Rare bomber seat?????

Has anybody seen a bomber seat made of plywood?? A friend gave me one today. It looks just like the bomber seats everybody is getting in aluminum but it is plywood. It has all the curves and everything. Definately not homemade. I'll take some pics tomorrow.
Clark

 

I have one with a plywood bottom but metal back, is it like that or all plywood?

 

It's all plywood with some aluminum around the holes for the belts.
Clark

 

Sounds odd I'll have to check out the pictures later.

 

There's a thread on bomber seats, where there are pictures & specs on plywood bomber seats (on Page 4, methinks). Type in "plywood bomber seats" & check it out. They are very cool & the guy (moonglow?) even gives a diagram of the measurements. I have a set of the metal ones with the plywood bottoms, but these are only seats out of an older Army truck (either & 2 1/2 ton or an M-37, probably from the '50's).

 

Maybe they're out of the Spruce Goose!

 

A customer of mine who's car is period corect has a pair in his roadster. He built the car in several months from old swapped parts.
I thought that they were prety odd,Had never seen apair.
Coincidently,he works for Mike 3 days a week.

 

Kevin...did he say what they were out of?
Clark

 

I'm interested in seeing the pictures. A couple of years ago, I restored a couple of plywood WW2 aircraft seats for a Fairchild PT-26 trainer. Sound similar to what you have. I will post some pictures of them in a day or two. love your stuff Clark. Your rods rule. Terry

 

Clark -- my dad had a pair in his roadster when I was a little kid. Plywood, with some aluminum edging. They were painted olive drab. I think he said they were the seats from "in the back" of a bomber... when serviceman hitched rides they'd sit in back in these seats.

Dave

 

...hey Clark...they usually came out of trainer aircraft. They were trying to save metal for the war effort. I've got one here if you need it...it'll need to be restored, but if you'll pay the freight, you can have it.

 

They could possibly out of a military glider as well.

 

This is from a Harvard (Canadian AT6 Texan) I think.

 

Just saw the plywood seats at the Henry Ford when we were in Detroit for the Autorama. They were part of the Eames exhibit (you know, famous for the Eames chair). I think these were much more common than you believe... vic

 

I have seen a picture or two of some B-25's that had plywood seats..I know I have seen them for the radio operator...And on some WWII trainers...Its really hard to confirm..I looked into it a while back. With confirmation...I'd gladly make some up and use them in my roadster...The specs are out there as they are for almost all govt. contract stuff.
Tim
MBL

 

seems like a pretty easily replicated pattern... in sheet aluminum too...

youse guys with aluminum seats, what thickness were the sides? i ***ume fairly well stamped with gussets and beads rolled in...

 

Could be Eames, i know he designed a whole bunch of bent plywood leg splints for you guys

 

Took some pictures of the wooden bomber seats at lunch time. The light green ones are out of an Avro Anson WWII trainer. They are all formed plywood with some metal brackets for the seat belts. The pilot's seat has the adjustable base and the others just bolt directly to the floor. The black seat is out of a PT-26 Cornell. It is very similar to the Harvard seat picture posted earlier. It is also formed plywood with metal corner brackets. The last pictures are of an aluminum Moth trainer front seat. It is formed with a flange around the top ridge and is fitted into a sloped par***ion, kind of fits like a sink. I think a couple of these seats in an open modified would look awesome. Check out the cool 3 point harness. Hope this helps. Terry

 

Pretty neat find.

Don't forget that the Mosquito was ALL wood (for the most part)

 

I am pretty sure the Boeing Stearman PT-17 had seats made of wood also.

 

I just figured it was rare cause nobody uses them. I think it would be cool stripped, sanded and cleared.

Larry...I'm interested if it's a match.

Here's the seat.
Clark

 

Cool, I love it, I've been doing alot of bent plywood lately, I'm going to make some.

 

There was alot of those seats right after the war in surplus stores. My dad bought about fifty of them at a surpuls auction in 1946. The ones he bought were out of gliders. They used to call the gliders wooden coffins.
Gary

 

heya clark, can ya take a picture of the back of the seat too?

 

Clark,

I have had several of that style bomber seat in all kind of different materials.
I've had Stainless steel, aluminum, steel, and one that was a phenalic material. Yours is the first I've seen in wood, but I'm not surprised.
During the war effort, aluminum and steel started becoming scarce, so they were contracting out parts to everybody, even cabinet makers, which is probably where yours came from.

 

wood seats stripped ,cleared and realisticly flamed with the top edges actually burned off a bit in a charcoal colored car.... belly tanker

paperdog

 

...sorry Clark, mine doesn't look like that. Mine looks more like a Stearman seat.

 

Clark, those seat are for woodies... not hotrods unless they are made out of wood.......

 

Rare or not, it's pretty cool. It would look great cleared.

Someone mentioned gliders. That could be pretty likely. I have an uncle that flew gliders in WWII. He says that they were made to be disposable since they were landed behind enemy lines. He said he flew his over the English Channel.

 

Wow, those are awesome. Great score!!