Perfect Patio Chairs

A classic design, reinvented for comfort and easy building

- Ken Collier

This chair is hard to beat for comfort, economy and ease of building. The design is based on a couple chairs I’ve had at the family cabin for more than a decade. Being a fiddle with-it kind of guy, I modified the originals over the years, built others and eventually chose this design.

I think it’s about as close to perfect as you can get: It’s comfortable to sit in for hours at a time, the arms are wide enough to hold a drink, and you’re reclined enough for relaxation, but not so much that you’ll groan every time you get up (unlike with most Adirondack chairs). It will accept a common type of outdoor chair cushion, available at any home center, but doesn’t require one. It’s light enough to move around easily, and you can fit it through a doorway without contortions. Plus, it’s inexpensive and easy to build.

Skills, tools & lumber

This is a beginner to intermediate level project. If you have just a little experience with tools, you can do it. You’ll need an orbital or a random-orbit sander, a 7/16-in. wrench, six clamps and a drill. You can cut parts with a circular saw and drive nails with a hammer, but you’ll get faster, nicer results with a miter saw, an air compressor and an 18-gauge brad nailer.

I’ve built this design from both pine and cedar. Each pine chair will cost you about $60, cedar about $90. Cedar is a better choice if your chairs are going to spend much time out in the rain. You may find it hard to buy 1x3 cedar, so you may have to rip a 1x6 in half. Also note that rough cedar is usually thicker than 3/4 in., while pine boards come in the standard 3/4-in. thickness. When you’re building the seat and back, keep those different thicknesses in mind 

Build a prototype