By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
It started as a puzzling proposition.
And now patrons at Wintergarden Park can take a load off their feet in the new plywood puzzle chairs – compliments of Eagle Scout Nathan Brubaker.
Though baffling to build, park-goers were not perplexed by the unusual seating.
“It’s rare that we don’t see people sitting here,” Bowling Green’s Natural Resources Coordinator Chris Gajewicz said as he leaned back in one of the chairs in the open area by the nature center.
Brubaker, a Bowling Green High School senior and member of Boy Scout Troop 422 from Conneaut, approached Gajewicz about an Eagle Scout project.
After some thought, Gajewicz suggested that Brubaker build some chairs for park visitors at Wintergarden. And he had a very specific chair in mind.
“I don’t like something everyone else has,” Gajewicz said. He had recently come across a “puzzle chair” at Goodwill, and picked it up without knowing its history.
“It’s a play on traditional Adirondack chairs,” Gajewicz said.
They are the type of chairs that inspire relaxation. “When you sit down, you have to lean back. Everyone’s excited they are here.”
Initially, the seats were quite difficult to decipher. The puzzle chairs, made from Baltic birch cabinet grade plywood, have no nails or screws.
“It was difficult at first,” Brubaker said, sitting in one of his finished products.
He worked with Doug Laborie, at his woodshop, to create a computer-aided design program for the chairs. It took several test runs to perfect the program. Brubaker then smoothed the edges, stained the wood and put the puzzle pieces together.
Brubaker ended up making 10 chairs for the park – and one for his dorm room when he goes to college next year.
“I think they look great,” he said, looking over the chairs.
And park patrons share that assessment.
“People think they are really cool,” Gajewicz said.
The chairs don’t need nails or screws to be sturdy, Brubaker explained, pushing on the wood. “That ain’t moving,” he said with a grin.
They will be put away for the winter – then return again next spring.
Brubaker became interested in Boy Scouting when his older brother, Logan, was a member. A couple years ago, he helped a fellow scout with his Eagle project of making bat boxes for the parks.
This past summer, Brubaker made the trek to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico with his troop. The son of Tim and Laura Brubaker, he plans to attend BGSU next year, probably majoring in business.
But right now, the scout has time for some quality time in one of his puzzle chairs.
“I’m going to sit here and eat ice cream from Sundae Station,” Brubaker said with another grin.
