Adirondack chair wood choices

[Steve N]

If the joints will be made with hardware (bolts n nuts) and you end up using a soft wood, know that sitting in the chairs causes a slight see saw action at the joints, and after not too long a time your holes which start nice and crisp will start to yaw out, and wallow, usually becoming oblong. Anyhow the end result is a sloppy, slidy chair. I've found that overdrilling the hole size, and inserting a metal tubing into the hole, and then using 2 large washers on either side will go a long way in delaying that yaw from happening, if it ever does. A lot of that is determined by the weight of the person doing the sitting.

I get 3/8-16 bolts and hardware at Tractor supply. and 3/8" hard copper pipe, Cerro, both spec at 3.750, but either the bolts are smaller, or the pipe is bigger because the bolts just slip in. I cut the pipe so it ''''Just"" extends past the wooden parts, and the double washers tend to round over the cut lines. Makes for a very snug fit, and it will extend the life of a WRC, SYPine, or Cypress.

Most of your SYP in the BORG is going to be either shortleaf pine, or longleaf pine, and they have a Janka of around 700 to 900, their deficit is the wood is sappy/gummy/oily, and is weird to paint because of that. If you follow Admirals tip to go white, some Kilz will cover and stop the sap, and allow for either more Kilz, or a white overcoat. Either way it makes for a wonderful outdoor project if you make sure to seal up the endgrain. I like at least 2 coats of Kilz, and a topcoat of a good quality latex in whatever color I want to go for. A tip here, and kind of a sporty look is after all the aopint on the distal ends is dried, to dip the legs ends in some of that rubber sealant. I prefer red, on white it looks awesome


WRC, while being very nice to look at is really lightweight to make a serious piece of furniture with a janka of a mere 350, it won't take much abuse, but makes for a wonderful siding product for your home.

Cypress is really great for it's weatherproof qualities, but with a Janka of just 510 and for the $$$$$$$$$ it too makes a wonderful siding, some nice fence pickets, but it too is lighter than the Heir Apparent SYP.

Cypress if you want a weathered look, and no finish, or minimal. SYP if you want paint.

Cypress


Western Red Cedar


SYP, shortleaf


SYP Longleaf

[Robert Adams]

I have made many in the past. Cypress is a no go, it's too soft and owners HATE the grey color if it isn't finished. Cedar looks good but again owners hate the color as it ages and it's soft. 

    White oak is a good choice. Japanese larch is another for those with it in their part of the world and needs no top coat. 

      Spar varnish doesn't really do anything. Epoxy is the best coating but pricey and allot of work and needs a topcoat to keep it from deteriorating which needs recoating on a regular basis.  


         The last chairs I have made for myself I have used treated decking. These are the heaviest and the cheapest chairs I have built but they have been the most durable chairs I have ever built. They aren't the prettiest but they are the best ones when it comes to funcion.

[goaliedad]

I use northern white cedar finished with a deck stain, oil based

[nocrapman]

[quote pid='7454228' dateline='1491346025']
Most of your SYP in the BORG is going to be either shortleaf pine, or longleaf pine, and they have a Janka of around 700 to 900, their deficit is the wood is sappy/gummy/oily, and is weird to paint because of that. If you follow Admirals tip to go white, some Kilz will cover and stop the sap, and allow for either more Kilz, or a white overcoat. Either way it makes for a wonderful outdoor project if you make sure to seal up the endgrain. I like at least 2 coats of Kilz, and a topcoat of a good quality latex in whatever color I want to go for. A tip here, and kind of a sporty look is after all the aopint on the distal ends is dried, to dip the legs ends in some of that rubber sealant. I prefer red, on white it looks awesome


Thanks for all your impressions and advice Steve!

What is the red rubber sealant you are talking about?
[/quote]

[nocrapman]

    White oak is a good choice. Japanese larch is another for those with it in their part of the world and needs no top coat. 

               The last chairs I have made for myself I have used treated decking. These are the heaviest and the cheapest chairs I have built but they have been the most durable chairs I have ever built. They aren't the prettiest but they are the best ones when it comes to funcion.

---------------------------------

White Oak is available aplenty here. I know the guy who cuts the tree/saws it to spec and air dries it and then sells it to me for $1/bdf. I get a lot of oak and walnut from him.

What was this treated decking material you are referring to?

[Robert Adams]

The decking was plain old pressure treated decking. Just has to dry before sitting on the chairs 

    I wish I could get oak that cheap or any wood for that matter. The only oak here are the trash oaks I have in the yard. Going to cut 3 more down but they are not lumber variety of oak, they are firewood varietys. 

    And I have painted the ends with Mas epoxy before and it helps a little. When I have built cabinets with legs for garages and utility rooms I screw pieces of acrylic or UHMW to the feet to make it harder for water to soak in but outside I don't see it helping as much.

[Gary G™]

I use Cypress; the sawmill I get it from cuts a very thick 4/4; nearly 5/4 so it mills out to 7/8.
I use construction adhesive as "paint" on the ground contact points.
It really does the job.

[Terry W]

I have four I made from cypress and that would be my recommendation. They are about 10 years or so old and have held up well but I do tend to keep them on the deck and not in the dirt.  I finished mine with Austrailian Timber Oil. It holds up about a year before it needs another coat. After three or four years I've let them go grayish and now they have nice patina.

[Rob Young]

If you want to make painted chairs, white pine works just fine.  I made two for my bride out of pine; but prior to assembly I primed with exterior primer, then assembled, then two coats of white house paint.  I give them a light touch up every year with house paint, do the underneath once every three years; they are 8 years old already and look as good as the day they were made.

One thing, I used 4/4 pine for the two front and side legs, makes for a much sturdier chair.

I'm going on the second year for a painted one made from Douglas Fir.  Exterior grade primer followed by a decent exterior grade color coat.  Both enamel-latex types.

Its done just fine.  Priming was done pre-assembly.  Color coat post assembly.

Just last week I did a touch-up on it only because a few knots were now showing through and one or two of the covered screw holes were now proud due to wood shrinkage.  The paint was in fine shape. 

Lives on a deck, exposed to sun and rain but never sitting in a puddle.

Yep, most certainly a blue painted chair...

[jcredding]

I've built a number of them and I really like the look of white oak (which I like working with too) - the oldest pair is about 7 years old with no finish and sit outside 365, but I'm in Southern California so don't have the kind of weather you have by any stretch of the imagination. I also use clear paint for outdoor furniture with good success.