Learn how to build a classic wooden Adirondack chair. With clear, detailed photos and drawings you'll learn how to cut the graceful curves that make this chair so comfortable to sit in. Learn how to build a classic wooden Adirondack chair. By the DIY experts of The Family Handyman Magazine Choosing the right wood Plop down in one of these solid wood chairs and comfort of this traditional design. You don't have to be an expert to build it either. All the parts of this solid, great-looking Adirondack chair can be cut with a circular saw and jigsaw, then assembled with a drill, a few clamps and glue. Even if you're a novice, you'll be able to follow our plan drawing and also included a Shopping List and Cutting List (see Additional Information, below) so you can spend less time head-scratching and more We made our chair from yellowPoplar is lightweight, strong, inexpensive and easy to work with, plus it takes paint beautifully.
If you have trouble finding it, almost any other wood will do: Alder, aspen, maple and white oak are excellent hardwood choices, and cedar, cypress, fir and pine are good that hardwood will be more durable, but softwood is certainly strong enough for this project. However, if the chair will be outdoors most of the time, coat it with a paintable wood preservative before painting. are painted, but you can choose a clear outdoor deck finish if you prefer. Tip: When you're building more than one chair, set up an assembly line and cut the building time per chair by Figure A: Adirondack Chair Follow these plans to build a classic Adirondack chair. See Additional Information for a printable, enlarged version of Figure A, and for a complete Cutting List and Shopping List Transfer the grid patterns for accurate curves for the arms and legs Enlarge the grids directly onto the board, or make a full-size paper
pattern and then transfer theshape Once the shape is drawn, follow the lines with a jigsaw (Photo 1). Write “pattern” on the first leg and arm pieces and use them to makeIf you're making more than one chair, now's the time to trace all the arm and leg pieces forNote: The left arms and legs are mirror images of the right. Also, trim the small cutout piece of each arm (C) to make the arm support (K) for each side. Cut the tapered back pieces with a circular saw The two tapered back pieces are tricky to cut, and the safest way to do it is to cut them from a widerDraw the tapers shown in Fig. A onto a 1x6 cut to length. each end of the board to the tops of a sawhorse, placing the nails where they'll be out of the saw's path. a No. 4 finish nail on each end and hammer it in flush with the surface. Set the depth of your circular saw 1/8 in. deeper than the thickness of the board, and cut the taper from
the wide end to the narrow end. Next, draw a straight line on the remaining part to define the second piece and cut it. begin assembly, sand all the pieces and ease the edges with 100-grit Assemble the back first Lay the back pieces face down on your workbench (Photo 2). Line up the bottoms and insert 1/4-in. spacers between the slats. 1/4-in. spacers from scrap boards or of the horizontal back supports G, L and N to the slats with 1-1/4 in. countersink each screw hole. You'll need to cut a bevel on the topside of the center horizontalA table saw works best, but you could use the same circular saw method you used earlier to cut the tapered side backJust set the bevel on your circular saw to 33 degrees, nail the 1x6 board to the sawhorses, mark the width and make the cut. Check the back slats and horizontal supports with a framing square to make sure they're positioned 90
degrees to each other as you glue and screw the assembly (Photo 2). Once the back is fastened, turn the back assembly over, mark the top radius and trim it with a jigsaw Screw the chair frame together on a flat, level surface Using your jigsaw, cut the notches on parts E as shown in Fig. A. Glue and screw the front seat support (D) to the front legs (Photo 4). the front assembly vertically on your workbench and glue and screw the back legs B to the front legs holes for each screw. glue and screw the arm supports to the outer sides of the front legs (E). Position the arms on the tops of the front legs and the arm supports (K). Make sure the arms hang 3 in. over the front leg and 1/4 in. over the inside edge of each leg. Before you fasten the arms, make sure they'reparallel (Photo 6). Screw the back leg support (M) to each leg (see Fig. A) and then set the back assembly into the frame and
clamp it in place (Photo 7). sure the back of each arm projects 3/4 in. past the center back support (L). Glue and predrill each joint, screw the assembly together and then To finish the assembly, predrill and countersink holes in the ends of the seat slats. approximately 1/4 in. apart and screw them to the back legs asYou may need a hand screwdriver We used an exterior, oil-based primer and an enamel topcoat, but you could use water-based products instead. You'll need three paint brushes: a 2-in. wide, natural-bristle sash brush; and a 1/2-in. wide hobby paint brush. You'll also need one 3-in. wide paint roller, two disposable roller heads and one disposable paint tray. Start with the chair upside down on your workbench. Use the 1-in. wide paint brush for the edges of the seat slats, making long brush strokes to spread theDo the remainder of these edges from the topside later. roller to apply the primer to the flat surfaces.