Tip #61 Build a Lawn/Patio Chair

If you've priced well-designed, sturdy, outdoor furniture, then you know you'll be well ahead if you built it yourself. Our outdoor furniture plans give you the opportunity to construct durable, easy-tobuild lawn furniture at a fraction of retail prices. And you'll enjoy hour furniture (and the satisfaction of having built it yourself) for years to come. We designed the chair to be very adaptable. With a few dimension changes, it can easily become a lounge chair or love seat. If you change a few more dimensions, you can have a bench/sofa (but you must increase the thickness of stock for the seat slats to 1-1/8 inches). Our comfortable lawn chair is constructed of number two white pine which we selectively picked. Why white pine for an outdoor project? Mainly to show you an alternative to the more expensive weather-resistant woods. Our chair is treated with a transparent penetrating oil stain that's especially formulated for exterior use. Better quality stains contain additives that repel water, resist mildew, and protect wood from the sun. For outdoor projects, you're still better off paying extra and choosing a good weather-resistant wood, such a redwood, cedar, oak, teak, or even pressure-treated lumber. 1. Cut all the stock to size according to the List of Materials. (Make your size adjustment now if you're building a variation of our chair.) Care should be taken to avoid knots, especially when using treated lumber. 2. Use a shaper head and fence to radius two edges of the seat supports (B). A 1/2-inch radius is preferable, but if a router is used, a smaller radius is acceptable. 3. Transfer the patterns (from the plan grid) for back supports (A) and seat supports (B) to large piece of paper. Lay the back and seat supports on the pattern and mark, cut, drill, dowel and glue at the correct angle to fit your pattern. 4. Use a bandsaw or jigsaw to cut the newly created "side" -- back (A) and seat (B) sub-assembly -- to the correct shape. Sand for final assembly. 5. Transfer the pattern for the front legs (C) and the back legs (D) to paper. Lay the front and back legs on the pattern and cut, drill for end dowels, and sand for final assembly. 6. Drill, dowel, and glue the legs (C & D) to the side subassemblies at the proper angles according to the pattern. 7. Attach the side/leg assemblies to the spreaders (E) with 3/8inch dowels (G) and glue. Use extra care at this stage to insure squareness. 8. Attach slats (F) to the back supports (A) with screws (H). Use a 1/2-inch wood block to space slats parallel and at 1/2-inch intervals.

List of Materials Finished dimensions in inches A Back supports (2) B Seat supports (2) C Front legs (2) D Back legs (2) E Spreaders (2) F Slats (20) G Dowel Pins (26) H Screws (40)

3/4 x 6 x 28 3/4 x 6 x 21 3/4 x 3-1/2 x 14 3/4 x 3-1/2 x 12 3/4 x 3 x 18 3/4 x 2-1/4 x 22 3/8 dia. x 1-1/2 #8 x 1-1/4 Flat Head Wood Screws