Adirondack style chair in sweet chestnut

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When I made mine, I made the front edge rounded over, so that I didn't get a sharp edge in the back of my knees.
Regrettably I don't have any pics, it was pre-digital :(
 
With all the pieces cut, I did a test dry assembly, then took everything apart again. I should have tidied up the workshop properly, but there was just enough space to spread out all the components, on the bench

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on the table saw

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and on a Workmate

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I then had several peaceful sessions, brushing on the finish. I used Le Tonkinois, which I used on the earlier chair, and wrote about here.

With each piece covered all round and the varnish dry, I reassembled into the major elements of the chair and footstool. These then had some more varnishing.

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It's a nice easy finish to use, but even if you are really careful when putting it on, it does tend to leave drips below vertical surfaces later. Here you can see some on the seat, before it got its next layer. It's easy enough to sand these away.

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The design is one which folds, which makes it practical to take in over the winter. In use, the chair is held rigid with a a pair of pegs. I turned these, using an offcut of the same wood.

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With the varnish dry, I did a full test assembly. I needed to slightly tweak some of the hole positions for bolts and the pegs- in retrospect, it would have been better to clamp it up and make the holes at this stage.

One last digression on this - what to do if you have two 5/8" holes which don't quite line up. An ordinary Irwin pattern auger (with the scribing cutters on the edge) isn't great for this - it tends to want to dive into the hole rather than boring a little moon shape out. But a solid nose bit will bite into the overlapping hole nicely. This is the sort I mean:

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- so they are worth buying, if you happen across them.

Anyway, enough about old tools and stuff - here's the chair in its folded state:

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and here it is assembled:

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In reality, I have a bit more finishing to do and I want to cover some little details such as swapping the wingnuts for stainless shakeproof nuts, and cutting down over-long bolts, but provided the sun comes out again, I plan to put the chair to good use in the garden for the rest of the summer. 8)
 
nice job andy T, that sweet chestnut combined with le tonkinois is going to last a long time, it looks great. :D
 
Lovely, Andy. I see now why you were happy to have such a sharp corner behind the knee - it doesn't come into play at all, does it?
Excellent.
 
AndyT":1n9ijrvn said:
provided the sun comes out again, I plan to put the chair to good use in the garden for the rest of the summer

A really professional job, and what better way to relax than to kick back on something you've made yourself.

=D>
 
Very nice as usual, any left for a G&T table?

Pete
 
Andy, I've been thinking about this.
Very beautiful and very comfortable, no doubt.
But how do you actually get in and out? Sit down and stand up? Doesn't the leg rest get in the way?
I have a problem with that with most garden "loungers".
Perhaps you are more supple than I am, it wouldn't be difficult!
See you soon.
S
 
Pete, there's a little bit left over, but not enough for a table, so the flat arms will have to do.
Steve, that's a good point. It can be difficult to get up and very tempting to just stay there, once you are installed. But you can just drag the footstool aside, then stand up as normal.
 
Looks very, very nice. The folding feature is great. I actually bought a Steamer style folding lounge chair at the start of summer. It is some German brand, but probably made in China. I had a fantasy that I would make one at some point to match a bought one, but when it turned up the folding mechanism and shaping involved scared me.

Congrats - great work.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I made this a few years back - one of Norms with brass hardware from Rockler.
Very, very comfortable.
If anybody fancies making one I’ve got another set of the brassware which I think is no longer available??

In English Oak:

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Rod
 
Wow, that is great. I think the hardware is difficult to get now. I might be interested in that hardware at the right price....
 
Harbo, that's a very smart chair and a much more advanced design with all the curves. Can you remember what size sections you started with?
 
Here’s a better photo, colours are a bit more realistic

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I should have the drawings and templates I made somewhere, the chair is put away in the shed as I’m not allowed to sunbathe.

I’ll check the price, they are solid brass fittings and were quite expensive.

Rod
 
Andy the pieces are up to 1 ½” thick, the arms are 3 ½” wide
The long leg had to be cut from a piece 42” long by 6” wide.
Should be made from teak but I opted for English Oak because of cost.
There’s a video of the make which I should have watched beforehand, it would have made my build so much easier.

Rod
 
Where I live in Italy almost everything is made of local sweet chestnut. I don’t know if it is different to the chestnut you find in the UK but it has an incredible amount of tannin and every time it gets wet drips with brown liquid. I’m not sure how you could treat it toprevent this.
 
Andy, a nice job.....
second that wood n brass measuring caliper is rather sweet.....
lastly 3'rd photo the nubers in rea ...are theythe price of the board....?
if not can you please give me the prices for a few peices.....
I have a man/tree surgeon/saw miller who I want to use.....be good to have an idea upfront.....
thanks
 

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