Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community  

Go Back   Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community > The Academy > Tilted Knowledge and How-To


 
 
LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 06-03-2004, 06:19 AM   #1 (permalink)
plays well with others
 
kulrblind's Avatar
 
Location: Canada
Woodworking advice needed: Adirondack Chairs

Hey Handypersons:

I have purchased plans to build a couple of adirondack chairs for some friends of mine (wedding gift), but am now at the "choosing the wood" stage. Most of the plans call for 1x6 boards (not fenceboards, mind you), but I wanted something that would be durable and naturally rot-resistent without too much maintenance.

Keep in mind, I'm up in Nova Scotia (wayyyyy eastern Canada), so obtaining exotic species is not going to be an easy or cheap task.

Anybody had particular success with certain wood types for outdoor furniture? I'm looking into hemlock, but not sure I can procure it at a reasonable price.

Thoughts?
kulrblind is offline  
Old 06-03-2004, 08:06 AM   #2 (permalink)
Upright
 
Location: Hurlburt Field, FL
A good ceader should work, as long as it's taken care of properly. I've got a ceader deck (except for the treated pine framing) and it looks just as good as the day it was new. The biggest thing is just taking care of it. Use a good oudoor stain/water repellant/paint and it should last for a long time.
Cableguy is offline  
Old 06-04-2004, 09:47 AM   #3 (permalink)
Addict
 
Tirian's Avatar
 
Location: Canada
what Cableguy said.

And you can buy fenceboards if you have access to a thickness planer to smooth down the rough side. (Cedar can be a bit hard on planer blades I find.)
Tirian is offline  
Old 06-04-2004, 10:32 AM   #4 (permalink)
Tilted
 
I built a picnic table set last year and wanted about the same as you. (long lasting and easy maintenance) I have built the same yet years ago out of cedar and was pleased in the begining but thru time they greyed and mildewed. Even after an annual coat of sealer and waterproofer(my spelling sucks). So I decided on the man made "lumber+plastic" type of material. There are several types and grades. The one I picked cuts, sands, shapes and stains just like regular wood but is bug proof and weather resistant. Some are also pre-colored and the color goes all the way through. The only drawback I found is that the composit is more flexible than natural wood. I had to add a couple of stiffiners to the legs and back uprights. As for the seats and backs I left as is. When you sit in them they are kinda springy on your back and butt. Seems more comfortable to me..Anyway thats my experience and my opinion
b_angelo is offline  
Old 06-05-2004, 11:25 AM   #5 (permalink)
Junkie
 
fhqwhgads's Avatar
 
Teak is ideal, but it's not very cost effective.

Go with cedar, if it's available in your area.
fhqwhgads is offline  
Old 06-07-2004, 11:17 AM   #6 (permalink)
plays well with others
 
kulrblind's Avatar
 
Location: Canada
Thanks, everyone.. I'll be checking on the availability of cedar tonight. The main reason fence boards aren't called for is because the thickness is slightly less than a 1x6, but the chairs can be built with fenceboards just the same, with a few mods on screw depth.

Anyway... if they turn out well, i'll post some pics
kulrblind is offline  
Old 06-07-2004, 11:32 AM   #7 (permalink)
Getting it.
 
Charlatan's Avatar
 
Super Moderator
Location: Lion City
Go with Cedar but you can also go with pine... just make sure you use a few coats of varathane or good quality paints...

I just did two Muskoka Chair's this weekend. There were from a kit that was given to me so I had no choice on the wood. It was pine.

My relatives have some very nice cedar one's though.
__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke
Charlatan is offline  
Old 06-07-2004, 11:39 AM   #8 (permalink)
it's jam
 
splck's Avatar
 
Location: Lowerainland BC
I'd go with cedar like already mentioned. It's light, easy to work with, relatively cheap and very rot resistant.
__________________
nice line eh?
splck is offline  
Old 06-09-2004, 12:12 PM   #9 (permalink)
Junkie
 
Daval's Avatar
 
Location: The True North Strong and Free!
I was going to build some very soon as well, i was originally planning on using 1 1/4" decking material and assumed I was gonna build the chairs out of pressure treated pine for the cost.

Is there any issues with building a chair out of pressure treated materials? Is it dangerous?

Failing that I will use Cedar, but Cedar is bloody expensive.
__________________
"It is impossible to obtain a conviction for sodomy from an English jury. Half of them don't believe that it can physically be done, and the other half are doing it."
Winston Churchill
Daval is offline  
Old 06-10-2004, 08:06 AM   #10 (permalink)
plays well with others
 
kulrblind's Avatar
 
Location: Canada
Quote:
Originally posted by Daval
I was going to build some very soon as well, i was originally planning on using 1 1/4" decking material and assumed I was gonna build the chairs out of pressure treated pine for the cost.

Is there any issues with building a chair out of pressure treated materials? Is it dangerous?

Failing that I will use Cedar, but Cedar is bloody expensive.
Most of the harmful pressure treatements (like with Chromium Copper Arsenate) have been outlawed at this point, so the treatment methods might be different. I was informed that treated spruce is only around $1.50 for an 8' length (1x6x8'), but that the treatment method is now different due to the new health regulations (cancer risks) in Canada. I believe the same regs were adopted in the United States, but don't quote me on that.
kulrblind is offline  
Old 06-10-2004, 08:43 AM   #11 (permalink)
Junkie
 
When you start shopping for wood, avoid buying from a home center. They won't have near the range that a real lumberyard can provide. A lumberyard will have a much wider selection of species and always have dimensional lumber. You should be able to score the 5/4 x 6 stuff you need with no problem at all.

CCA was banned in the US as well.
__________________
+++++++++++Boom!
tropple is offline  
Old 07-05-2004, 09:58 PM   #12 (permalink)
Jesus Freak
 
Location: Following the light...
If you use a wood, I would stain it rather than paint it. Stained wood looks soo much better than painted wood. Since it's outdoor furnature, make sure you add a few extra layers of clear varnish to the top after staining it so that it will hold up to the elements better.
__________________
"People say I'm strange, does that make me a stranger?"
ForgottenKnight is offline  
 

Tags
adirondack, advice, chairs, needed, woodworking


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT -8. The time now is 02:38 AM.

Tilted Forum Project

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2
© 2002-2012 Tilted Forum Project

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360