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Build an elegant patio set
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This table and chairs set is great on the deck, patio or balcony
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By Adrian Jones, photos by Tracy Cox, illustration by Len Churchill
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The bar-stool height of this table and chairs set makes it an upscale alternative to a traditional patio set, perfect for a toast to a warm evening
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Sometimes simpler is better, and these bar-height table and chairs show how well good looks and clean lines can go together. My design calls on mortise-and-tenon joinery for the frames, while the horizontal seat slats and tabletop are fastened with corrosion-resistant screws. This approach is strong, attractive, easy to build and makes it easy to replace parts later, if needed.
The tabletop is large enough for four chairs, one on each side. All of the parts are cut from one-inch and 1 1/2"-thick white oak. This terrific eastern hardwood looks great and stands up to outdoor weather well. It's heavy, hard and strong, with excellent wear-resistance. It also holds screws solidly, although you'll need to predrill for them. Oak contains high levels of tannic acid, a substance that reacts with some metals to produce black stains. Choose stainless-steel screws: they minimize discolouration of the wood.
Start with the Chairs
Each chair consists of four frames connected at the corners with 1 1/4"-square legs. All rails are cut from 3/4"-thick material, organized as a set of thin lower rails and wider upper seat rails. You'll join them with blind mortise-and-tenons, which are hidden.
Mill the front and rear legs to 1 1/4" square, then cut them a bit longer than required. The angle on the top of the legs will be cut later, after you've shaped the armrests. Mark the legs according to location: front right, front left, back right, back left. Don't forget: the front legs are longer than the rear ones.
Carefully lay out the mortise locations, making sure the joint orientation is correct relative to the other legs. Cut all mortises 1/2"-wide and 3/4"-deep, centred on the legs. The simplest way to prepare mortises involves boring out the majority of the waste with a drill, then squaring the holes with a chisel. You can also use a plunge router or, if you're lucky enough to own one, a mortising machine.
Regardless of how you prepare them, lightly chamfer the edges of each mortise to prevent chipping of the wood along the edges. White oak is especially prone to this! As you work, keep in mind that the longer mortises for the seat side rail meet inside the legs with those for the face seat rail.
Next, mill face seat rails, side seat rails, the lower face rails and the lower side rails to 3/4" thick. It's easy to get these parts mixed up, so bundle them in groups with tape to keep things orderly while you cut to final length. This is especially important if you're building four chairs at once.
Use a dado blade in your tablesaw to prepare the 3/4"-long tenons you'll need on the ends of all the frame rails. Cut the tenons to width first by tweaking the height of the blade until the tenon is a snug fit into the mortise. Cut all tenons to the same width at this machine setting, then cut the cheeks to bring the tenons to the correct height in the same way. Make sure your machine settings are correct first, then run all the parts through.
Take a look at the plans and you'll see that the side and face seat rails meet in the corners. Make this happen smoothly by trimming the ends of the tenons on these parts to 45º, so that they meet without interfering within the mortises. By now you've probably discovered how splintery white oak can be. That's why you should lightly chamfer the corners of all tenons.
Test-fit each joint and use a chisel and file to tweak the joints until they're snug. Clamp the chair frame together without glue, checking that all the joints are tight and the frame is square. Carefully label each part (on end grain surfaces) to make it easy to reassemble the frame during glue-up.
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