Adirondack chairs...

[Andrew Gibson]

I've been looking arould for Adirondack chair plans on the net and found what appears to be a pretty good set of plans on Popular Mechanics.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to-plans/woodworking/2919751

here is my gripe, every way I cut it, it looks like I would need either 5- 8' 1x6's and a 10' 1x6... or 7- 8' 1x6's

This seems Like a lot of material for a single chair, and my drawings seem to show that there is not a huge amount of waist. but enough to make me think I could do better.

I am planning on using some local Cypress I still find that the lumber will come in at under $30...

Can someone help me do better?

Ooh I can get just about any definition cypress you could think of.

I have a slight change to the back to make that will likely change it from a 7 slat to a 5 slat back.

[Rusty Eads]

I have built 7 chairs using a plan called Jake's Chair. They are 27" wide chairs, wider than most and have built 2 that way and modified the other 5 to be 24" wide. They use about 28 bdft if you build them with the included footstool. I used red cedar that I got from my local sawmill at .$50 a bdft, though they came it 4 ft lengths and 3 1/2 wide. For the wider pieces I just glued them together using Titebond II

[Steve Bracken]

That's a nice chair design.

I have built a bunch of Adirondack Chairs, but have always used Norm Abram's design .... he got that design very right.

Having said that, I do like the rolled front of those (but still prefer Norm's back arches), so I might tinker with the design a bit for my next ones.

I made templates, so can make the chairs pretty quickly these days ... Oh, and the new bandsaw will help a lot too :)

[Cody Colston]

Seven 8' x 1x6s is only 28 bf of lumber. Those slats take a lot more than you would think.

I use a design similar to the one you linked to except that the back supports run parallel to the back slats instead of angling back to the rear of the leg. Mine is a design by Delta that I picked up a Lowe's a few years ago. I've tweaked it quite a bit and have even given the original templates away as I made new ones as I made changes.

All Adirondacks are comfortable but it's not easy to get out of them all. That's why I raised the seat on the plans I have.

[Larry Frank]

I built a pair of adirondack chairs a year ago using a Woodcraft design that included hardboard templates for most parts. I rough cut the pieces on the bandsaw and then used the templates in the router table to finish them.

My chairs are out of cypress and I was a bit surprised at how many board feet that it took. My wife was happy with the chairs and that made the project well worth it.

Good luck on your chairs.

[Don Dorn]

That's a nice chair design.

I have built a bunch of Adirondack Chairs, but have always used Norm Abram's design .... he got that design very right.

:)

Me too - while I haven't done the Jake's chair, it's hard for me to imagine improving a whole lot on Norms. Easy to get in and out, the arms are level and wide for a drink and both the seat and back are curved. The first one I made is now 9 years old out of Western Red Cedar and is still solid - I use it three our four times a week.

[Andrew Gibson]

Thanks for the replies all. The chair I will be "copying" is a chair with lobster claws on the back... something like this,
http://shop.flyingfishtrading.com/images/1223581328446239839928.jpeg

It is for my Fiances aunt. She just wants one for now, but I plan to make templates to allow me to make more (with or without claws) in the future. I have a bunch of Masonite laying around from a previous project so I figure why not.

[Will Overton]

I used the Lee Valley folding chair design. I bought 100 bf of Cypress.

From that I built three chairs;

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd75/Bill_de/Chairs.jpg

A small table;

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd75/Bill_de/BBQ-table.jpg

and a couple of small plant stands ... pictures disappeared.:confused:

[Stew Hagerty]

There is a store locally that is selling these really cool looking chairs made from brightly colored recycled plastic lumber. I checked online and found a source for similar (if not the same) colored lumber. After mentioning it at a BBQ, several family members have requested chairs made from this. I've built decks using recycled decking material and works much like real wood so the construction shouldn't be any different. I know the store here has sold a lot of these chairs, at an exorbitant price I might add, so I thought I might throw it out there for those of you that do this for a living or a money making sideline. Here is the link for the plastic lumber:

http://rpi2.com/index.html

[Steve Friedman]

There is a store locally that is selling these really cool looking chairs made from brightly colored recycled plastic lumber. I checked online and found a source for similar (if not the same) colored lumber. After mentioning it at a BBQ, several family members have requested chairs made from this. I've built decks using recycled decking material and works much like real wood so the construction shouldn't be any different. I know the store here has sold a lot of these chairs, at an exorbitant price I might add, so I thought I might throw it out there for those of you that do this for a living or a money making sideline. Here is the link for the plastic lumber:

http://rpi2.com/index.html

What about the heat? If I walk on hot PVC decking, my feet hurt. What happens if I sit on a plastic chair that's been sitting in the sun? Do you know if this gets as hot as the PVC decking?

[Paul Steiner]

I built 2 of these from the popular mech. plans about 4 years ago and I sit in one almost everyday. Very comfortable chair, very sturdy, very heavy, and it does take a lot of material.
My students just got done building about 35 chairs using Norm Abram's design. I would say Norm's chair is just as comfortable. But it is much more economical on lumber and this makes the chair lighter. We used white pine 1x4s and 1x6s only and had no problems. The cost per chair was $25-$30.

[James Watson]

I built 4 chairs using that PM design last year. My memory's pretty fuzzy, now, but your lumber estimate sounds about right.

After building the first one, I went with single screws for the seat & back slats vs. two as shown in the plan. This seemed to be safer wood-movement wise, and saved a good bit of time drilling all of those pilot holes & countersinks.

It took me a lot longer than I expected, due to the large number of small parts that had to be routed/sanded/etc., but I am very pleased with the results.

[Stew Hagerty]

What about the heat? If I walk on hot PVC decking, my feet hurt. What happens if I sit on a plastic chair that's been sitting in the sun? Do you know if this gets as hot as the PVC decking?

They are more susceptible to heat, but they look really nice. They have single color and two tone (arms & frame -vs- seat & back). The following link is not the brand they carry, but it utilizes a unique design feature: a pull-out ottoman. The built-in ottoman would be a great feature to add whether it is made of wood or poly lumber.

http://www.adirondackchairs.com/adirondack-chairs/recycled-plastic-chairs/recycledplasticbigdaddyadirondackchair.cfm

[Steve Friedman]

The following link is not the brand they carry, but it utilizes a unique design feature: a pull-out ottoman. The built-in ottoman would be a great feature to add whether it is made of wood or poly lumber.

http://www.adirondackchairs.com/adirondack-chairs/recycled-plastic-chairs/recycledplasticbigdaddyadirondackchair.cfm

I love that pull-out leg rest feature. Does anyone know if there are plans for that anywhere? I was going to use the LV plans, but really like that hide-a-way foot rest!

Steve

[Jim Becker]

I personally like the New Yankee Workshop design...the updated one. Easy to build and a very comfortable chair to sit in because the seat angle is reasonable for most folks.

[Dan West02]

Can anyone post pictures of Norm's version and the Jake's Chair version so we can see how they compare?

[Will Overton]

Can anyone post pictures of Norm's version and the Jake's Chair version so we can see how they compare?

All it took was a quick Google search. :)

http://www.harveyklene.com/images/jakes1.jpg

http://www.newyankee.com/photos/202.jpg

[Steve Bracken]

All it took was a quick Google search. :)

http://www.harveyklene.com/images/jakes1.jpg

http://www.newyankee.com/photos/202.jpg

Oh look ... There's Norm with one of his best projects, and one of his worst :D:D

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

I built 3 chairs about 12 years ago. I used the Lee Valley plans, but made the singles several inches wider, and the bottom slats are tenoned into the sides. This was just before they came out with the folding plans. My chairs are not very easy to move, but they are very comfortable.

http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/zz35/HarveyMelvinRichards/36229_38.jpg

http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/zz35/HarveyMelvinRichards/36229_37.jpg

http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/zz35/HarveyMelvinRichards/36229_36.jpg

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

+1 on Nahm's design. I've built a bunch over the years. Here's one I made from mirante.
http://www.talkfestool.com/vb/members/stoolman-albums-samples-my-work-picture1505-adirondeck-chairs-08.jpg

[Bill Huber]

The thing I didn't like about Norm's chairs was the back was so flat. I went with the Lee Valley plans and made them just a little wider, about 2 inches.

The back is not flat and the seat is contoured, they set like a dream.

This one is out of cypress.

153695

[Steve Bracken]

The thing I didn't like about Norm's chairs was the back was so flat. I went with the Lee Valley plans and made them just a little wider, about 2 inches.

The back is not flat and the seat is contoured, they set like a dream.

This one is out of cypress.

153695

Norm's seat back is contoured, and very easy to increase the contour if needed.

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

Ya....what Steve said. What I don't like about the Lee Valley design is the vertical seat slat supports in the back of chair. Seems clunky and redundant. Nahm's plans, the vertical seat slats ARE the supports for the arms.

[Will Overton]

If I'm not mistaken, the backs on the LV are longer, and probably need some support up higher than the arm rests.

What I live visually about the LV is that the ends of the seat slats are captured in the sides, so you don't see the end grain. The folding feature makes winter storage easier.

[doug faist]

Andrew - I've built several chairs using the "Jake's Chair" design. I like it mainly because it's BIG with really wide, flat arms that can hold a drink on one side and a plate on the other.

Takes <30 bf with a bit of waste. I've used pine, redwood and cypress. I like the cypress the best; it weathers well and feels more comfortable (totally subjective opinion.)

http://www.internetwoodworking.com/w5/chair.html

I've made templates for the chair so that I can knock out a couple chairs in a weekend; it's kind of fun.

One bit of advice, if the chairs will be outside, spring for the extra bucks and use stainless steel screws. You'll be glad you did in the long run.

http://www.internetwoodworking.com/w5/deck1.jpg

Have fun with your project.

Doug

[ken gibbs]

Eight years ago I made two Adriondak chairs our of left over Trex from refabing a deck. I used Trex, galvanized bolts, teflon woodscrews, and Gorilla Glue. I covered all exposed metal fasteners with Gorilla Glue. They weigh a lot but have gone through several hurricanes just tied to my pier and they look brand new after all of this time. Trex works just fine with your regular wood cutters.

[Paul Steiner]

Ken, send pics please. I have often wondered about integrating composite materials in to a chair.

My next ADR chair will involve a slide out foot rest like this but made with real wood:
http://www.adirondackchairs.com/adirondack-chairs/wood-chairs/ultimateadirondackchair.cfm

I would be easy to integrate this into the PM chair, not so easy on norms chair.

[Stew Hagerty]

Eight years ago I made two Adriondak chairs our of left over Trex from refabing a deck. I used Trex, galvanized bolts, teflon woodscrews, and Gorilla Glue. I covered all exposed metal fasteners with Gorilla Glue. They weigh a lot but have gone through several hurricanes just tied to my pier and they look brand new after all of this time. Trex works just fine with your regular wood cutters.


Ken, send pics please. I have often wondered about integrating composite materials in to a chair.

My next ADR chair will involve a slide out foot rest like this but made with real wood:
http://www.adirondackchairs.com/adirondack-chairs/wood-chairs/ultimateadirondackchair.cfm

I would be easy to integrate this into the PM chair, not so easy on norms chair.

Composite or "plastic lumber" can be a good choice for outdoor furniture like this:

http://www.poly-lumber-furniture.com/c-POLY-LUMBER-WOOD-ADIRONDACK-CHAIRS.html?gclid=CLLj84Hes6ICFRbyDAod3yVX6Q

This is the link to a manufacturer of colored material.

http://rpi2.com/index.html

I never use anything but stainless steel fasteners when building something for outdoors. Not only do they not corrode, but they also come out much easier if you need to remove them years later. As for the pull out stool, Like I said before, that is a really cool design and I definately plan on building some that way. I never did find a plan for it, but it shouldn't be too hard to figure out.