Building these Adirondak chairs has been great. The chairs are pure utility and the work is pure therapy.
I began by looking for a simple plan and came across a video by Ana White. It was a modern design and reasonably simple. I decided to try it.
I started by buying treated wood, cutting it to size on the chop saw (Ryobi, of course) and assembling. To save time, I used two drills: one with a countersink bit to pre-drill and a second to drive in the treated, outdoor screws. My wife was in charge of colors and stain, and she chose a dark java type color (I was in no position to argue).
The process worked well. I sawed up and built a prototype. Then, I sawed up two more, and kept one in pieces for use as a template. I need 12 chairs, so I wanted to simplify the process.
The only problem was cost. I was averaging $33 a chair and thought I could do better. Then, I discovered rough-cut, treated fence wood, which is far cheaper. By ripping it on the table saw and then making it smooth with an orbital sander, I cut my cost to about $25 a chair. And, I can build side tables with the off cuts.
I have built five chairs so far. Seven more to go. Lots of therapy ahead.
Building these Adirondak chairs has been great. The chairs are pure utility and the work is pure therapy. I began by looking for a simple plan and came across a video by Ana White. It was a modern design and reasonably simple. I decided to try it. I started by buying treated wood, cutting it to size on the chop saw (Ryobi, of course) and assembling. To save time, I used two drills: one with a countersink bit to pre-drill and a second to drive in the treated, outdoor screws. My wife was in charge of colors and stain, and she chose a dark java type color (I was in no position to argue). The process worked well. I sawed up and built a prototype. Then, I sawed up two more, and kept one in pieces for use as a template. I need 12 chairs, so I wanted to simplify the process. The only problem was cost. I was averaging $33 a chair and thought I could do better. Then, I discovered rough-cut, treated fence wood, which is far cheaper. By ripping it on the table saw and then making it smooth with an orbital sander, I cut my cost to about $25 a chair. And, I can build side tables with the off cuts. I have built five chairs so far. Seven more to go. Lots of therapy ahead.
