How to raise swivel chair seat (floor, washer, sink, pipe)
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I bought a wood swivel chair from Massachusetts about 20 years ago. It's a high-quality chair.
Recently I notice that I'm unable to raise the seat height.
I laid it down on the floor and was able to extend the length of the cylinder. See the first photo. However, when I put it upright, the seat sank to the original height. See the second photo.
I noticed that while there was a distance between the black cap and the lower hardware when laid flat, the cap moved down to rest on the lower hardware once in the upright position.
Anyone can advise what to do to keep the seat height without sinking?
Turn the collar on the shaft- don’t turn the seat or base.
As it’s lying on it’s side, turning the collar CCW should raise the seat, CW should lower seat.
I'm able to adjust the seat height as it's lying on its side by moving the lower part (with the wood legs). Rotating the collar seems to have no bearing on seat height. As a matter of fact, the collar can move up and down the shaft without rotating. It can only be stopped by the metal washer. See the attached photos.
However, when it's upright, the lower part (with the wood legs) goes up to meet the metal washer and the collar, causing the seat to sink.
What stops the lower part (with the wood legs) to stay put? Could this be due to the damaged metal washer under the collar? It is not flat and is not easy to move along the shaft due to the uneven shape. Shall I replace the metal washer?
If the collar can move up and down the shaft without turning, then it is just "decorative". The washer is what is controlling the height, and may look like it's damaged , but is made to "thread" up and down the shaft to control the height.
Try turning the washer towards the base for more height.
FWIW, most chairs of this type the collar and washer are one unit used to control height..
Yep- what you're calling a "washer" is what controls the height adjustment. The collar and "washer" are usually one unit- making adjustment easy and not getting oily/greasy!
What stops the lower part (with the wood legs) to stay put? Could this be due to the damaged metal washer under the collar? It is not flat and is not easy to move along the shaft due to the uneven shape. Shall I replace the metal washer?
Yes.
The washer is designed to turn in the threads of the shaft. Like a nut on a bolt.
I can see daylight through the washer in one of the photos.
That's likely the problem.
If you can't find a washer that works you can probably rig something with a clamp that will hold the seat up.
The washer is designed to turn in the threads of the shaft. Like a nut on a bolt.
I can see daylight through the washer in one of the photos.
That's likely the problem.
If you can't find a washer that works you can probably rig something with a clamp that will hold the seat up.
I'm unable to find a replacement washer with a collar connected to it. Replacing the washer alone would not work, because when rotating the collar, the washer should be rotated as well (to control the seat height). I wish I had more knowledge of the inner workings of the washer and collar in order to fix the issue properly.
As a workaround, I use a PVC pipe to increase the chair height by 2". See the attached photo. I put the PVC pipe under the metal washer (that is inside the collar). Since the height is now standard 18", there is no need to adjust the height.
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