Build the ultimate fire pit chairs with these free woodworking plans! Designed for comfort, durability, and easy movement around the fire. No special tools or cushions required. Uses just $12 in lumber per chair. Perfect for outdoor gatherings, patios, and backyard fire pits.
Free plans include step by step instructions, cut lists and shopping lists, user submitted photos and lots of details!
The image above is a digital rendering, created to scale based on my actual woodworking plans. This is not an AI-generated image. This saves on photography and staging costs, helping us keep plans free. Scroll down to see real build photos from the completed project.
Why I Designed and Built These Firepit Chairs!
Stop dragging plastic chairs in and out. Ditch the benches. Say goodbye to scorched sling seats.
These are the only fire pit chairs you'll ever want to build.
After tons of testing, prototyping, and sitting around the fire myself, I designed what I truly believe are the ultimate fire pit chairs. And now, I’m sharing the plans with you—for free.
💡 What Makes These Chairs Better?
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✅ Comfortable – Relaxed seat angle, perfect for lounging by the fire
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✅ Durable – Built from real wood, designed to last for seasons
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✅ Lightweight + Moveable – Easily scoot closer to the fire or back off if it’s too hot
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✅ No Arms – Makes it easy to share with a kid or a cozy partner
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✅ Efficient to Build – Each chair uses about $12 in lumber, no special tools
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✅ Stylish – Clean, simple lines that look good on any patio or in any backyard
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✅ Low Maintenance – No cushions, no fabric, nothing to store
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✅ Weatherable - keep these chairs by the fire-it all season long, yes even in the winter!
🪑 Why These Beat Store-Bought Options
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Plastic chairs blow away in the wind and crack easily
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Metal sling chairs aren’t comfy and can’t handle fire sparks
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Adirondack chairs are heavy, more involved to build, pricey to buy, and limited to a single user
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Benches are awkward to move and not ideal for lounging
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Cushioned chairs? Beautiful, expensive, but high-maintenance and risky near a fire
So Great I Built Eight!
I built a full set of 8 chairs for under $200—including paint and screws. My husband and I built them together, I cut, he screwed them together, we sprayed them. We spent one afternoon cutting and assembling, sanded and sprayed them another afternoon.
They’ve been a total hit. Everyone who sits in them wants a set. Even better? They’re so easy to build, you can batch out a full set in a weekend.
Free Plans to Build the Best Firepit Chairs
This is the fire pit chair I wish I had years ago.
And now, you can build it too.
🧰 Get the free plans today and build a fire pit seating setup you’ll love all season long!
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Preparation
Shopping List for 1 Chair
- 2 cedar fence pickets, not dogeared, 5-1/2" wide x 6 feet long
- 2 - 2x4x8 feet long, preferably red toned or pressure treated
- 1 - 2x2 @ 2 feet long, preferably red toned or pressure treated
- About 25 - 2-1/2" self tapping exterior appropriate screws
- About 30 - 1-1/4" self tapping exterior appropriate screws
- About 1 pint of paint/stain per chair, recommend a solid color penetrating stain suitable for fences
Shopping List for 8 Chairs
- 16 cedar fence pickets, not dogeared, 5-1/2" wide x 6 feet long
- 16 - 2x4x8 feet long, preferably red toned or pressure treated
- 2 - 2x2 @ 8 feet long, preferably red toned or pressure treated
- About 200 - 2-1/2" self tapping exterior appropriate screws
- About 240 - 1-1/4" self tapping exterior appropriate screws
- About 1 gallon of paint/stain per chair, recommend a solid color penetrating stain suitable for fences
Cut List for 1 Chair
- 2 - 2x4 @ 20-3/4" - chair base front and back
- 2 - 2x4 @ 24-1/4" one end cut at 10 degrees off square ANGLE, long point measurement - chair base sides
- 2 - 2x4 @ 13-3/4" one end cut at 5 degrees off square BEVEL, long point measurement - front legs
- 2 - 2x4 @ 22-1/2" one end cut at 5 degrees off square BEVEL, one end cut at 25 degrees off square BEVEL, long point to short point measurement (see step 3) - back legs
- 1 - 2x2 @ 23-3/4" - chair frame back
- 3 - cedar fence pickets @ 23-3/4" cut from the same board - seat slats
- 4 - cedar fence pickets @ 17-3/4" cut from the same board - back slats
Cut List for 8 Chairs
- 16 - 2x4 @ 20-3/4" - chair base front and back
- 16 - 2x4 @ 24-1/4" one end cut at 10 degrees off square ANGLE, long point measurement - chair base sides
- 16 - 2x4 @ 13-3/4" one end cut at 5 degrees off square BEVEL, long point measurement - front legs
- 16 - 2x4 @ 22-1/2" one end cut at 5 degrees off square BEVEL, one end cut at 25 degrees off square BEVEL, long point to short point measurement (see step 3) - back legs
- 8 - 2x2 @ 23-3/4" - chair frame back
- 24 - cedar fence pickets @ 23-3/4" cut from the same board - seat slats
- 32 - cedar fence pickets @ 17-3/4" cut from the same board - back slats
There is quite a bit of cutting, especially if you are building the set of 8. Some tips from cutting out 8 chairs:
- If your saw allows you to cut a 2x4 on edge and only cut angle cuts (not beveling) this was easier than adjusting the saw head to cut bevels
- The back legs were the hardest part to cut. But once I got one cut, I used it as a pattern to cut the rest
- When you cut an angled cut, the scrap piece will have that same angle already cut into it, so you may be able to use that scrap piece angle for the next cut
- Mark the long points on the 5 degrees - they are hard to see since the angle is so slight
Sand the fence pickets well before cutting, it will be difficult to sand the edges after they are attached to the chair. Use a coarse grit sandpaper.
I recommend predrilling all screw holes, as the red-toned lumber will be very dense and prone to splitting.
We used a brad nailer with 2" galvanized brad nailers to tack the chair frames together before screwing, this saved a ton of time and helped us keep everything straight.
Instructions
Step 1
Layout the chair base as shown, making sure the angled sides are orientated the same way (long point down) and screw together with the longer screws.
Step 2
Attach the front legs to the seat frame, double checking that the orientation of the legs matches the diagram to the orientation of the seat base. It will be easier to rotate the seat base so it is upside down when attaching the legs. Use 3 screws per leg joint and wood glue.
Step 3
Attach the back legs to the seat frame with two screw per joint.
Cutting tips: The back legs were the hardest cuts to make. To reduce having to re-adjust the saw angle, it was easier to just cut all my back legs long (23-1/2" with both ends cut at 5 degrees, ends parallel, long point to short point measurement) and then go back and make the 25 degree cuts on all the precut boards. Cutting was not the time consuming part, it was readjusting the saw that took the most time.
Step 4
This step was a little challenging because the 2x2s had to be attached at an angle, so pre drilling was super helpful. Another option would be to use pocket hole screws from the insides, these would get covered by seat slats in later steps.
Step 5
For the seat boards, layout the front and back first and attach with the shorter screws. Then attach the middle board, keeping gaps even.
Step 6
Place the seat back slats in place, attaching the two outer boards first with screws into the back 2x2 and into the back seat slat.
Then position the middle back slats with gaps even and attach.
It is easier to apply with a sprayer (we used the Wagoner handheld sprayer) especially if staining the 8 chairs.
