Free Adirondack Chair Plan

History

• Thomas Lee had 22 family members to accommodate at his summer home in Westport. Needing lots of chairs, he began to build his own and used the front lawn as his workshop. Lee shared the design with a friend -- local carpenter and shopkeeper Harry C. Bunnell -- and allowed him to manufacture the chair, according to a story in the New York Times, Bunnell patented the design as the Westport Chair without Lee's opposition. Originally sold for about $4, a Bunnell chair now fetches about $1,200, according to the AdirondackChair.com website.

Basic Chair Plan

• Many original Adirondack chairs were made from hemlock, because the wood was plentiful in upstate New York. But the AdirondackChair.com website says hemlock is not the best product for woodworking. The Minwax Co. provides illustrations and detailed instructions for a pine Adirondack chair. It suggests protecting the wood with an oil finish. But many Adirondack chairs are painted, instead.

  Minwax says its project is appropriate for seasoned beginners to advanced woodworkers. Necessary power tools include a table saw, a band saw or jigsaw, a plunge router and biscuit joiner, a drill press, a Phillips screwdriver bit, a three-eights-inch plug cutter bit and an orbital or finish sander.

Sawyer Adirondack Chair

• One distinctive variation on Lee's original chair is the more angular Crate & Barrel Sawyer Adirondack chair designed by Mark Daniel and constructed from eucalyptus wood that turns gray. Sawyer chair variations include back slats that are horizontal instead of vertical and chair arms that are long, simple rectangles. Plans at the Design Confidential website are based on Daniel's design. Similar to the Minwax chair, the plans are illustrated step by step and include a detailed list of equipment and supplies. It doesn't specify the kind of wood to use, but notes that the materials can be purchased for less than $100.

Foldable Loveseat

• Storing outdoor furniture can help it last longer. The Handyman Club of America website offers free plans for a double Adirondack chair that folds up for storage. The love chair back is topped with a double scallop as if two chairs were joined together. The website notes that although the only tools necessary are a jigsaw, a router and a drill/driver, you'll get more refined results if you have a table saw, a band saw and a finish sander.