back" and "arms snapped off"
> 
> Wub-a-lub-a-dub-dub



Yeah, I think he might of gotten a little too frisky for that chairs recommended stats.


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## RickyRozay (Sep 23, 2014)

Well I've been leaning back like Fat Joe and nothing has happened. Believe me, it's strong.

Not only is it executive, it's unique. Only a thug ass executive would have something custom made, FOR MAH CUSTOM AZZZZ


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## Frick (Sep 23, 2014)

FreedomEclipse said:


> save that business for the front seat of a car and get your coon out of the gutter!



The best computer chair I've sat in was a front seat from a Saab 9000 on some wooden planks. Bolt it to the floor and it holds for all sorts of activities.


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## Guitar (Sep 23, 2014)

10/10. Thread of the year.


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## FreedomEclipse (Sep 23, 2014)

Frick said:


> The best computer chair I've sat in was a front seat from a Saab 9000 on some wooden planks. Bolt it to the floor and it holds for all sorts of activities.



I think this chair pretty much outdoes your chair....






The only problem here is that for 99% of us we just cant afford such a beautiful work of art.


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## eidairaman1 (Sep 23, 2014)

They arent designed to support 2 people at once. Only a recliner can really do that.



Sir B. Fannybottom said:


> this is maybe the best thread on TPU.
> 
> 
> Side note: srsly that chair will break. I had one almost exactly like that, girlfriend sat on my lap and we leaned back a bit and the arms snapped off, don't imagine one missing 2/3rds of the arm would be much better.


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## RickyRozay (Sep 23, 2014)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-man-fused-chair-sat-years-dies-hospital.html

You don't want to be TOO comfortable.



FreedomEclipse said:


> I think this chair pretty much outdoes your chair....
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Why the fuck does he have a chair like that if all he's doing is graphs and spreadsheets. What a cock.


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## FreedomEclipse (Sep 23, 2014)

RickyRozay said:


> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-man-fused-chair-sat-years-dies-hospital.html
> 
> You don't want to be TOO comfortable.
> 
> ...



Did you even read the article? the man had arthritis and found it really difficult to walk. Didnt like doctors so didnt go hospital - but above all he was morbidly obese. A man like that needs almost around the clock care and his death was a result of circumstance. Lets just say the choices he made wasn't the best ones.


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## OneMoar (Sep 23, 2014)

WHY TPU whyyyyyyyyyyyyy


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## INSTG8R (Sep 23, 2014)

The finished product deserves a  spot in the Ghetto Mods thread


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## Frag_Maniac (Sep 23, 2014)

Ugly, but adequate, that is IF the brace part you left behind has a metal core, and it may not if it's a cheap chair.

There's an easy way you could beef up that brace if the chair feels too springy when you lean back though.

Just buy a metal (aluminum) yard/meter stick, if you can't find an equivalent size piece of alu in a metal scrap yard. I have a meter length stick I've had for years, even though I live in the states. It has metric on one edge, standard on the other, and is blank on the flip side.  Note that if you go the scrap yard route, 7000 series alu is more expensive, harder to cut, and not necessary.

Now mark off a couple pieces to fit between the top back bolt and the front seat bolt, allowing of course for room beyond the bolts. Use the removed chair brace to do this. Cut the pieces to length.

You can angle cut and paint them if you care about aesthetics, but you don't appear to, so.

Measure the thickness of the bolts and center mark their spread distance on the pieces you cut. Drill the bolt holes. Note that it's better to error on the shorter than bolt spread side, then ream the holes outward a bit, as going too wide with your hole spread may cause too much repeated flex in the plastic chair brace if the bolts loosen slightly over time.

Then just fit the pieces of alu between the chair and brace. Wa lah! Simple, cheap additional brace structure.


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## RickyRozay (Sep 23, 2014)

Frag Maniac said:


> Ugly, but adequate, that is IF the brace part you left behind has a metal core, and it may not if it's a cheap chair.
> 
> There's an easy way you could beef up that brace if the chair feels too springy when you lean back though.
> 
> ...



Yea I doubt there's any metal in the brace part as I haven't encountered any, and yes aesthetics are definitely not my thing! No PC case, no attempt to hide anything, just needs to function.

I shall certainly look into your suggestions, thanks


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## stinger608 (Sep 24, 2014)

Man, o' man, this thread just reminded me of this:










Bhahahahahaha


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## OneMoar (Sep 24, 2014)




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## jboydgolfer (Sep 24, 2014)

they sell 'em without arm's BTW


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## MilkyWay (Sep 24, 2014)

Dude Argos chairs you have to assemble as they are flat pack. I'm also pretty sure the arms come off with an allen key the same way they went on.
Bloody hell though it looks hilarious with them sawed off.

Nothing beats the crappiness of the Konix Multisystem (Konix Powerchair), this was almost a real production games console lmao. The hardware successor to this eventually became the Atari Jaguar.


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## Frag_Maniac (Sep 25, 2014)

^LOL, that looks like a chair a Ken doll would use.


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## Sir B. Fannybottom (Dec 17, 2014)

Really depressed Op's images have gone away


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## FreedomEclipse (Dec 17, 2014)

Sir B. Fannybottom said:


> Really depressed Op's images have gone away



the fumes probably got to him.


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