So, not sure if I can describe this all that well in text, but I'll do my best. What I have in mind is essentially a 'T'-shaped piece where the two short arms of the 'T' rest behind the vertical supports for the foot rest, likely using some kind of strap to tighten them up against the frame. Then there would be a diagonal support angled down from the long part of the 'T' with a foot that rests against the foot support of the current wheel chair. At the end of the 'T' would be a flat foot rest ideally (depending on needs) attached to some kind of stem that can be adjusted as needed to give it sufficient height (since the 'T' itself would likely be lower than the needed height for her feet). Since the mechanical supporting structure would be between her legs, she could still lower them when needed, assuming the supporting portion can leave enough of the current footrest available. Also, the attachments for the short arms would allow quickly removing this structure, which is important to allow maneuvering the wheelchair inside our apartment and in some other settings.
Hopefully that makes sense. On Sun, Jul 6, 2014 at 10:19 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > Hm. I have a spare lightweight steel bike frame I could chop and braze up > into something useful. > I may wind up in a wheelchair myself (MS, not relapsing yet) so best get > head of the game. > I'm not clear on what you're trying to build but maybe we can work up > something useful that's within my (rather amateur) fabrication abilities. > > > On 2014-07-06 20:13, Thomas Lockney wrote: > >> Hey folks, >> >> I figured I'd check to see if anyone here might have the ability to >> help me (and my wife) out. My wife frequently has to use a wheelchair, >> but we're looking to enhance it. She now has a condition that requires >> her feet to be elevated as much as possible. We've already spoken with >> the manufacturer of the wheelchair and they already told us they >> couldn't do anything and that welding anything to the frame would be a >> very bad idea -- we're going to take them as knowing better than us. >> We also can't easily afford buying a new wheelchair (yes, insurance >> may cover portions of it, but not nearly as much as you would hope, >> and we're not sure they'd cover a second one, anyway). >> >> So, what I'm looking for is ideally someone who works with the same >> kind of lightweight tubing used for bicycle frames (or similar), who >> has the ability to build something that can attach temporarily, while >> still being structurally stable. I have a basic idea in mind, but I >> need someone who is skilled enough and who has access to the tools to >> execute on it and perhaps even make it better than what I have come up >> with. >> >> For anyone wanting to see the frame we're talking about, it's >> basically, this >> >> model: http://www.quickie-wheelchairs.com/products/ >> Quickie-Q7-Adjustable-27894.html >> [1] (click the image for a larger version). Feel free to contact me >> >> directly, rather than to the list, if you or someone you know might be >> able to help us out. I don't know what work like this would cost, but >> I'm happy to consider any reasonable solutions -- it will still almost >> certainly be less than a new chair. >> >> ~thomas >> >> -- >> >> Thomas Lockney >> [email protected] http://thomas.lockney.net [2] >> >> Links: >> ------ >> [1] http://www.quickie-wheelchairs.com/products/ >> Quickie-Q7-Adjustable-27894.html >> [2] http://thomas.lockney.net >> >> _______________________________________________ >> dorkbotpdx-blabber mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://music.columbia.edu/mailman/listinfo/dorkbotpdx-blabber >> > > _______________________________________________ > dorkbotpdx-blabber mailing list > [email protected] > http://music.columbia.edu/mailman/listinfo/dorkbotpdx-blabber -- Thomas Lockney [email protected] http://thomas.lockney.net
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