Adirondak Chair Weekend Project

Mike 870 · July 19, 2009, 08:08:53 PM

Hi All,

Well I've been looking for land for a while and really really want to get working on building my own cabin but haven't been able to. I wish I could have my own project thread so bad, but can't so I figured I'd post a different project.

My dad used to build these chairs, so I decided I'd give it a go. The pattern is from "Classics From the New Yankee Workshop" By Norm Abrams.

Tools used are: Band Saw, Mitre Saw, Compressor and nail gun, Router, Drill Press, and Drill. Also a counter sink bit and some regular drill bits.

Wood is cedar, (could use redwood, or you could use poplar and paint them) and you'll also need some 2 inch carriage bolts, 1 and 1/4 and 1 and 5/8 exterier screws.

I start by tracing the patterns onto the cedar, then cut them out with the band saw. Then I rout the edges and assemble. For more details check out the book. The table and footrest are not in the book. I made the table by tracing a rubbermaid lid onto some toung and groove cedar. The footrests my dad came up with, they are pretty easy to figure out yourself if you want them.

And now some pictures.

rwanders · July 19, 2009, 09:29:05 PM

Very nice version of a classic! Really like the table too. I have always admired those with the patience to do good furniture woodworking----my sister's first husband was a cabinetmaker and built a whole wall of bookcases and gun display cabinets for the Whitehouse when Ike was our President. I was just a kid then but I still remember watching him in his workshop and marveling at his skill-----a lot more hand tool work was done in those days.

July 19, 2009, 09:54:47 PM

Nice work. I need a set for my deck.

Mike 870 · July 20, 2009, 10:47:20 AM

Thanks rwanders and scott,

They are a good project for someone looking to get into woodworking, because there is really no complex jointing. There is one mitred cut and aside from that it's basically tracing, cutting and assembling. Once you have some patterns made to trace onto the wood you're good to go.

MountainDon · July 22, 2009, 10:53:12 PM

Nice Mike!!

July 23, 2009, 12:51:21 AM

Mike - those look really good. let me know if your interested in building some for my deck

$eriously, message me if interested

.. aside from that, Norm does indeed have some good plans, however dont discount the "Jakes chair" , quite a following, here is a search on it. I have looked at these plans for some time. They are easier to build than Norm Abrams plan as the joinery is much simpler. Just putting it out there as an alternative yet proven design. not a bad first timer woodworker project.

Mike 870 · July 24, 2009, 07:48:42 AM

Thanks guys. I'm pretty far away from you muldoon, in Ohio. I also don't have an affordable source of wood as of yet, so I'm not sure I can make them at any price anyone would really want to pay. To make a pair it takes me about $110 (cedar, exterior screws, bolts) in materials and 10 hours of work. I considered selling them at our local farmers market, but after doing some research, I decided people would not buy them for what I would want to sell them for so I scratched the idea. I like that Jakes chair, it's a sharp design.

IronRanger · July 24, 2009, 06:49:40 PM

Wow, those actually look comfortable too. With the limited amount of tools I have, I could probably make those for my Mom's deck.

Mike 870 · August 19, 2009, 07:23:11 PM

I'm sure you could make one IronRanger, let me know what tools you have and I may know of a shortcut to get by with what you have.

OK all you timber framers out there. I decided to try my hand at some mortise and tenon joints. They came out pretty messy but by the 4th one I felt like I was improving.

I had some leftover cedar toung and groove. So I sanded it with 100 grit then 220 grit sandpaper, and then started varnishing it with minwax satin poly to see what it would look like. I liked the way it looked so I decided to make a coffee table out of it. Here it is after 2 coats.

And After about 6 coats.

After talking to my Dad (Who was a wood shop teacher) I decided to try doing the jointing as mortise & tenon. You will see I use some screws so sorry if there are any purists out there. First I used my table saw to make the tenon and it came out like this. I took a little off the bottom side of the wood so that it would cover up any sloppyness when I drill the mortise. I lifted the blade until the tenon was roughly the width of my half inch drill bit.

Then I used my drill press with a half inch bit to make the mortise. They have mortising attachments for a lot of drill presses but I don't have one of these. They also have mortise tools etc.

After I use a chisel to even out the corners and get rid of extra wood.
Here is what the joint looks like when I am done. Uh Oh, I am getting the ole forum jumpy going on right now so I will continue in a new post.

August 19, 2009, 07:53:17 PM

This is what the legs came out like before the skirt was completed. The mortise and tenon joints only join the long pieces of the skirt. I didn't think I could join the short pieces since I made my legs by glueing two boards together. I later used a roundover bit to rout the sides of the legs.

Here is what the skirt originally looked like. I used a counter sink bit and screws to attach two triangular pieces as bracing.

I didn't think the skirt felt strong enough so I added more bracing.

And it still felt wobbly, so I added more bracing.

View from the bottom.

And the almost finished product. I used the two flat braces that run perpendicular to the long sides of the skirt to drill 1 and 1/4 inch screws through to attach the skirt to the top.

I will post more pictures once I sand and varnish the skirt and legs.

Bobmarlon · August 23, 2009, 12:03:09 AM

joinery looks pretty solid, In my experience I find it better to make the mortise first then cut the tenon to fit but everybody does thing differently. I am working on coffee table right now as well joined with mortise and tenon I think it will be ready for finish on weds-day may-by I will post a picture.

I think that set with the table and footrests is worth a lot more than you think to someone who isn't so cheap they build there own house.

Mike 870 · August 23, 2009, 09:42:41 AM

Thanks Bob, my Dad pointed out some stuff I probably should have done better too, like making the skirt a little smaller so the top overhangs more. The jointing could be tighter for sure. I also would scrap the triangular braces, the accomplish nothing once the top is on. The little braces closest to the floor (the ones you can see when the table is upside down) do much more structurally.