Question: hey guys quick QUESTION...!!!

Orlando F

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i been on the jewelry business for almost 30 years and ill guess is catching up to me,meaning..getting some lower back pain between setting and engraving putting some serious hours..what you guys recommend for chairs..thanks for sharing..!!!
 

JJ Roberts

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Try engraving while standing,setting is not good for your back.In my shop I two vise's set up one for standing and one for setting and this works just fine for me. J.J.
 

fegarex

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I assume you are using a microscope so you need to a good comfortable chair. I use an office chair. Then adjust the chair so you sit with your thighs on a horizontal plane and feet are flat on the floor. Then..... Adjust EVERYTHING ELSE to fit that seating. Too many people try to adjust things to adapt to the bench. You want to be able to look into the scope without slumping over. My whole body isn't what it used to be but I can sit comfortably in my set up for 18-20 hours at a time if needed.
 

monk

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as rex mentioned everything you use-- not only the scope, bench, lighting, and convenient placment of all that you use, all should be adjusted to you. this makes for comfort whilst working. anything less, you'll develop aches, pains, and will want to leave the bench when you should be working.take a bit of time to analyze how you're currently working. then figure ways to improve on those ways.
 

Ron Spokovich

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There used to be a strange looking chair around, possibly for the watchmakers, which is where I possibly saw it. It was a cross between a chair, and a stool. You sort of sat on it, or knelt into the thing. . .hard to describe. You'd have to change everything around to use it, I think, from what I vaguely recall. I don't know if the thing ever caught on, or not. Maybe some of you guys remember this thing, and I would have no idea of what to begin to google-in to call this thing up. Maybe it's around, or maybe not.
 

oiseau metal arts

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so long as my chair is comfortable I can sit at the bench for near 12hrs straight (and fees like just a few hours).... that said...... my chair is 6 years old, and not feeling as comfortable as it was 3 years ago. (odd since ive added more padding than the chair)

a good chair, and set up can make a huge difference.
 

Toad

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Couple years ago I bought a Herman Miller mirra chair. It as expensive, but worth it.
Hope this helps.
Todd
 

Sam

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screenshot_177.jpg

thanks guys...someone told me about the saddle chair it helps with your posture it helps you to keep your back straight..hey Rex..!!

I would rather be waterboarded than sit in one of those saddle chairs. I tried one at Stuller and it was torture.

I bought this excellent chair from Office Depot a couple of months ago, and it's as comfy as my Herman Miller desk chair (which is the most comfortable chair in the world I think). The size is a bit smaller than the HM so it's nice for engraving. The seat and back are mesh like the HM, and you feel like you're sitting on a cloud. $289 and it's very heavy and seems to be built like a tank.

I always remove the arms on my bench chairs, and did with this one as well.
 

Dan W

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It sounds like a chair that was advertised to secretaries. You would half rest on your knees/lower legs and half on your seat. It was good for your back but difficult to get in and out of. I don't think they were very popular.

Dan Weddle

There used to be a strange looking chair around, possibly for the watchmakers, which is where I possibly saw it. It was a cross between a chair, and a stool. You sort of sat on it, or knelt into the thing. . .hard to describe. You'd have to change everything around to use it, I think, from what I vaguely recall. I don't know if the thing ever caught on, or not. Maybe some of you guys remember this thing, and I would have no idea of what to begin to google-in to call this thing up. Maybe it's around, or maybe not.
 

Riflesmith

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Everyone's posture is different. Luckily, I don't suffer from back ailments though everyone else in my family does and I've never been to a chiropractor......it's that snake oil thing.

I use a drafting chair adjusted so the back supports me, my knees are always bent back with my heels resting in the foot rest of the chair. My chair is adjusted so that I can comfortably use my foot control if I so desire. Also, my microscope is adjusted so that my back is straight and I just bend my neck a minimal amount to look through the eyepieces comfortably. Being as I use an adjustable drill press stand for an engraving table I never have to adjust my chair and my microscope only has to be minimally adjusted. I adjust my work with my drill press stand cranking it up or down that way I don't have to adjust my posture. I'm also a pretty active person so I take a 5 or 10 minute break every hour.

That's just my way of doing things and I realize others are different.
 

Orlando F

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Thank you guys...I'll guess we pick a trade where sitting is necessary to do the work and we spend lots of hours working..Hey Sam I remember you was talking about that chair on your last class of the year last year going to go to check it out..thanks..!!
 

thughes

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Thanks Sam, at $289 that's a lot better than the Herman Miller. I've been having some painful back issues and I know part of it is the POS chair that I have in the shop. I've been looking for deals on the HM's, so this just may be the answer. I'll check it out.

todd
 

Sam

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I'm not saying it's as good as a Herman Miller but it feels very much like the one I have, and the price is a helluva lot less. I tested every task chair at Office Depot and this one was the most comfortable for me. Some chairs have really big seats (like my HM) that make them impractical for getting close to the vise, so keep that in mind.
 

diane b

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The best way to keep your posture so that your back, shoulders and neck don't have strain on them is to maintain your lumbar curve (the inward curve of your back where your waist is located.) You can do this by making sure that your thighs are are parallel to the ground so that your knees are not higher than where your legs attach to your body (we'll call that your hips) or even better by making sure that your knees are lower than your hips. You can also roll up a hand towel and put that between your low back and the chair, which will encourage your lumbar spine to maintain it's inward curve. If you maintain your lumbar curve, your thoracic curve (the outward curve of your back where your ribs are) is maintained. If the thoracic curve is maintained, your shoulders will not be able to roll forward. When your shoulders roll forward, this puts a strain/stretch on the back muscles that go from your back to your shoulders as well as the trapezius which goes from the base of your skull to your shoulders. Also when you spend time with your shoulders rolled forward, your chest muscles (your pec muscles) begin to shorten so that it becomes difficult for your shoulders to return to their normal position when you stand up. If you stand and engrave, the lumbar curve is naturally maintained. Try this out: sit up and keep that lumbar curve maintained (drop your knees below your hips or even stand up) and try and slump your shoulders forward. Then while sitting with your knees above your hips, try and sit up straight so that your shoulders are back. Also try slumping forward with your knees above your hips.

Getting up and moving around every 50 minutes is a great idea and absolutely adjusting your equipment around your seating position is critical. get your posture where it should be, then arrange everything else so that you can maintain your posture. Hope this helps.
diane
 

Doc Mark

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I have a very comfortable adjustable task chair at my bench but when I got everything adjusted for height and angulation of the seat, the back of the chair didn't quite support my lower back. So I thought that using a pillow to give my lumbar area more support would do the trick. I experimented with various sizes and densities of pillows and finally found the solution. Several years ago there was a "fad" pillow being sold which used rice hulls as a filler for the pillow. It was supposed to give the ultimate "molding" and support for your head. My wife thought it was a great idea and bought one. She tried it for two nights, I only lasted one night. It was horrible to sleep on. But now when I'm engraving, I sit upright, get comfortable at the scope and then drop the rice pillow behind me. It forms perfectly around my lower back and is comfortable for hours. I don't know if these pillows are still available but I know that there are some filled with plastic pellets that may work as well. The main advantage of the rice, is that it is heavy enough to stay in place and not roll away from the support area.
 

Brian Marshall

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Drafting chair with foot ring. WITHOUT rollers! When I put it in position it stays there.

When I push hard to bend tweak or set something, the chairs with rollers or wheels move back or to the side... I don't like that.


I've used this chair for 40+ years. Recovered it in leather twice and it needs it badly again.

It is one of those things that never makes "the list for the week" - but I'll be pulling the saddle shop out of storage soon and I plan to spend at least a week making, fixing or repairing all the stuff I've done without for a decade or so.

Been a long, long time since I've run a leather sewing machine, much less a harness stitcher... looking forward to it!


Brian


Saving one dog may not change the world - but it forever changes the world of one dog.
 
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