1. Home
  2. Plan Catalog

Ana's Adirondack Chair

|save this plan
Submitted by Ana White on Tue, 05/18/2010 - 12:27
Difficulty
Beginner
| Print this plan

Finally, an Adirondack Chair that is easy to build and stylish and comfortable! This do it yourself project plan to build a DIY adirondack chair is simple, and easy. Inspired by polywood furniture, build your own affordable adirondack chair. Special thanks to Amy for sharing her photos.

Collections
Ana's Adirondack Collection
Dimensions
37 1/2" x 30 5/8" x 19 1/2"

Preparation

Shopping List

1 – 1×8, 8′ Long
4 – 1×4, 8′ Long
1 – 2×2, 8′ Long
1 – 1×3 8′ Long
1 1/4″ Screws (I would get pretty self tapping outdoor deck screws so that you don’t have to refinish your chair after you put it together)
2″ Screws
Wood Glue

Common Materials
Elmer's Wood Filler
120 grit sandpaper
primer
wood conditioner
paint
paint brush
Cut List

2 – 1×8 @ 32 3/4″ (Stringers)
1 – 1×8 @ 21″ (Front)
5 – 1×4 @ 21″ (Seat Slats)
2 – 1×4 @ 20 3/4″ (Front Legs)
2 – 1×3 @ 24″ (Arm Supports)
5 – 1×4 @ 30 1/2″ (Back Slats)
1 – 1×3 @ 19 1/2″ (Top Back Trim)
1 – 1×4 @ 19 1/2″ (Bottom Apron Back)
1 – 2×2 @ 22 1/2” (Center Back Support)
2 – 1×4 @ 25 1/2″ (Arm Rests)
2 – 1×3 @ 6″ (Decorative Front Arm Supports)

Tools
Tape Measure
Speed Square
Pencil
Hammer
Safety Glasses
Hearing Protection
Drill
Circular Saw
Miter Saw
Level
General Instructions

Work on a clean, level surface. Use good, straight boards. On outdoor projects such as this one, it’s a good idea to paint your boards first (or invest in a tiny paint brush to get in between the cracks) so, sand and give your boards a nice paint job first. Remember, you can click diagrams for larger views. Pre-drill and countersink all of your screws. I would use a screw pattern so that your screws look nice and even (and you don’t have to finish the chair again after it’s assembled) Be safe and have fun!

Instructions

Step 1

CUT YOUR STRINGERS
From the 1×8 stringers listed in the cut list, cut your stringers as shown above. You may wish to create a pattern and then copy the pattern for both sides. This is the trickiest step. If you can do this, you’ve got it made!

Step 2

FRONT APRON
Attach your front apron with 2″ screws and glue as shown above.

Step 3

SEAT SLATS
Lay your seat slats as shown above, starting with the first flat seat slat. Leave a 1/2″ gap between the slats. Screw down with 2″ screws and glue.

Step 4

FRONT LEGS
Use 1 1/4″ screws and glue to attach the front legs as shown above.

Step 5

Step 6

BACK
Build the back as shown above.

Step 7

ATTACHING THE BACK
Attach the back as shown above. This isn’t an exact science, I purposely choose to use a 1×3 for the arm supports and a 2×2 for the back support so that it would be super easy for
you to get the back to line up just right with the seat and arm supports. You may want to enlist your neighbors assistance.

Step 8

ARMS & SUPPORTS
Attach your arms with 2″ screws and glue. Then attach the arm supports.

Finishing Instructions
Preparation Instructions
You should be done! This chair will fit a standard cushion, sized anywhere from 18×18 to 20×20. Can’t wait to see your photos!
Project Type
Chairs
Room
Outdoor
Style
Farmhouse Furniture
Children's and Kid's Room Furniture and Toy Plans

Comments

claydowling

Sun, 06/05/2011 - 06:36

You should be able to build these for less. Even if you can't, there is a satisfaction in building it for yourself. My least useful chair is a stool that I built with my dad's help on his lathe. It's also my favorite because I made it, and I don't know anybody else with a chair like it.

Although given the state of my dining room chairs, I might need to start making that stool some grown up chair brethren soon. Too many broken spindles.

Guest (not verified)

Fri, 09/30/2011 - 11:28

Hi, my husband and I are anxious to make chairs for us and kids and alsoo a bench for the porch- he'd love to have a glider and I wondered if you had ideas of how to modify the bench into a glider? Thanks for all your hard work, i have such a to build list from you site! Cant' wait to start getting them done!

Guest (not verified)

Fri, 02/10/2012 - 08:48

I love this site!!!! Thank you ! I wish I could find a plan for a half circle diner booth for my dinning room, but I had so many of these plans on my wish list! Thank you so much!

Andra (not verified)

Sun, 02/19/2012 - 10:58

Would it be possible to do this project with a jigsaw and not the fancier saws that I don't own (yet).

Lady Goats

Sun, 02/19/2012 - 11:53

Andra, my first few projects were built only with a jig saw! So you definitely can! a piece of advice is to draw the full cut that you need to make, use a straight board as a guide to slide your jig saw against to get straight cuts, and (if needed), sand the cut to smooth it out. They'll be rough looking... but use a little caulk on the "seams" before you paint, and it'll look great.

claydowling

Sun, 02/19/2012 - 15:16

You could use a jig saw for this, but I wouldn't recommend it. You can make all of these cuts just as easily with a Japanese ryoba or a hand saw, both of which are sold at Lowes and Home Depot.

You should also check Sawing Secret, an episode of The Woodwright Shop that did a really nice job of showing how to use hand saws successfully for a variety of situations.