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+-- Thread: Who's ready for a "chair build-along"? Well, gather round, kids and listen (/showthread.php?tid=7359857)
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Who's ready for a "chair build-along"? Well, gather round, kids and listen - Dumb_Polack - 01-02-2021
Well, more like "look" rather than listen
Backstory: We have a firepit and we've been using those plastic Adirondack chairs for a while. Our friends have some nice teak chairs (see picture) that SWMBO wanted for our chairs. They're not Addy chairs, but she likes them just the same. My company shuts down for the Christmas so I thought "why not attempt them then?" I usually have a policy of "no chairs" but I thought I'd try it.
So, I built a copy of their chair. Some modifications though:
1) Theirs is made out of teak. I'm using cedar so I installed a mid-seat chair support. I'll also be thickening up the seat slats to give it even more strength.
2) not sure what we'll be doing about the "horns" at the top of the crest rail. Theirs has them curve to follow the curve of the crest rail. I sorta like them to be a little proud. That's why they haven't been cut yet.
3) My back slats are a little shorter than theirs. This was an accident when I measured, but it allowed me to add the back rail seat support where I was able to mortise in the mid rail seat support. Sometimes a screw-up works in your favor.
Once I built the prototype, I made templates for all the parts. Some parts got 2 templates, i.e. the rear legs have mortices facing forward and mortices facing sideways; thus 2 templates, the arm rests needed 2 as well. Cutting the templates took the better part of the day, but it'll make mass production of the chairs much easier. (Maybe Henry Ford was on to something???
) She wants 8 chairs so templating everything was the way to go.I bought 2 8ft 5"x5" cedar fence posts from a local fence builder. For the 2 I paid $102-ish including tax. and it yielded me the prototype and the parts you see on my "assembly" table. I haven't done the math but I figure 3-4 more posts should do it. So, all in, it'll be $400ish for 8 chairs, give or take. Not bad.
As you can make out from the templates, everything is M&T joints. I'll eventually screw through the M&T joints with an exterior screw and then plug the holes with some cedar plugs, which I'll make. I also have some small Trex boards laying around. I'll screw on some pads on the feet so they're not in direct ground contact. We haven't decided on whether or not to finish them, of let them age naturally. I will probably put a preservative on regardless of the finishing route we take, though.
So, there you have it. I'll pick up the remaining posts sometime this week, put them in the basement with the dehumidifier going to dry them somewhat. I figure in a month or so I should have this project wrapped up. Any questions??? Ask away!!!
RE: Who's ready for a "chair build-along"? Well, gather round, kids and listen - jteneyck - 01-02-2021
Really nice work. Making the templates will make building the rest of them almost foolproof.
Are you going to finish them or just let them age naturally?
John
RE: Who's ready for a "chair build-along"? Well, gather round, kids and listen - Dumb_Polack - 01-02-2021
The finish is tbd
Don’t know if they’ll age naturally or not
RE: Who's ready for a "chair build-along"? Well, gather round, kids and listen - fredhargis - 01-02-2021
Like you, I have a "no chairs" policy...but I don't mind watching others torture themselves. Those are quite nice.
RE: Who's ready for a "chair build-along"? Well, gather round, kids and listen - KC - 01-02-2021
(01-02-2021, 12:51 PM)fredhargis Wrote: Like you, I have a "no chairs" policy...but I don't mind watching others torture themselves. Those are quite nice.
Ha! That's how I feel nowadays, altho I do like the ones DP posted.
I mentioned something last week about a table and chairs. Putting the table base together today, and have pretty well decided I'm getting the chair kits from the Shaker Workshops. #5 slat back. I've made a child's chair like that (not a kit), but don't have a big enough lathe to do adult size.
RE: Who's ready for a "chair build-along"? Well, gather round, kids and listen - Dumb_Polack - 01-02-2021
(01-02-2021, 12:51 PM)fredhargis Wrote: Like you, I have a "no chairs" policy...but I don't mind watching others torture themselves. Those are quite nice.
Hi Fred,
Actually, the chairs I'm building are pretty easy to build. The only angle that comes into play is the lean of the back rail. I determined it to be 10 degrees so the only time I'll need to change the bevel angle or miter angle is when I'm forming the tenon on the arm rest going into the back leg. A little patience and flipping the miter to the opposite side of 90 and it seems to be working out fine.
Maybe I should sell my templates to the public???
RE: Who's ready for a "chair build-along"? Well, gather round, kids and listen - JohnnyEgo - 01-02-2021
I am ready for a chair build along, because I am afraid of chairs. Eager to follow along.
RE: Who's ready for a "chair build-along"? Well, gather round, kids and listen - Scouter - 01-02-2021
Any way you could share the templates, or at least dimensions and angles? I have some old cypress from a swing I took apart, been wanting to build something out of them, this looks nice for around the fire pit.
RE: Who's ready for a "chair build-along"? Well, gather round, kids and listen - Dumb_Polack - 01-03-2021
Scouter?
Tell you what. Give me a few weeks and I’ll trace them on some cardboard and mail them to you. (The back legs will probably get folded).
Sound good?
PM me in a few weeks with your addy and I’ll mail them out.
RE: Who's ready for a "chair build-along"? Well, gather round, kids and listen - Scouter - 01-03-2021
(01-03-2021, 04:07 PM)Dumb_Polack Wrote: Scouter?
Tell you what. Give me a few weeks and I’ll trace them on some cardboard and mail them to you. (The back legs will probably get folded).
Sound good?
PM me in a few weeks with your addy and I’ll mail them out.
Sounds great.
Scouter came from years ago when I was in Scouting. Those times are past, but can't change the user name.