How do you all work on your chairs?

[thebassman]

Hi, I don't post much, but had a question. I know everyone on here with a disability has varying degrees of mobility depending on condition or level of injury...but those of you who can't work on your chairs, how do you do custom work/modifications to your chairs?

I have been fortunate to have a caregiver that didn't mind getting her hands dirty, and together we did several projects together, with me being the brains and her the brawn. I have good CAD skills and am a mechanical engineer by education, so I know a bit (enough to be dangerous, but not enough to know when to stop). Have a couple 3D printers I've used to make a custom adapter for my sip and puff vent. See below. Anyways, I had to fire her today. I'm now in a pickle, as she has been my hands. I taught her soldering and we made a 16AH Life battery pack for my vent. Etc. Etc.

On top of that, I recently got a new F5 with the Omni (compact joystick - sensitive AF). There are a few mods I've already done. I 3d printed a palm rest as I need extra leverage for my useless hands as well as embedding 3 momentary switches. They are wired up to the 3.5mm jacks, and work great. There are a few backrest size issues I need to resolve before I can get out of my Street and into the F5.

I need to fabricate a rigid vent case/holder and am about 75% done designing it. I don't like the vent trays that you can get, I want it more protected (from weather and small children). Right now I just throw it in a backpack with a giant hole cut out of the back for the air intake.

ANYWAYS, bottom line is I need to find or hire someone as my wheelchair/project technician since I can't do it myself. What do you guys do?

[martin007]

I was born (and grown up) in a very humble family.
Since I was little I had to wake up.
Right now I can not walk and I hardly have strength in my arms.

"Better skill than strength"

[Burgerman]

I have been fortunate to have a caregiver that didn't mind getting her hands dirty, and together we did several projects together, with me being the brains and her the brawn. I have good CAD skills and am a mechanical engineer by education, so I know a bit (enough to be dangerous, but not enough to know when to stop). Have a couple 3D printers I've used to make a custom adapter for my sip and puff vent. See below. Anyways, I had to fire her today. I'm now in a pickle, as she has been my hands. I taught her soldering and we made a 16AH Life battery pack for my vent. Etc. Etc.

I do much as you do. I am the brain, and I pick carers based on 2 things.

If they are fit, attractive, young female and blonde. Well on a few occasions thats definitely helped my choice! (barmaids!). And the other is an interest in helping me no matter what I am up to. Including mechanical, electronic or other projects. Over the last 20 years I have had excellent and plain bad help. What matters most is reliability. And employed a dozen or so carers over 20 years. One way or another we get there! Right now I have one pregnant (not me!) and one male but rubbish at those kind of jobs. So a bit screwed. But where theres a will... Also having the right tools and the right methods helps. But a 1 hour job can take a week. But can be achieved. Its down to planning every bit carefully. Make it simple for them and a bit at a time. Soldering? Mmm.. I do that! Sometimes with help to hold stuff. And most of everything ends up on the floor 20x over. You just need patience.

Had a guy come to assess me or rather go through my books the other day from the council. Had him hold some metal on my transfer board while I drilled it...

One carer quite interested in helping when not on pay, for eg shown here on a solar project! Digging, concreting, hiding cables, drilling holes in walls, roofs, building stainlees tubular gantries, and more. Because to the right people it is fun! Martin... Scroll the whole page. He can be seen on the roof! This is one of my little projects that I can only do 5 percent of myself, but 95 percent of the thinking. My electricity is now only 1/4 of the previous bills. Martin is a little better off too. I give him a few tokens extra for his help. https://www.wheelchairdriver.com/solar- ... riment.htm

When replacing carers I stress that its personal assistance, not care work, and show them a few of my interests, chairs, etc. If they look scared, then find someone that isnt! I am ALWAYS testing, fixing, building, or modyfiing at least 3 or 4 things. Non stop. Drives everyone mad.

"Better skill than strength"

Correct! Knowledge is power. Muscle is cheap.

[ex-Gooserider]

I do 99% of the chair work myself, so not a lot of experience in finding help for that, but the same sorts of things I do for other help might apply...

Tap into your friends and neighbors to the extent that you can, but try to be minimal - ask for small acts, not the sort of stuff that most would hire a pro for...

See if you can find a local 'hacker-space' or 'maker-space', and get involved - if you have engineering skills, offer brain assistance... Makers tend to be the sort of folks that like challenges, and aren't afraid of opening things up to improve them... If nothing else, a reliable source of pizza and is welcome.... (I'm an "Inmate" at the Artisan's Asylum in Somerville, MA, one of the worlds best spaces - we joke that one of our pick-up lines is "Come, let us void warranties together")

See if your local college has any programs for engineering design challenges or similar stuff - you may be able to be a 'client' for a design competition or otherwise get help... (Some schools have requirements for 'social good' sorts of activities....) Ditto trying to find geeky Boy Scouts - often they need projects to help earn merit badges, etc...

BM will rant about how evil they are, but some Religious groups have various assistance programs...

And as he suggests, it can be good to hire caregivers or other assistants that are willing to do technical stuff....

ex-Gooserider

[Scooterman]

I'm doing this at the moment, but wish I wasn't! I'm so worn out, demoralised and everything hurts. But it's nearly finished now, but has taken so long. It's not precision engineering but I've done it to the best of my ability. I'm hoping it might be finished by the end of the week but I reckon I've spent over 100 hours by myself doing it in the backgarden while sat on my wheeled walking frame, manual chair, or floor. That was due to making some parts out of wood first and mistakes/re-thinks made by me. I'm making it in wood and aluminium, I can't work in steel, and stainless is worse of all. It's too heavy for me to handle, dirll and cut.
My dad came round and helped me today as I was a bit demoralised, but he's 79 and has only got one eye and isn't as pernickety about the finish/look of it as me.
But I'm luckily not got the degree of disability as others in this forum and am alaways amazed by what others design & build, either by themselves or with help.
I'm never doing anything like this again, I enjoyed it to start off with and am pleased with the result (I've been out for test runs with everything clamped in place with g-clamps and mole grips). In a small way I feel like them people off Grand Designs who put their heart, soul, and relationship into building their dream home, then end up hating it because of the amount it's taken out of them. Was that too melodramatic a comparison?

Even assistant cat has had enough

[flagman1776]

I have done about everything myself. What should take an hour takes all week... of time & energy. I have to figure how to work around my impairments. If I do have to get help, I agree to break it down into a simple task that another can do quickly & easily. That's why it takes so long. Sometimes my brother comes to visit & I always have a job that needs doing... ready on the bench.

I am working on a network of neighbors who can help me out on occasion.

The burn on my belly where my weak hand dropped the soldering iron... thought it missed me... has almost healed. The huge bruise on my toe is still dark purple where I dropped the 18 x 24" square, edge first onto my foot last week. The swelling in the other foot from where I dropped a simple board on it... after 3 weeks the Dr ordered Xrays... said it wasn't broken... is almost gone 2 months later.

[Burgerman]

All that sounds familiar! Being disabled isnt easy. But you gotta do what you gotta do one way or another, or give up.

[aksel]

I haven't ventured into the lithium projects just yet but I'm fortunate to have my father who raced cars for many years along with friends here and there to help with simple stuff. I think what I've learned is that you can see who is good at helping with things they aren't sure on real quick. Don't get discouraged even if you have to do something little by little.

Btw Bassman is that a Phillips Vent?

[flagman1776]

Yes, absolutely. An AB person might just hold a grab part & screw it in. WE have to break it down into mini-steps. Figure out how to hold it in place. Drill in stages. Then hold the screws just so, to turn it in with one functional hand.

PS Try not to drop hot or heavy tools on yourself.

[martin007]

I'm doing this at the moment, but wish I wasn't! I'm so worn out, demoralised and everything hurts. But it's nearly finished now, but has taken so long. It's not precision engineering but I've done it to the best of my ability. I'm hoping it might be finished by the end of the week but I reckon I've spent over 100 hours by myself doing it in the backgarden while sat on my wheeled walking frame, manual chair, or floor. That was due to making some parts out of wood first and mistakes/re-thinks made by me. I'm making it in wood and aluminium, I can't work in steel, and stainless is worse of all. It's too heavy for me to handle, dirll and cut.
My dad came round and helped me today as I was a bit demoralised, but he's 79 and has only got one eye and isn't as pernickety about the finish/look of it as me.
But I'm luckily not got the degree of disability as others in this forum and am alaways amazed by what others design & build, either by themselves or with help.
I'm never doing anything like this again, I enjoyed it to start off with and am pleased with the result (I've been out for test runs with everything clamped in place with g-clamps and mole grips). In a small way I feel like them people off Grand Designs who put their heart, soul, and relationship into building their dream home, then end up hating it because of the amount it's taken out of them. Was that too melodramatic a comparison?

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Even assistant cat has had enough

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What is it that you are doing?

[hobie1dog]

I get my wife to do most things. My son is second in line, but he his usually "busy", and rarely comes over. I'm always looking for someone to help me with the list of things to do.

[Burgerman]

We all need a 24/7 live in DIYer for free. Where can we get those? My great great great great grandfather used to buy shiploads (with a P) of them and bring them here/us etc. But it became unpopular.