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Thread: Adirondack chairs

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Attica, OH
    Posts
    86

    Adirondack chairs

    I know Adirondack chairs aren't very exciting, but my wife wants a couple Here's my question: flat back or curved? Looks like the traditional ones have flat/straight backs, whereas more modern ones have a curved back (curved across the shoulders/width, not from top to bottom).

    Are the straight ones comfortable for long evenings spent sipping adult beverages? I like how they look. Or should I go curved back? To be honest, the only ones I've ever sat in were flimsy plastic ones from Walmart or some such.

    Thanks,

  2. #2
    Curved backs, that's how we do ours. Also make sure the arms are really wide, so you can set your dinner plate and a drink down on them -- brace them well, as someone might choose to sit on the arms.... We make the chairs with the legs cut from 5/4 pressure-treated decking boards, since they will be in contact with the ground.
    Last edited by Timothy Thorpe Allen; 08-26-2019 at 2:08 PM.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Maine
    Posts
    381
    Curved backs. Straight backs are very uncomfortable. 2nd the idea of wide arms, that's the way I made mine.
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    Jim Mackell
    Arundel, ME

  4. Recommendation for a plan anywhere online? - My wife just told me Sunday that she wanted a couple...

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Deep South
    Posts
    3,970
    All the traditional plans I have ever seen include the curved back. I think that is the original and traditional way. The modern flat backed versions are for unskilled or lazy woodworkers.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    West Tennessee
    Posts
    99
    I've built a few, definitely curved back (to answer the question), the chair I build the most is a design built by Norm Abram, these plans can be found on the internet at no cost. I have also been experimenting with a "classic" design by Tom McLaughlin that has the back slats curved in height as well as width. This chair is really comfortable, but the difficulty level bumps up a notch.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Cincinnati, OH
    Posts
    924
    Just saw a Rockler ad that had chair plans discounted 40%, iirc.
    Rustic? Well, no. That was not my intention!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Baton Rouge, LA
    Posts
    126
    Quote Originally Posted by Don Coffman View Post
    I've built a few, definitely curved back (to answer the question), the chair I build the most is a design built by Norm Abram, these plans can be found on the internet at no cost. I have also been experimenting with a "classic" design by Tom McLaughlin that has the back slats curved in height as well as width. This chair is really comfortable, but the difficulty level bumps up a notch.
    Norm’s chair is the most comfortable I have sat in. Looks good too. I have six.

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