Adirondack chairs - your material of choice?

[Jim Mackell]

I've been making a bunch of these for family members. I've been using cypress as that was the wood recommended in the plans I'm using. Some of the parts on a chair made last fall are splitting! On one other part, the cypress seems to be separating at the growth layer. My wood was kiln dried and I'm somewhat puzzled over what I'm seeing.

What wood do you use for your outside projects? And what does it cost - roughly - per board foot in your area? Thanks!

[Stew Hagerty]

I plan on making a set for my sister & brother-in-law and a set for us. I figure as long as I'm making setups to cut & shape the material for one set, I might as well make a second set. I plan on using White Oak, and then finishing it with General Finishes Outdoor Oil.

[Erik Loza]

Cedar seems to be the overwhelming choice here in central Texas. Locally abundant. One of my customers makes (or used to) adirondack chairs out of Ipe. Expensive and tough on tools but they lasted forever.

Erik

[Bill Huber]

In 2008 I made 6 of them, one out of redwood and the other 5 out of cypress they are all still going and have been out in the weather for the last 7 years.
I did have one arm that cracked on one of the cypress chairs but it was not a bad crack and I just left it, it has not gotten any bigger.

I also made a test chair out of pine and it is still going but it does have a few cracks in it.

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[Bill Adamsen]

I was recently at the Bitter End Virgin Gorda and they had a plastic (Azek?) beach chair I thought remarkable. It was comfortable, and designed to be built with a minimal number of sheets of Azek, minimal milling, and no visible fasteners. While not a fan of many of the engineered plastics, this caught my eye as a directional movement. Sorry about the crummy photo.

[Rick Moyer]

I've made a bunch out of Koma pvc fascia board if they're going to be out in the weather (left in yard all summer). I really prefer real wooden ones though, but anything wood isn't going to look new after a while if it's not thoroughly maintained. I made one for our screened-in back porch out of cypress and put two coats of spar varnish on it. It can only get rained on indirectly (laterally), same with sunshine, so it still looks great after several years. I was able to get cypress in 9 inch widths but it was around $5/sf I think.

p.s. You may want to search for "Jake's Chair". It's the design I used and the chairs are VERY comfortable. I did make them two inches narrower as they are quite large in original dimensions, and I'm 260 lbs right now and have plenty of room at 25" wide.

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[Clay Crocker]

Cypress. :-)

[DOUG ANGEL]

I would use cedar.

[Larry Frank]

Built mine out of cypress and painted them. They are still greAt after 6 years.

[Raymond Seward]

I've used cedar and white oak. I prefer white oak tho' because I like the way it looks. does make a heavier chair too.

[Jim Evatt]

I made some out of red cedar. They crack if you do not countersink the screws and also be careful of over-tightening. It is soft wood and easy to mill and lasts a good while.

[Dennis Aspö]

I have planned to build a few chairs like this this summer, I got some impregnated wood that's rated OK for outdoors furniture, the deck of my house is built from the same stuff so I have this "for free" so to speak, the material is pine. Otherwise I'd use surplus construction lumber. Reasons being it's cheap.

[Fred Chan]

I used the boards from my cedar fence that had been blown over in a windstorm. Fence was 15yrs. old already. I had expected the chairs to hold together for just a few years but more than 10yrs. later they're stil hanging in there. Don't bother varnishing because it'll just peel off from sitting outside. If you prefer color use an oil based exterior house stain.

[Frank Drew]

For a mutual friend's restaurant/inn, a local woodworker made some Adirondack chairs out of cherry, which he painted; I thought that an unusual choice for outdoor use but he assured me that cherry was actually quite good out in the elements.

Not. They started rotting at the screws and only got worse from there.

I'm a bit surprised that the cypress degraded, but I don't have much experience with it for outdoor use; I guess I'd use either redwood or cedar, but if I had a bunch of inexpensive genuine Mahogany (I know, a contradiction in terms), that might be my choice.

[Bill Adamsen]

a local woodworker made some Adirondack chairs out of cherry, which he painted; I thought that an unusual choice for outdoor use but he assured me that cherry was actually quite good out in the elements. ... I'm a bit surprised that the cypress degraded

Cherry is not at all rot resistant in my experience, whereas Cypress ranges from moderate to extremely rot resistant depending on heartwood. Other local eastern hardwoods that are renewable (grows fast with no terminal pathogens ... yet) are Black locust (exceptional), Honey locust (moderate) and White oak (highly). I've used unprotected Black locust in outdoor projects with great success. White oak, at least in my experience needs protection. Chestnut is a wonderful wood to work, but in my experience (considerable) at least ethically should be evaluated carefully for use in that type of project. Chestnut sapwood seems to have very little rot resistance ... on par with Poplar. Heartwood would likely come from a century old reuse and I'd have to think carefully about using for an "ephemeral" outdoor furniture project.

[Art Mann]

I built my Adirondack chairs out of heart cypress 10 years ago and they have survived the test of time. Sap wood isn't very rot resistant. I found out the hard way that spar varnish won't last more than a year or so before it starts cracking and turning white even out of the direct sunlight.

[Bill Adamsen]

I've used spar varnish for a very long time - old habits are hard to break. The latest in durable marine varnishes are the two-part polyurethanes made by about every large manufacturer (Interlux, Epifane, Awlgrip, etc.). Embarrassed to say I've never used one, though I've applied a bit of colored linear polyurethane.

Great comprehensive article (a few years back now) in Practical Sailor for anyone looking for "the latest" on clear outdoor finishes (http://www.practical-sailor.com/issues/37_9/features/exterior_wood_10576-1.html). Well worth the read.

[Jim Mackell]

Thanks for all the thoughtful replies.

[Terry Beadle]

I've made mine out of cypress and pressure treated pine. The cypress is doing great but I did very careful selection of material to avoid fish eye areas.
The pressure treated pine step tread was reclaimed from a deck project that had been exposed to the sun for over a decade. It is hard as a rock...not kidding.
All joints etc, required predrilling and some joint work to avoid breaking screws.

Material selection is a key.

[Dan Neuhaus]

Bill,
I've seen those plastic Adirondacks before as well and they are quite comfortable but they are not Azek. They are sourced from a company named Loll Designs and are made of recycled HDPE. Also they are very very expensive.
https://lolldesigns.com/products/cabrio-patio-chair/

[Stew Hagerty]

I typically discourage film finishes except and unless you paint them, which will need to be repainted every few years (depending on the paint).
Even spar varnish needs to be refinished every so often. Plus clear film finishes really need to be stripped before applying or they don't look good (imho).
That is why I recommended an outdoor oil, specifically General Finishes Outdoor Oil. It has has a fair amount of solids that lodge themselves into the pores and plenty of UV protectant to keep the project looking like new longer. The best part is that the finish will last for several years (I recital my stuff about every 4-5 years) depending on where you live and the amount of sunlight they get. I'm here in northern Indiana and our sunlight is hidden much of the time.
When I mentioned White Oak before, I plan on using primarily Quartersawn. The Outdoor Oil makes the Grain & Ray Flecks really pop!

[Jim Becker]

I, too, used cypress the first time I made Adirondack chairs from The NYW plans. Should I make them again, I'll be using white oak, mahogany or teak...all of which are naturally resistant to moisture and insects. The cypress looked nice, but I found that the early and late wood weathered differently, causing splintering, etc.

I would never us a film finish for outdoor projects...there are better choices, including no finish at all.

[Jim Barstow]

I built a garden bench out of ipe 10-15 years ago. (Ipe is normally used for decking.) It looks as good as the day it was completed. It's actually fun to ask someone to move it since it is double the weight you expect. (It is still possible to move it around.) keep in mind ipe is like teak and you need carbide tools to cut it.

[Jim Mackell]

, but I found that the early and late wood weathered differently, causing splintering, etc.

Jim, I've not seen this expression before. What does early and late wood mean?

[Stan Calow]

Just reading an article in the newspaper about a guy who makes them out of used whiskey barrels. Have to remove the charred surface but otherwise works with the curves.

[Carl Carew]

I usually use white Jersey cedar available locally but I recently did a deck with Azek and had some leftovers I used the Azek for the seat and back but stuck with cedar for the legs worked out great
310297 this is what it looks like after about 4 years outside

[Myk Rian]

Cherry is not at all rot resistant in my experience.
I made a window screen out of cherry 10 years ago. North side, so it doesn't get the sun, but it does get the brutal northern weather.

[Jim Becker]

Jim, I've not seen this expression before. What does early and late wood mean?
Early and late wood comes as the tree grows throughout the year to make the "annual ring"...one of them is "harder" than the other. These are often more pronounced in softwoods, particularly conifers. The "softer" portion of the ring (early wood) weathers away faster than the "harder" portion (latewood) of the ring.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

Just reading an article in the newspaper about a guy who makes them out of used whiskey barrels. Have to remove the charred surface but otherwise works with the curves.

You mean, like this? Notice the cutout in the arm rest for the wine glass stem. This was posted by "Fritter63" over on Festool Owners Group

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[Sam Murdoch]

If expense is not a consideration I say TEAK - will stand up to years of neglect and weather without the need to finish. The red squirrels, here on the mid-coast however, seem to enjoy chewing on it.

Other less expensive but still pricey options available from a few Maine hardwood lumber sources would be Mahogany or South American cedar. I don't have any current pricing but they are both to be likely in the $6.50 bd.ft. range +/-.

Hancock lumber offers some very nice # 2 or clear white pine that is affordably priced and will make a very durable (and light weight) chair though requiring more care than the the 3 options above.

All but the teak version should be regularly maintained with a good exterior finish. The oil finishes are the easiest to maintain/ recondition every spring.

In all cases I would use GRK screws - do not accept so called "stainless" screws as an alternative. Many stainless fastenings these days seem to be made with a very inferior grade of stainless. GRKs are excellent and long lasting.

AND - in any case I would apply a 2 part epoxy wash to the bottom of the chair feet. 2 coats so that the end grain is saturated will add years and years to your outdoor furniture. I have left picnic tables and chairs out all winter without compromise - except for the red squirrel chew thing :).

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

If expense is not a consideration I say TEAK - will stand up to years of neglect and weather without the need to finish. The red squirrels, here on the mid-coast however, seem to enjoy chewing on it.

Other less expensive but still pricey options available from a few Maine hardwood lumber sources would be Mahogany or South American cedar. I don't have any current pricing but they are both to be likely in the $6.50 bd.ft. range +/-.

Hancock lumber offers some very nice # 2 or clear white pine that is affordably priced and will make a very durable (and light weight) chair though requiring more care than the the 3 options above.

All but the teak version should be regularly maintained with a good exterior finish. The oil finishes are the easiest to maintain/ recondition every spring.

In all cases I would use GRK screws - do not accept so called "stainless" screws as an alternative. Many stainless fastenings these days seem to be made with a very inferior grade of stainless. GRKs are excellent and long lasting.

AND - in any case I would apply a 2 part epoxy wash to the bottom of the chair feet. 2 coats so that the end grain is saturated will add years and years to your outdoor furniture. I have left picnic tables and chairs out all winter without compromise - except for the red squirrel chew thing :).

I second what Sam said. Teak or mahogany. I use Mirante, a cheap member of the mahogany family. My first round I made out of cedar....they just didn't hold up.

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[Cody Colston]

I've made over a dozen out of ERC and finished them all with Epifanes varnish per their recommendation...7 coats. I have two of them on my front deck that are 5 or 6 years old and still look great although the red has faded to a golden color.

For the record, spar varnish and marine varnish are not the same thing. Spar varnish is a long-oil varnish but does not contain solids like marine varnishes do. Solids are what block the UV rays and a high gloss finish helps reflect them.

I personally I don't like the gray wood look and that is what no finish will become. I scuff sanded and re-applied the Epifanes on my chairs after 3 years of exposure to Texas sun. I'll do it again every three years or so. Once the shine is gone from the Epifanes gloss marine varnish, it's time for maintenance. The varnish eventually breaks down just like suntan lotion. I don't expect any clear finish to last forever but a good marine varnish is as good as it gets for clear finishes.

[Cameron Handyside]

I've built a number of Adirondack Chairs out of a variety of wood. I teach a class building them at our local woodshop on a military base as well. We use Eastern Red Cedar because it is plentiful around here and looks great.

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We tell the students they can use a variety of wood species but around here, we have plenty of ERC, Cypress & White Oak. All of which have held up really well outside. I have a couple ERC chairs on my back patio that are roughly 10 years old and I've long since given up refinishing them, letting the grey silver take over and just enjoying them, which is what we recommend to the students rather than stressing over refinishing every year.

[Perry Holbrook]

Anybody tried using Thompsons water sealer Deck stain on their chairs?

Perry

[Jay Aubuchon]

Any thoughts on eucalyptus? The man who helped me today at Lewis Lumber Products in Picture Rocks, PA recommended it as a good choice (among other possibilities).

[Joe Cowan]

I have made many of these out of cypress. One lesson learned, is try to use quartersawn cypress for the arms and seat boards, as cypress can pop a horizontal grain up and actually cut you. I know from experience. I just finished two, and picked through some boards to cut out the qs area to use on these parts.

[Tom Howarth]

I used yellow pine decking from Home Depot, the brown stuff, 1"x 6" x 8'.
they've been in the New Mexico sun for 2 years now without any finish. The only thing I had to do was tighten the screws and Carriage bolts as the wood dried. I think I paid $80.00 for the materials and built 2 of them.

[william watts]

Here's a link to a study done on weather resistant wood http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8144.pdf scroll to pages 3 &4 for a chart. Here in Ca. douglas fir is inexpensive as construction lumber and according to the chart has moderate decay resistance. It would need to be dried further before use. I have been thinking of using it for a garden bench after letting it air dry for a time.

[Edward Oleen]

Red Oak. The ORIGINAL material for Adirondack Chairs, built here in the Adirondacks. I soak it in spar varnish - three or four coats allowed to seek in, and they last and last and last.

Eastern Red Cedar is okay, but the big ones are long since cut, unless you are really lucky.

[Al Launier]

Absolutely beautiful chairs Bill! I love the design, just what I had in mind as I've been tempted to make a pair myself thinking I might use black locust wood (hard, heavy & rot resistant) whose price is comparable to white oak, or from Polly-Wood that "wood" last even longer, but more expensive(?). We have some strong winds at my place & a heavier design would help keep the chairs in place.

In 2008 I made 6 of them, one out of redwood and the other 5 out of cypress they are all still going and have been out in the weather for the last 7 years.
I did have one arm that cracked on one of the cypress chairs but it was not a bad crack and I just left it, it has not gotten any bigger.

I also made a test chair out of pine and it is still going but it does have a few cracks in it.

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[Mel Fulks]

Edward ,not saying you're wrong. The sources I looked at while back said hemlock was used .

[Jim Becker]

Red Oak. The ORIGINAL material for Adirondack Chairs, built here in the Adirondacks. I soak it in spar varnish - three or four coats allowed to seek in, and they last and last and last.

The issue with Red Oak is that it's built like a bundle of soda straws and rots very quickly outdoors. I don't doubt it's been commonly used, but I'd select white oak over it in a millisecond for better weather and "creature" durability for this application.

[Allan Speers]

What about Black Locust?

It's a bit hard to source, and it's expensive, but it's nice looking, (looks pretty much like white oak, but with a honey-golden glow) hard, and about as weatherproof as lumber gets.

I've never tried it, myself, but have always wanted to.

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Edit: Here's a pic of some nice chairs, made with the stuff:

http://ablacklocustconnection.com/furndeck.htm

[Jeffrey Martel]

Look up what woods are traditionally used in boat building. Use something off that list.

[Todd Burch]

Black locust would be awesome.

Now, disclosure… I have never made any adirondack chairs, but I have cut out the parts for a dozen of them one time for a guy who sold kits. He gave me one piece each of the chairs, and the wood he wanted me to use. I made patterns, and quickly cut out the parts. Now, the wood. It was KDAT yellow pine. It was AWESOME to work with. It machined very well and sanded most excellently. If I had to make some chairs, and I was going to paint then, I would use KDAT pine, for sure. If I were to leave them unfinished, I would use white oak with no sapwood.

Todd

[lowell holmes]

What is KDAT pine and where do you get it?

I agree on using white oak.

[Todd Burch]

KDAT stands for Kiln Dried After Treatment. Treatment being pressure treating. You can get it in Houston, but not sure where.

Todd

[lowell holmes]

KDAT stands for Kiln Dried After Treatment. Treatment being pressure treating. You can get it in Houston, but not sure where.

Todd

Thanks, I appreciate it.

[Allan Speers]

KDAT stands for Kiln Dried After Treatment. Treatment being pressure treating. You can get it in Houston, but not sure where.

Todd


Personally, I wouldn't want to sit, or rest my arms on, pressure treated lumber.

Heck, I don't even want to cut it.

Something to consider.

[Todd Burch]

When I cut it, I used a mask.

Once it's painted, it might as well be plastic instead of pressure treated wood. Doesn't matter. (to me)

[Curt Harms]

What about Black Locust?

It's a bit hard to source, and it's expensive, but it's nice looking, (looks pretty much like white oak, but with a honey-golden glow) hard, and about as weatherproof as lumber gets.

I've never tried it, myself, but have always wanted to.

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Edit: Here's a pic of some nice chairs, made with the stuff:

http://ablacklocustconnection.com/furndeck.htm

Same with me. The problems I've heard about black locust is it's hard to find larger boards and it's tough to dry straight. I don't know if there's a shortage of suitable trees or a lack of demand.

[Allan Speers]

Funny -

No one mentioned Redwood.

Isn't that a somewhat common & excellent choice?

[Bill Huber]

Funny -

No one mentioned Redwood.

Isn't that a somewhat common & excellent choice?

Look at post #4...:rolleyes:;)

[Allan Speers]

Look at post #4...:rolleyes:;)



Ah, missed it.

So how do you like the redwood, vs the Cypress, after a few years?

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Also - what plan is that? I really like the look of a curved back, vs the Norm-type chairs. Plus, those footrests are deadly. Gotta' have some!

[Bill Huber]

There is not a lot of difference, they both have aged to a nice gray color and are still in very good shape.

[Jim Dwight]

I made two about 10 years ago out of pressure treated SYP. The paint needs redone but they are solid. If you are going to paint, I don't see why you'd use anything else. I didn't take any special precautions - just like I haven't when building decks out of it.

[Robert Wachtell]

I've been making a bunch of these for family members. I've been using cypress as that was the wood recommended in the plans I'm using. Some of the parts on a chair made last fall are splitting! On one other part, the cypress seems to be separating at the growth layer. My wood was kiln dried and I'm somewhat puzzled over what I'm seeing.

What wood do you use for your outside projects? And what does it cost - roughly - per board foot in your area? Thanks!

I'm not certain if anyone mentioned this in this thread yet, but its important to consider in all outdoor wood applications.

Regarding the cracking in your lumber. Flat grain exposed to the weather will face check significantly more then quarter sawn grain exposed to the weather. In fact quarter sawn red cedar will not face check at all. On the other hand flat grain will face check badly, the flatter it is the more it will face check. The face checking will lead to full board cracks with the aid of just a little time, water and warmth. No doubts about it! 24X7X365 and 366 on on leap years. You can bet all your money on this double or nothing.

In a warm moist environment that also gets dry at times, pre-drilling will not prevent flat grained outdoor lumber from checking which will sometimes lead to full length cracks.

While some woods resist face checking more then others I would recommend using quarter sawn lumber for your projects that will be exposed to the weather, no matter what type of lumber you use.

The single most valuable feature of quarter sawn is its stability to outdoor weather. The benefits of it in an outdoor application are 10 times that of using it over flat grain in a indoor application.

I rarely hear anyone make this distinction but you can take this one to the bank and probably get money for it if you wish.

ADK chairs are the best. Make mine out of recycled old Red Cedar paneling, unfortunately not all pieces are quarter sawn.

cheers Rob

[Tim Krzywicki]

Cedar is my first choice, wears nice and smells good. A few years ago i purchased the generic green plastic chairs from a chain store. The color started to wear in a matter of months.

[Dennis Aspö]

Started building two of these chairs now, using construction lumber for the frame. For the seat I am using the same pressure treated wood, I will treat the chair with some kind of oil finish I believe. It will be interesting to see how the construction lumber will hold up.

I could have made the frame from pressure treated lumber as well but I don't really like handling it and the frame requires a lot of ripping and cutting, the boards though are simpler and can mostly be cut outside.