Adirondack chair build cost

[Gene Davis]

Thinking about building a pair of these in a design I did from a photo.

The wood required includes 5/4 and 4/4 stock, and I'm thinking of either western red cedar or Alaskan yellow cedar.

The lumber tally comes to about 25 board feet per chair.

Amazon sells some nice looking chairs, made from what the call yellow cedar, nicely painted, for about $125 each. You put them together.

My cost for materials is going to exceed this, because I'm paying retail for wood, paint, hardware.

[Doug Bowman]

My lumber cost for western red cedar ran about $50 a chair - I used 5/4 tight knot cedar from my local supplier and bought fence slats for the 4/4 stuff - i purchased enough for 2 chairs and have completed 1 - and will likely need to grab a few more fence slats to finish the second. My "yield" from the slats was lower then I estimated. I am in Oregon so I may get better prices on WRC due to locale.

[Gene Davis]

The problem is with the high retail cost of A&Btr WRC, which is what I want to use. To add to this, my hallucination of a design uses 5/4 material for leg and brace parts. A pic of my design is attached.

Back and seat slats are from 1x8 stock, which costs more than narrower stock. An indicator of cost for me is tight knot WRC 1x4, being sold for about $2.70 / bf.

[Randal Blair]

My material costs is around $130 per chair.
That price includes the red cedar for the main chair and cypress for the legs, 10 stainless hardware carriage bolt, linseed oil, tightbond 3 and screws.
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[Wayne Lomman]

The difference is do you want store bought ones or hand made ones? The store ones are going to be cheap because they make them by the train load. Yours are going to be made by you and no-one else has any like them. Your choice. If the price for the timber is too stiff, find cheaper timber, recycle some timber or modify your design. Cheers

[Mel Fulks]

The originals were made of hemlock and painted.

[Terry Beadle]

I used reclaimed treated pine decking. 10+ years in the sun. Had to drill all the holes but
the wood has not had any issued since I built my chair 7 yrs ago or so.

Bolts for the joints.

cost was a little sweat and some hard ware.

Good shavings....Terry

[Bill Dindner]

I would not bother with cedar. I'd either go Mahogany or Ipe, or I'd just get some Doug Fir and stain it.

ifni was already spending allot I'd rather go all the way with a premium wood.

[Chris Hachet]

The difference is do you want store bought ones or hand made ones? The store ones are going to be cheap because they make them by the train load. Yours are going to be made by you and no-one else has any like them. Your choice. If the price for the timber is too stiff, find cheaper timber, recycle some timber or modify your design. CheersPretty much this. Dumpster dive or build the thing with Teak...and then drink the cold beverage of your choice!

[Bill Adamsen]

The difference is do you want store bought ones or hand made ones?

If all you want is a chair, then store bought is the best value prop. There would need to be some compelling reason to make it yourself ... either a unique design, appearance, or you want a chair you built yourself. I built copies of a unique chair built by a client's ancestor. It was meaningful to them to add to their collection of the same style. They were poplar, painted and rest on a covered porch.

[Terry Wawro]

I built four using cypress and Norm's plans from TNYW. My materials cost was about $75 per chair. Wood, bolts, screws,etc. I like using cypress as it's light but holds up to the elements. That was 12 years ago and they are still holding together well.

[Mel Fulks]

Terry, Glad your chairs are holding up. But unless the cypress is all heart I would credit the sloped surfaces and the paint.
The original chairs were painted hemlock ,which is nothing great .