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Build this adirondack chair
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This twist on a classic cottage chair improves on perfection
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By Paul Lewis, photos by Roger Yip, illlustration by Len Churchill
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This chair is lean and low, but the most unusual design feature is the offset arms-making it easier to get in and out of
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Before I built my own version of a traditional cottage chair, I had been known to take the easy (albeit more expensive) way out by assembling chair kits. Each time I did, I thought how simple it would be to make these chairs from scratch. I could have just traced the kit pieces to make some templates. But, then I decided to evolve the 100-year-old design that was born in the Adirondack Mountains. My version is built with 1"-thick cedar, and I've included a few unique features.
Behind the Design
This chair is lean and low, but the most unusual design feature is the offset arms-making it easier to get in and out of. Now, before you dismiss this as a quirky choice, hear me out. The shorter arm allows you to swing out your leg as you stand up. It really works too. My parents (and, in the not too distant future, probably me) have difficulty getting out of a traditional Adirondack chair with its deep, low seat and forward-reaching arms. But there's no such trouble with an offset shorter arm.
This design tweak didn't come easily. I made four full-size prototypes of the chair before getting the proportions just right. The comfort of the chair hinges on the relative angles of the seat and back. Knocking together quick, full-size mock-ups of these parts is a worthwhile exercise if you want to customize your chair to suit your own proportions. Your models needn't be pretty-I used cheap pine and an air nailer to cobble mine together. Whether you follow my plan exactly or experiment with your own adjustments, the basics of the construction process are the same.
Chairman of the Lake
Begin by working on the main legs. They are the foundation of the chair and making them is the only tricky part of the whole process. Cut two blanks from 5/4 decking, then transfer the pattern onto these blanks either from a template you can download from this page, or by enlarging the grid pattern in the plans. Chances are I'll be making more chairs in the future, so I created a template for the pattern on a piece of 1/4"-thick plywood. (http://www.canadianhomeworkshop.com/templates.shtml
Cut the main legs to size with a bandsaw. Then cut the material for the rest of the pieces to width and length. Take the time to smooth all the edges with a stationary belt sander.
You'll need to add contours to the arms and the arm supports as well. Again, you can trace the pattern by downloading a template from our website or using the plans.
Transfer the patterns to the arm and arm braces now (or to plywood templates if you choose to make them), then cut and smooth them to final shape. Before moving on, use a router to roundover any freshly cut edges of the slats to match the rounded profile of the factory-milled edges.
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