All the armrests I looked at seemed to sit too far back for my ideal comfort zone, and were a bit pricey. Not sure I need a foam pad, as the stock one is already pretty hard, and would have been fine if it were a few inches further forward and about 4-5 inches higher. So I decided to come up with a solution that I could make myself.
I considered a foam "box" but it seemed to be bulky, and having it extend beyond the existing armrest lid would have made it nearly impossible to get at the latch and locking mechanism, both of which I use regularly. Also the cost of good firm foam is costly as well. Then there was the delima of what to cover it with. My wife can sew like a bugger, but cloth eventually gets dirty, and leather, again, gets costly. Now I'm not so cheap that I won't spend money on something for my pride and joy Jeep, but was reluctant to drop $50 or more for an experiment that might require redoing, or trashing altogether.
A $10 piece of 1/4" aluminum, and a $5 piece of Sapele wood struck me as great investment. Turns out it was not as difficult as I had imagined, and once I had come up with a design that looked right and was going to be functional, it was a labour of love.
The results are much to my liking. Unique, comfortable,practical, sturdy, and let's not forget, inexpensive. ($15 is less than I pay to have almost anything shipped for an online purchase).

 

This is exceptional work!

 

Looks awesome! Wish I was even a quarter as handy as you. Very nice.

 

Well thanks guys for the compliments, but it was really only the cutting of the aluminum that was a challenge. The whole thing only took a couple of hours, and the wood itself makes it look as good as it does.

 

Now when you get the urge to cut some cheese you have a cutting board handy. Looks super cool.