An original Westport Adirondack chair built by carpenter Harry Bunnell now sells for about $1,200. Unless you want to shell out that kind of cash, you may want to consider building your own. The hand-built Adirondack chair has advantages to a store-bought or mail order one and is an easy woodworking project found on a website.
The Adirondack chair was originated in the town of Westport, New York, on Lake Champlain near the Adirondack Mountains in the 1890s. Their broad, high armrests, deep seats close to the ground, and wide wood planks mark them. They are made for relaxation and are definitely not conducive to work. Sinking into one on a summer day, you may use the wide armrests as a place to put your lunch, drink, or summer reading material.
You can buy an Adirondack chair at a store or online, but you will miss out on the advantages of a hand-built one. The prices vary according to the material and construction methods used, but they will almost certainly be more expensive than the cost of raw materials for building your own chair. The cheapest, power-stapled Adirondack chairs made of pine sell for about $35. Others made of domestic hardwood, redwood, or plantation teak may go for $200 or more. But all of these chairs will be scaled down from the large, original model so that they can be easily shipped. They also won’t stand up to the ravages of time the way a hand-built chair will. And besides, you’ll miss out on the fun of building your own chair.
Mother Earth News’ website has free plans for building a large, solid chair with a footrest or side table. Alternative instructions are given for a double chair to be used as a settee or porch swing. The chair has a strong, triangle-based frame and is constructed with 2-by and 1” lumber. Galvanized or stainless steel power-driven screws are used for most fasteners and galvanized carriage bolts hold the back support and front legs to the back leg-seat support. Detailed instructions on how to construct the chairs can be found here.
Building the Adirondack chair from Mother Earth News as a woodworking project will give you outdoor furniture that will last much longer than anything you could buy at a store or in a catalog. You can have your own Adirondack chair like the ones that graced Lake Champlain estates in the 1890s.
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