Weekend
Project
Article
JAN/FEB
2005
Volume 48/Issue 1
IN
THIS ISSUE
Project
Articles
•
A Gift For Your Kitchen
• Outdoor Deck Chair
• Bandsaw Boxes
DEPARTMENTS
•
Ask Smitty
• Owner’s Gallery
• Letters from Owners
Academy Notes
Hardwood
Information You Should Know - Pt 4
Service Pointers
The
MARK V Vertical Drill Press & Horizontal Boring Machine
Woodworking
Technologies
Stepped
Dowels
Safety
Safety Lessons I've Learned
What's
New
Rip
Scale Upgrade Kit, Cabinets, & Lift-Assist
EDUCATION
• Find
A Shopsmith Woodworking Academy Near You
•
National
Woodworking Academy in Dayton, OH
ONLINE
CATALOGS
• Online Accessory Catalog
•
Request
Printed Accessory Catalog
• Online
Replacement Parts Catalog
MARK
V INFORMATION
•
Find
A Shopsmith
MARK V Demo Near You
•
Request
MARK V Information Package
LINKS
•
Links Worth Visiting
•
Free Woodworking
Tips
FEEDBACK
Contacting
Shopsmith
Copyright
2005.
Shopsmith, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
The Outdoor Deck Chair
Here's a simple, rugged outdoor chair design that you can easily modify to suit your own needs.
If you've already decided that cheap, plastic outdoor furniture isn't for you...and you've already priced well-designed wooden outdoor furniture, you can probably figure out pretty quickly that you'll be way ahead of the game if you build it yourself.
This chair plan gives you the opportunity to do just that. Plus...if you use the right materials, these chairs should provide a lifetime of great service, along with the great satisfaction that comes from having built them yourself.
And, with just a few simple dimension changes, the chair could easily become a lounge chair or even a love seat. Change a few more dimensions and you could even have a bench sofa (but you must increase the thickness of your seat slats to 1-1/8" to ensure adequate strength).
Let's start with a little talk about materials. We built our example chair from (selectively picked) number two white pine. Why?, you ask. First of all, we wanted you to know that with today's finishes, the material you choose isn't as important as it used to be.
There are loads of weatherproof finishes out there that will provide many long years of durable service (with a little or no maintenance). Ours is treated with a transparent penetrating oil stain that's especially formulated for outdoor use. Better quality stains such as ours contain additives that repel water, resist mildew and protect the wood from the harsh Summer sunshine.
As a result, you don't really have to buy more costly, weather-resistant woods for projects like this chair. However, good outdoor woods such as redwood, Western red cedar, cypress or teak have a lot to offer beyond mere weather resistance. They can also be stronger with far more attractive natural colors and grain patterns. That's one decision you'll have to make for yourself.
So, let's get
started
1. Cut all stock to size, according to the Bill
of Materials. NOTE: Make any size adjustments now if you're
planning to build your own variation of our chair. When selecting lumber,
for reasons of strength, care should be taken to avoid knots, especially
with treated lumber.
When cutting slats to length, a Miter Gauge Extension Face with an adjustable stop will significantly speed the cutting process and help ensure that all slat lengths are uniform.
2. Use a Shaper or Router set-up to radius two edges of the seat supports (B). A 1/2" radius is preferable, but a smaller radius is also acceptable.
