How To Build A Gaming Chair For Under $100

The Base for the Chair

To start you will need these materials:

A drill
Set of drill bits
Box of 3in Screws ( or something long enough to go through a 2x4 )
Two 2x4x8 boards ( maybe longer depending on your size)
One 2x8-12x8 ( I say 8-12 because the width of the board is up to you, I think I used 12in but the board is used for the base of the chair so, the height is your choice )
One 2x6x6 board
One car seat with frame full frame assembly
A wood saw
Four L- Brackets. ( I reccomend making them yourself with some scrap metal )
Paint ( optional )
Eight 6in bolts, probably as thick as your pinkie. Matching nuts
If your car doesn’t have bolts for the base of the frame, I reccomend you buy some because you will be attaching them to the L Brackets

The whole thing is pretty easy

So in the second picture you can see the base. I used the 2x8-12x8 board for the sides, cutting them to size with my chair. The botton was wider than the top for structural integrity as well as accessibility and looks. Try and make the bottom around 6-12 inches wider than the top. The top should only be as long, or 1-2 inches longer then the chairs frame. You’ll keep a flush look and make it easier to adjust and get in and out of.

Cut At the Dotted Line

Cut up two of these, exactly the same size. Once you got these cut up, stand the two up and set the chair on top. You may need a buddie to help, but once you line up the board, you should see the top line up flush with the rails. Good! Make sure it’s straight an everything from side to side, end to end. Once you got that ready, measure the distance between the two boards, starting and ending on the outside of them. Take that length and cut up Four 2x4’s. Start at the bottom line up the 2x4’s with the base so they are perpendicular, like in the photos above. Drill 2 holes on each side with a bit, then screw in the screws. I reccomend bottom to top because it’ll be way more easier. Repeat the steps until you have base assembled. Good job! You’re about halfway there!

Should look something like this

Or Better Yet, Like this.

Once you have the base, you will need to start mocking up your L- Brackets. If you can see above, I bolted them to the base and the chair. What you’ll want to do is drill some holes in the l bracket and bolt them to the chair. If they wiggle a little that’s ok, the base is what SHOULD be supporting the chair. The Brackets are just to hold you from falling off the base. You may need to find a new location to bolt the L-Brackets cuz it’s just too hard, that’s ok. Just use a Christmas tree drill bit and get your holes drilled, i suggest you take off the rails though so you can get both side. ( Pro Tip: when you bold the L brackets to the frame, make sure the head of the bolt is on the bottom, once you tighten up the brackets, cut off the excess threaded part of the bolt so it bits on your chair with ease!!! ) Ok. Finally! Once those are finished you can set the chair on the base and see how it fits. Uh oh, the bolts rest on the base? No worries, put the seat where it needs to be on the base, then you or a fat friend will sit on the base and try and make some intends in the wood. If that doesn’t work, just use paint to mark the spots. Now drill out a hole large enough for the head of the bolt to fit in. The seat should be sitting mostly flat on the base now. Ok the chairs almost done. Make sure the chair is where it’s going to stay for every. Got it? Close enough. Drill 2 holes on each L bracket like in the picture above and bolt up the brackets. If they don’t fit well, or have too much of a gap. Either A. Put some wood in between to fill it and tighten it up. B. remove brackets and hammer them out flat and start over. Or C. Put some washers between the brackets and the base and tighten it up. I did washers.

Ok. Now To The Table

Cut some 2x4’s to about 3ft long. You can shorten them up if you want later. Put those two board on the outside of the base and line them up, making sure they look like the ones in the picture Get a some 2x4 scraps. You’ll need 2 of them. Size doesn’t matter. Ok. Now pay attention to the picture. You see how there is a 2x4 on the front of those boards? You will want to make one just like that. What is the exact size? Well, this is where it gets a little difficult to explain, so I’ll try and draw it.

Hope This Helps

So you see the extra space? It’s bacsilly the width of a 3ft 2x4. So if you have a 2x4 or scrap of one, put it on the end where the front board will go, on both sides. So the length of the from board is the distance between the 2x4’s, plus the width of two more 2x4’s. If it doesn’t make sense. The pictures should be enough to help you. Ok. Now that is done with. Cuz the front board, drill and screw it to the 3ft 2x4’s like in the picture, and make sure there is a little bit of extra wood on each end.

Almost There

So cut the 2x6x6 in half. Once cut them in half, you should line up the board with the base like in my bad drawing. I reccomend you take the chair off one last time for this, or do it before you attach the chairs ok. So you don’t need to cut off much, only enough on the bottom so the board will stand up at an angle the same as the base.

Only Cut Off As Much As you Need.

Ok, once you have cut that end off to the correct angle, lay you board on the other half you cut, mark it. Cut it to same size.

Just A Little Bit More!

So remember how I had you leave a little extra wood on each side of the front board? Well this is why. If you try and line up the boards we just cut there is this ugly gap in between them that suffers structural strength. So we will cut off the top of those boards 2x6 board just enough that there is a flat front the height of the front board. AWESOME! Almost there!!!!. No get a friend to hold one of those boards up and line them up like in my other picture of the table. Does it look the same? Good. Now drill and screw in 5 screws on each side, and two from the front, through the front board.

Screw In The Boards Like Shown

Ok. After you have attached both 2x6’s it should be pretty sturdy, and you’ll be able to slide that table back and forward. Good. Now. Lastly! Remember those little end we first cut off the 2x6’s? The ones so it would stand up at the same angle as the base? Those can be used to cut the top of your 2x6’s now, so it’ll be flat for the table top. Look here in another of my bad drawings.

Cut Here!

Now take a level if you got one and make sure both are level and flat. If you want now, you can clean up the whole thing and sand it down to avoid slivers. Now finally step.

You should have some 2x8-12 left over. Cut it so it’s a rectangle and get it on top of the 2x6’s. Line it up as best as possible, drill some holes and screw it together. Guess what?

YOURE FINISHED!!!

If you want, I am sticker bombing mine at the moment. But you can do whatever. Paint it. Covered it in car badges. Name it. You now have an awesome set up on the cheaps.

Cool bonus. Because you used the frame rails, the seat is adjustable too. And another nice feature is, because we put that front board on, now you can set your gaming pedals behind it and they won’t slip away.

Thanks guys! If you have any more questions or comments, feel free to leave them below! Here’s a picture of the chair in action.

Side note: if you wanted to be even cooler, you can make a spot to store your gaming system under the base board, and mount a TV on the table for a different effect, but you know. A man only has so much money.

Gaming Chair in Use!